Roscommon secured their third win of the Allianz League when they came from 13 points adrift at Pearse Stadium to snatch victory in the closing stages of a gripping encounter.
Roscommon, having opted to play against the strong wind and rain in front of a crowd of 6,043, trailed by 0-16 to 0-05 at the interval despite starting with the opening two points of the match from a Diarmuid Murtagh free and the first of Daire Cregg's three points in the opening half.
Galway finally settled and Rob Finnerty got them off the mark after ten minutes, with Matthew Tierney and Seán Kelly following with points.
Cregg fisted an effort for Roscommon but with Galway winning most of the kickouts around the middle with captain John Maher leading the way, they took over and pulled 0-09 to 0-03 in front after 24 minutes, with Matthew Tierney and Liam Ó Conghaile landing two-pointers.
Roscommon, with Enda Smith working hard at centre-forward, pulled back a point from Murtagh before Ó Conghaile got his second two-pointer and Maher, Finnerty and Shane McGrath quickly followed with points.
Cregg's third point came three minutes from the interval but Galway finished strongly with McGrath and Finnerty finding the range with all of their opening half haul of 0-16 coming from play.
Kelly and Cregg exchanged points after the restart before Galway, with the rain abating and the wind easing, pushed the lead out to 13 points as Finnerty and Ó Conghaile found the range.
But Roscommon hit back. Cregg and Murtagh struck points and then Smith soloed through and fired low to the left corner to cut the margin to 0-20 to 1-8 after Dylan McHugh had pointed for Galway after 49 minutes.
Cregg fisted his sixth point of the contest and then Murtagh landed Roscommon’s first two-pointer before Cregg added a free to reduce the margin to 0-20 to 1-12 with eleven minutes remaining.
Galway manager Padraic Joyce responded by bringing on former Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy for the start of his 19th campaign with the Tribesmen but it was Roscommon who continued to eat into the lead with goalkeeper Aaron Brady converting a 45 to leave four between them ten minutes from time.
Dylan Ruane cut that advantage in half with a two-pointer from the left and then Smith set up Cregg after picking up a loose clearance and the Boyle clubman drilled the ball to the net to put Roscommon in front by a point with five minutes left.
Galway got level two minutes from time when Kelly pointed but then Roscommon countered and Smith set up Ciaran Lennon for the winning point in the final minute.
Galway had a chance to snatch it at the death but goalkeeper Brady saved from substitute Oisín MacDonnacha in the final play of a gripping match.
Galway: Eamon McGrath; Jonathan McGrath, Seán Fitzgerald, Jack Glynn; Cian Hernon, Dylan McHugh (0-01), Seán Kelly (0-03); John Maher (c) (0-02), Matthew Tierney (0-03, 1 2p); Shane McGrath (0-02), Ryan Roche, Céin D'Arcy; Robert Finnerty (0-04), Fionn McDonagh, Liam Ó Conghaile (0-06, 2 2p).
Substitutes: Daniel O’Flaherty for Roche (25), Charlie Power for McDonagh (46), Kieran Molloy for Hernon (54), Paul Conroy for D’Arcy (59), Oisín Mac Donnacha for Ó Conghaile (66).
Roscommon: Aaron Brady (0-01, ’45); Paddy Gavin, Caelim Keogh, Niall Higgins; Eoin Ward, Ronan Daly, Senan Lambe; Keith Doyle, Conor Ryan; Dylan Ruane (0-02, 1 2p), Enda Smith (1-00), Darragh Heneghan; Diarmuid Murtagh (c) (0-05, 1 2p), Daire Cregg (1-07, 0-02f), Robert Heneghan. Substitutes: Paul Carey for D Heneghan (3), Colm Neary for Doyle (45), Eoin Colleran for R Heneghan (45), Ciaran Lennon (0-01) for Carey (51), Jack Duggan for Ryan (59).
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).
