Winning start for Oscar Traynor champions

Clare League 2 Galway League 1

Oscar Traynor champions Clare made a winning start in defence of the title when they came from behind to record a merited 2-1 win over Galway at Frank Healy park in Doora this evening.
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The visitors started brightly and their early play suggested that they might win this one. A superb strike from Jason Molloy as early as the sixth minute game them the lead but Clare showed that they have gained from their success last season and they fought back in impressive style.

A foul on Eoin Hayes resulted in a free  just outside the area and Dave McCarthy found the corner of the net to tie up the scores after fourteen minutes.

The winning goal was a score worthy of any game at any level. Team captain Stephen Kelly, who was outstanding throughout, won possession in his own defence and having beaten two opponents he delivered a superb pass down the left wing to fellow Newmarket Celtic clubman and fellow Irish junior international Eoin Hayes. He then showed his skills in superb fashion and beat three defenders before superbly dribbling past the visiting goalkeeper and shooting to the net.

Trailing 1-2 at the break, the visitors piled on the pressure on the resumption but they could not find a way past a Clare defence in which Kelly excelled. When Galway did manage to get a shot on target they found the experienced Barry Ryan to be in tremendous form and he produced a couple of excellent saves.

Clare’s next game will be against Mayo at the Connacht side’s venue next month. This win came as a great boost after the league’s youths outfit had tasted defeat twenty four hours earlier when going down 1-3 to Limerick in the opening round of their campaign

Clare; Barry Ryan; Stephen Carroll, Eoin Whelan, Conor Mullen, Stephen Kelly; Colin Ryan, Colin Smyth, Joe Collins, Eoin Hayes, Dave McCarthy Ian Collins;

Subs; Kaylan O’Loughlin for Carroll; Niall Whelan for J. Collins; Aaron Rudd for Smyth

Galway; John Egan; Keith Greaney; Gearoid Léinne, Declan Greaney, Declan Cullen; Dave Coen, James Ryan; Barry McEntee, Ronan Cauldwell, Jeffrey Power, Jason Molloy;

Subs; T. J. Forde for Egan (inj.); Kieran Duggan for Ryan; Oscar Simbadda for McEntee, Shane Keogh for Cullen

By Seamus Hayes