Galbally grab the spoils at Gardrum Park

DROMORE 0-10  GALBALLY 2-10

A FLUENT and fully-focused Galbally side grabbed their second Division One road win of the new season at Gardrum Park on Friday evening, superb first half goals from Daniel Kerr and Ronan Nugent seeing them past an out-of-sorts Dromore.

After an evenly fought first twenty minutes, St Dympna’s challenge tailed off, and in truth at no stage did they suggest they could really salvage something from this contest, despite the best efforts of Peter Teague, Conor O’Hara and Niall Sludden.

All the stand-out performances were in the visitors camp, with Conor Quinn, Ronan Nugent, Liam Rafferty, Darragh Donaghy and Joseph Corrigan leading the way. On the evidence of this display they have every reason to feel bullish about the campaign that lies ahead.

Indeed even with their prolific attacker Conor Donaghy leaving the fray through injury just past the midway stage of the first half, they maintained their drive and purpose.

The opening exchanges were fairly tepid, as each side sought to establish a foothold in the match. Declan McNulty popped over a sixth minute free for the hosts, only for Daniel Kerr to drill over the leveller at the other end after Conor Donaghy intercepted a Dromore kick-out.

Donaghy then belted over a go-ahead ’45’ for the Pearses but Niall Sludden responded with a trademark sweet strike with the outside of the foot to square matters again.

And heading past the quarter hour mark the teams remained deadlocked at three points apiece as Peter Teague and Daniel Kerr traded frees.

The signs were there though that Ronan Nugent and captain Enda McGarrity were asserting control for the away side around midfield, and on the twenty minute mark Nugent floated in a precise pass from deep which Kerr took in his stride and slipped low past keeper Ruairi Sludden into the far corner of the net.

With his confidence soaring Nugent then hoisted over a quality score from distance, and just before the break he raised a green flag himself, rifling to the net after a razor sharp exchange of passes down the right flank with McGarrity.

Galbally were dominant at this juncture and Sean Hughes capped a blistering counter-attack with a score to leave them very much in the box-seat at 2-5 to 0-3 at half-time.

An early Colm MacRory point on the restart hinted at a renewed determination in the home fold but a further Kerr free and wonderful score from the impressive Joseph Corrigan represented an emphatic reply by Galbally.

St Dympna’s must have sensed it wasn’t to be their night when Tiarnan Sludden flashed a drive inches the wrong side of keeper Ronan McGeary’s post and heading into the final quarter the score stood at 2-8 to 0-5 in Galbally’s favour as McNulty (free) and Sean Hughes registered at either end.

To their credit Dromore kept chipping away and three scores on the bounce from Oran Sludden, Peter Teague (free) and McNulty (free) gave them a modicum of hope.

The loss of keeper Ruairi Sludden to a straight red card after a fracas inside the St Dympna’s square further diminished their prospects and another exceptional strike by Corrigan and fisted score from sub Sean Hughes, meant late pointed Dromore frees from McNulty and Teague counted for very little.