Johnny Heaney the shining star as Galway demolish Donegal
Johnny Heaney was the hero for Galway as he fired home two goals in the opening half to send the Tribesmen on their way to a facile victory.
Heaney finished the game with 2-2 on a dismal evening for Donegal football as the Tribesmen advanced to an All-Ireland quarter-final showdown with Kerry.
Donegal just had no answer to a powerful performance from Kevin Walsh’s men, who had the game in the bag by half-time when they led by 3-9 to 0-7.
Donegal played most of the second-half with just 13 men when Michael Murphy and Martin McElhinney picked up black cards when they had all six subs used.
But the game was over as a contest by then as Galway bossed matters throughout.
Donegal’s best period was in the opening quarter against the breeze and their large travelling support base must have sensed victory when the
But the big breakthrough came for Galway after 16 minutes when Heaney got in for the first of his goals after Armstrong and the impressive Ian Burke had set him up and he fisted to the net.
Armstrong then pointed a free before the disorganised Donegal defence was again punished when goalkeeper Mark Anthony McGinley tripped Flynn to concede a penalty.
It got worse for Donegal when referee Anthony Nolan dished out a black card to the goalkeeper while his replacement, Peter Boyle, stood little chance against Liam Silke’s penalty.
That made it 2-6 to 0-5 after 25 minutes and Conroy quickly added a point to turn the screw and by the interval they were out of sight when Heaney got his second goal.
The loss of Murphy and McElhinney meant no way back for Donegal who missed a penalty when Paddy McBreaty’s effort was saved by Bernard Power.
And Galway, who drafted Michael Meehan for his first action for three years, finished in style with Danny Cummins getting their fourth in the dying moments as they eased to victory despite losing full-back Declan Kyne to a second yellow card.
J Heaney 2-2; S Armstrong 0-6 (0-3f); L Silke (1-0 pen) & D Cummins 1-0 each; G O’Donnell & E Brannigan 0-2 each; S Walsh, P Conroy, I Burke, M Daly & D Comer 0-1 each.
P McBrearty 0-6 (0-2f); M Murphy 0-4 (0-3f, 0-1 ’45); M O’Reilly 0-2; M McElhinney, M Langan 0-1 each.
B Power; E Kerin, D Kyne, C Sweeney; G O’Donnell, G Bradshaw, L Silke; P Conroy, T Flynn; J Heaney, M Daly, S Armstrong; I Burke, D Comer, S Walsh.
D Wynne for Sweeney (59, black card), E Brannigan for Walsh (60), D Cummins for Daly (63), M Meehan for Comer (68), C McDaid for Bradshaw (72), D Walsh for O’Donnell (72).
M McGinley; C Ward, K Gillespie, N McGee; E Gallagher, R McHugh, P McGrath; J McGee, M Murphy; M McHugh, E McHugh, F McGlynn; J Brennan, H McFadden, P McBrearty.
P Boyle for McGinley (25, black card), M Langan for Brennan (35), M McElhinney for McGlynn (35), K Lacey for Gillespie (36), C Thompson for McFadden (42), M O’Reilly for E McHugh (42).
Anthony Nolan (Wicklow)
