Mary I 1-20
NUI Galway 2-16

Gary Cooney landed an injury-time winner as Mary I edged NUI Galway in a thrilling game this afternoon to move into the Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-finals.

In what was a thrilling encounter at the Mary I Grounds, Cooney proved the hero for the hosts by levelling on the hour mark and winning the game for his team in the added minutes with the last of their 20 points.

NUIG looked as though they'd pipped the champions to a berth in the last eight once Conor Whelan registered his second goal in the 55th minute, but Jamie Wall's men dug their deepest when it mattered most with Limerick ace Aaron Gillane and Cooney turning around their four-point deficit in the closing stages.

The Galway students had held the upper hand early on with a 0-3 to 0-2 lead before Gillane and Cooney steered Wall's side in front.

Limerick ace Gillane, making his return for the champions after missing out the last day, helped make it 0-8 to 0-6 before Colin Guilfoyle had the sliotar in the visitors' net. The Newmarket-on-Fergus clubman pulled on a the rebound of a Cian Lynch effort for maximum points to open it up to a margin of five come the break, with Darragh Burke's sound free-taking in the opening half hour about the only thing keeping NUIG in contention.

Points from Whelan (2) and Burke (free) early in the restart helped narrow the gap to three, with Mary I 'keeper Eoghan Cahill having sailed over a long range free in the meantime.

Burke (2 frees) kept the west siders' momentum flowing and they'd be in the lead with 13 minutes remaining when Galway star Whelan smashed to the home side's net, making it 1-12 to 1-11.

Gillane levelled soon afterwards and matters would stay even until the 55th minute when Whelan rocketed in his second major which looked to have last year's winners headed for the exit door.

Guilfoyle had a goal chance of his own tipped over at the other end and back-to-back points from Gillane (one a '65') in the 57th and 58th minutes left the margin at the minimum headed into the home stretch.

Clare man Cooney came up with the injury-time equaliser before going one better for the champions two minutes later to cement their place in the last eight.

Mary I - E Cahill (0-1f); C McCullagh, D Prendergast (0-1), S Burke; D Peters, S Taylor, T O'Mahony; J Mackey, P Ryan (0-1); L Meade (0-1), C Lynch, C Guilfoyle (1-1); G Cooney (0-3), A Gillane (0-11, 10f, 0-1'65), B Corry (0-1).

NUI Galway - S Hennessy; B Fitzpatrick, C Cosgrave, C O'Connor; S Loftus, C Ryan, P Mannion (0-1); B Concannon (0-1), S Fletcher; C Mannion, D Burke (0-9, 8f), C Whelan (2-3); J Fox, M Lynch, A Helebert (0-1). Subs: R Elwood (0-1) for A Helebert, G Loughnane for J Fox.

Referee - A Devine.

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