Roscommon 0-9; Galway 0-8
You'd have got big odds on the Rossies leading the top division of the National Football League after two rounds of games but that is precisely where Dave Burke's side are sitting following impressive wins at home to Tyrone and on Sunday away to Galway in Pearse Stadium.
And it was no fluke as they finished like a train to score the final five points of the game to pip last year's beaten All Ireland finalists in their own backyard.
Substitute Richard Hughes was the hero for the fans in primrose and blue when his kick just got over the blackspot to record a famous away win - their first in this competition against Galway for two decades.
Both teams were wary of each other in the opening half, at the end of which Galway turned over leading by 0-5 to 0-3.
Roscommon were on target early with a brace of points from Daire Cregg and Ciaran Lennon but then the biggest talking point of the half occurred when All Star forward Damian Comer was stretchered off with a serious leg injury which delayed proceedings for over five minutes. it was Dessie Connelly, his replacement who got Galway's show on the road with a 14th-minute free. Then the impressive Matthew TIerney levelled and another Connelly free had the home side ahead.
Dylan McHugh and Cillian McDaid added to the Tribesmen's tally before Diarmuid Murtagh made his presence felt with a fine score. However when Galway raced 0-7 to 0-3 ahead with Johnny Heaney and Conneely scoring again, it looked like they would kick on to victory. Diarmuid Murtagh got in for a fine score to cut the deficit to three. Ian Burke got on the mark to steady the ship for Galway but once Ben O’Carroll and Ciaráin Murtagh added to the Rossies' tally, the game was in the melting pot with the home strait in sight.
It was O'Carroll who cut the margin to the minimum and the large travelling support in the 7,000 crowd made their voices heard as Diarmuid Murtagh clipped over the equalizer from a placed ball.
The question now was - who wanted it more? Both sides had opportunities to steal the points and after a Galway attack broke down, Roscommon worked the ball up the pitch and allowed Hughes the chance to shoot over the winning score.
Davy Burke was a happy man afterwards but was also keeping his feet firmly on the ground. "We're obviously getting a good bounce out of them, they're going well," he stated.
"I must be getting this first-year manager bounce that they talk about. The lads are brilliant, turning up every night and working hard. Similar to last week our bench was good and made a big impact. The game has gone to about 80 minutes now, so I'm never too worried if you're three or four down with 15 minutes to go, or if we're three or four up with 15 to go I don't get too excited. We're far from safe. We're going to need six points to stay up. We're going out to prepare and win every game. We're not going to win every game; if anyone thinks we're going to win seven from seven then they're delusional. I want to make sure we're competitive and I think we are. The reason is that we think we can push them on. What I would say is I don't fall for league football. It's a brilliant competition, 50-50 every week, but it's not championship football. We're grand where we are at the minute, but I'm fully aware that April 9 is coming fast, and we've Mayo in Castlebar."
Galway manager Padraic Joyce was downbeat, particularly after the injury to Comer appeared to be serious and may rule him out for a number of weeks if not the whole season. "We're disappointed to lose the game but the injury to Damien had a downer on everyone. You could see the lads, they didn't really recover after that. It's a bad day all round for us with injuries and losing the game. He has to go for a scan and we'll see but it doesn't look good. Credit to them, they stuck at it, they made a game plan the way they wanted to play. We knew it was going to be a battle all day long and they had the better finishers on the pitch. We're not going to press the panic button. It's the second round of the league, we've one point out of four and it makes the next couple of games very important for us," he pointed out.
Roscommon: C Carroll; E McCormack, C Daly, C Hussey; N Daly, B Stack, R Dolan; T O’Rourke, K Doyle; D Ruane, E Smith, C Lennon (0-1); D Cregg (0-1), C Cox, D Murtagh (0-3, 0-1f) Subs: C Murtagh (0-1) for Cox (half-time), B O’Carroll (0-2) for Ruane (47), D Murray for McCormack (47), R Hughes (0-1) for Doyle (51), C Walsh for Murray (65-68 blood), P Carey for D Murtagh (72).
