Mervue United 2
Castlerea Celtic 1

A ghost would have proved more frightening than this pair as two strong sides cancelled one another out in Sunday’s Connacht Junior Cup tie in Fahy’s Field on Sunday.

Throughout a pretty timid encounter Mervue United had three shots on target throughout the 90 minute duration and their reward of two goals was certainly of the generous nature.

Stephen Cunningham’s early strike was following good build-up play, but the second by central defender Keith McHugh wasn’t the cleanest connection in the world as his effort somehow made it into the roof of the net.

Mervue goalkeeper Eoin Martin was certainly the busier goalkeeper throughout and while only routinely tested, his brilliant penalty save on 79 minutes was certainly the high point of the game as he flew to his right to push away Giles McDonagh’s well struck penalty.

The defender did come out on top in a second visit to the spot, deep in injury time, but by then the game was over, as the clock saw off the visitors.

With the two other pitches unplayable in Fahy’s Field, the game was played on the League of Ireland ground and while it should have been an opportunity for both sides to ping the ball about on a perfect surface, almost the opposite was the case.

Mervue are by a street the best side in the local game at the moment, but for a team with so many good footballers, their inability to retain possession and to pass the ball to one another is appalling. There were no excuses as the Castlerea Celtic are a neat footballing side and it wasn’t a difficult physical contest.

Obviously following the demise of the Oscar Traynor team so timidly and the departure of all three Galway side’s from the FAI Junior Cup at the first time of asking at the national stage, it does not bode well for the standards in the local game.

In the early stages, the visitors made the home back four look like world beaters as they humped a lot of long ball in their direction and for Connolly, O’Connor, McHugh and McGrath it was just child’s play as they cleared their lines.

However as the game progressed the visitors changed tack, and while their approach improved, they still struggled on a day in which defences dominated.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.