Some Derry followers may disagree, and Damian Cassidy reckons that his side were "three or four points" the better team, but at the final whistle the Oakleaf men should have been happy enough with the result considering the position they found themselves in just fifteen minutes earlier.
And this was the most impressive aspect of Derry's performance at the Maghera venue. After Michael Meehan's penalty had put Galway three points ahead, and with Derry facing into a strong breeze, it looked like the Tribesmen would pick up their fifth consecutive NFL victory. But Derry did not yield. They stepped up their game considerably, dominating the midfield exchanges, and kept possession with fair degree of craft and composure. A three point deficit needed to be closed; and a battling Derry side ensured it was.
Even when Derry went a further point down with a couple minutes remaining, they still found a way to save the game. Thanks in no small part to an excellent long-range score from the mercurial Enda Muldoon.
If there is one positional conundrum that this season's NFL campaign has answered, it is this: Enda Muldoon is the partner of choice for Fergal Doherty at midfield. The Ballinderry man was simply outstanding at Glen. Backing up his fielding and passing ability with two excellent (and important) scores, Muldoon adds a creative element to the Derry engine room. Midfield is his best position, and we should see him there come May.
Yesterday (in the absence of Fergal Doherty) Muldoon was ably partnered by Patsy Bradley, who put in an excellent performance himself. So much so that Damian Cassidy conceded after the game that Derry are not reliant on Doherty in this area:
"There's this myth going around that Derry depend on Fergal Doherty at midfield. That myth was just set aside today. It's about the team and one individual cannot be more important than the team. Patsy had a great game today and today we showed that we are a team."Derry's teamwork certainly showed in the second half when their backs where against the wall. Having lost Barry McGoldrick to a yellow card before half-time and Niall McCusker to injury shortly after, Derry had lost the spine of their defence. Add to this the (somewhat ruthless) half-time substitutions of John Deighan (replaced by Gillis) and Ryan Dillon (replaced by McKaigue), and suddenly the Oakleafers had an almost totally new defence against one of the best forward units in the country.
It didn't phase them however, with Sean Leo McGoldrick and Paul Cartin driving forward at will. McGoldrick was particularly impressive in a ball-carrying role, helping to set up continuous Derry attacks, while Cartin scored an important point.
This was a high-quality and highly interesting game of football. Derry showed considerable stature across the field, and bar their efforts in the midfield region Galway did likewise. Paddy Bradley hit 0-7, but he was eclipsed by Michael Meehan's 1-5. Meehan looked dangerous whenever he came within sniffing distance of the ball, and he did an excellent job of keeping his side in the game, especially in the first half when Derry threatened to open up a half-time deficit. Thanks to Meehan and a bundled goal by Paul Conroy, that deficit never appeared.
Galway boss Liam Sammon was happy that his team managed to get at least a draw:
"I'm happy that we're coming away with something because it looked for quite a long period that we'd get nothing at all out of it. I thought Derry played well in the second half. They created a lot of chances, so we're possibly lucky to get away with a draw. They kept the ball very well and worked it up the field and there were periods we couldn't get our hands on the ball."Both managers will be pleased that they didn't lose this game, but Cassidy might be more pleased for seeing his team refuse to panic when the questions were asked, and battle hard to gain a result. A team missing Fergal Doherty, Kevin McGuckin and Sean Lockhart were able to dominate a near full-strength Galway team for long periods.
The win wasn't forthcoming, but that is only a minor niggle. Competition for places continues to grow as the summer approaches, and this Derry team progresses with every game played. These are the primary aims of Derry's NFL campaign.
Who knows, it may be summer when these sides meet again. The result will be the only important thing that day.
DERRY: J Deighan; K McCloy, N McCusker, R Dillon; P Cartin (0-1), B McGoldrick (0-2, frees), SL McGoldrick; Patsy Bradley, E Muldoon (0-2); P Young (0-1), P Murphy, B Mullan; Paddy Bradley (0-7, five frees), E Bradley, B McGuigan. Subs: G O’Kane for B McGoldrick (35 mins, yellow), B Gillis for Deighan (half-time), C McKaigue for Dillon (half-time), B McAlary for N McCusker (44 mins), J Kielt for McGuigan
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