Galway: C Gleeson; J Glynn, E Kelly, N Mulcahy; D McHugh (0-1), J Daly, S Kelly; M Tierney (0-1), P Conroy; C McDaid (0-1); D Comer, P Cooke; P Kelly, E Finnerty, J Heaney (0-1) Subs: D Conneely (0-3f) for Comer (11), I Burke (0-1) for P Kelly (half-time), O Gallagher for Finnerty (51), M Barrett for Heaney (65).
Ref: M McNally (Monaghan)
Armagh 0-17; Mayo 0-17
You can seldom predict anything about Mayo, other than they will always surprise you. On Sunday in the Athletic Grounds in Armagh, they were expected to play second fiddle to Kieran McGeeney's young pretenders on home soil yet as the game entered its final stanza, the men from the west were five points ahead and looking home and hosed.
Kevin McStay's charges had played out of their skins and with a maturity that belied the fact that several new faces were on board. There seemed no way back for the Orchard county but then Mayo imploded and instead of being clever in possession, they couldn't wait to give the ball away.
And Armagh, with an insatiable appetite, it must be said, not to lose at home, came back roaring at them likes lions and it was only fitting that by game's end, it was Cian O'Neill who slotted over two pointed frees deep into the red zone to share the spoils.
Of course, it wasn't the first time in their history that Mayo have failed to get past the post ahead and if the new management are to get anywhere in the coming months and years, they must snuff out this inability to see games out from good vantage points.
McStay was only too well aware that no team leading by five points with 67 minutes gone should be reeled in, particularly when they don't concede a goal in that period. Even more heartbreaking for the manager was the fact that his side had managed to work the ball up the field with no goalkeeper at home for Armagh and still turned the ball over. However, rather than hold possession, substitute Eoghan McLaughlin had a rush of blood to the head and went for a wild shot for a point which had little chance of succeeding.
What that wide did was allow his opponents to go up the field and grab the equalizer. Ethan Rafferty got back to restart and the rest, as they say, is history thanks to the steely nerves of O'Neill under such pressure. "This is where we have to be better. Make better decisions. We would've wanted him to get it to a shooter or recycle because that was the critical play at that stage. But some of the stuff we did today was terrific. Our attitude, our hunger for it, we really brought the game to Armagh in that second half. Some of the things we're working on are beginning to fall into place. It's only a game, too!
"It'll do great for our young guys. We're very pleased with their effort. They're not shying away from what was a tough, tough game. They're doing all the things we're asking them. We'd a great week training, we knew we'd have a shot at it today... but it's over now - by the time we get to the bus it's over with! And it's Kerry next, so..."
National Football Leagues
Division 1
Kerry 3-16; Monaghan 0-14
Roscommon 0-9; Galway 0-8
Armagh 0-17; Mayo 0-17
Tyrone 0-16; Donegal 0-8
Division 2
Meath 4-8; Clare 0-16
Cork 2-14; Kildare 0-7
Derry 2-11; Louth 1-11
Dublin 2-17; Limerick 1-11
Division 3
Westmeath 4-16; Longford 0-9
Offaly 1-9; Fermanagh 1-9
Cavan 1-19; Tipperary 1-7
Down 2-18; Antrim 2-17
Division 4
Leitrim 3-12; London 1-15
Sligo 0-18; Wicklow 0-12
Laois 1-18; Wexford 1-13
Carlow 1-11; Waterford 0-10
National Hurling League
Div 1 A
Cork 2-17; Limerick 0-22
Clare 4-27; Westmeath 0-14
Galway 0-23; Wexford 0-15
Div 1 B
Waterford 2-19; Dublin 3-16
Tipperary 2-32; Laois 0-18
Kilkenny 1-18; Antrim 0-15
