All-Ireland Club football championship Quarter-final/ Salthill/Knocknacarra 0-9 Tír Chonaill Gaels 0-5: Connacht football champions Salthill/Knocknacarra had to work hard to see off the game challenge of Tír Chonaill Gaels in yesterday's All-Ireland club championship quarter-final before an attendance of 500 at Ruislip.
Trailing by a single point 0-4 to 0-3 at the interval, the home side had sufficient chances to fully extend the visitors but erratic shooting by their forwards coupled with a number of misplaced passes cost them vital scores.
Former All Star Michael Donnellan was an imposing figure throughout for the Galway club. He won much of the ball in the middle of the field although Gaels got stronger as the game progressed with Gary Kane working tirelessly in an effort to provide his forwards with an adequate supply of the ball.
Vigilant defensive work by Salthill coupled with the home team's shortcomings in attack ensured that only one of Tír Chonaill's scores came from play, a long-range effort from Francis Cleary.
Despite the fact that two of the visiting team - substitute PJ Kelly and midfielder Barry Dooney - were sent off in the 56th and 63rd minutes respectively for high tackles, the game in fact was sportingly contested even if the overall standard fell somewhat short of expectations.
While the winners' defence was never under serious pressure full back Finian Hanley and centre back Gordon Morley dealt comfortably with any threat from the opposition while wing back Marty O'Connell proved particularly effective in the first half.
Of the Salthill forwards, Alan Kerins, Séamus Crowe and Seán Armstrong proved something of a handful for a Tirconaill defence in which Paddy Callaghan, Hughie Cunningham and Paddy McGonigley were best.
SALTHILL/KNOCKNACARRA: P McGinley; R McKiernan, F Hanley, C Begley; M O'Connell, G Morley, A McDermott (0-1); M Donnellan, B Dooney; S Rabbitte, A Kerins (0-2), D Burke, S Crowe (0-3), M Sheridan, S Armstrong (0-2). Subs: J Boylan for M Sheridan (38 mins), PJ Kelly (0-1) for A McDermott (46 mins).
TÍR CHONAILL GAELS: B McBrearty; R Walsh, P Callaghan, S Boyle; M Kelly, P McConigley (0-1), H Cunningham; D Meehan (0-1), G Kane; F Cleary (0-1), E Sweeney, B McDonagh; F Hoban, A Gallagher, JP Boyle (0-2). Subs: A Johnson for D Meehan (40 mins); B O'Mahony for R Walsh (46 mins), N Quinn for B McDonagh (50 mins), O Brosnan for A Gallagher (56 mins).
Referee: P Russell (Tipperary).
