SSE Airtricity Premier League
Galway United 1
Derry City 0
A SCRAMBLED GOAL FROM Patrick Hickey sealed a famous win for Galway United in their European quest. It will also reverberate in the title race as Shels now have the initiative again.
The first period was possibly short on quality, but never endeavour. Galway United played with passion and tempo and tried to get in behind Derry’s high line at every opportunity.
The visitors were assured in spells. They created a couple of big moments, largely thanks to the industry of Paul McMullan who was incessant on the right.
Will Patching and Sadou Diallo had their best chances but neither pulled a save from Brendan Clarke. At the other end, Jimmy Keohane brought the best from Brian Maher who turned a smart shot around the post.
Derry upped the intensity in the second half and forced a couple of early corners. They came to nothing but were a signal of intent.
Killian Brouder was a loss at the heart of the home defence. The Limerick man had played every minute in the league up until his substitution in the 53rd minute.
The Candystripes were on top in the third quarter, and this should have translated to the scoreboard. Patching pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the area and curled viciously towards the top corner. The ‘keeper’s acrobatic save surpassed the shot.
Patrick Hickey, dominant in the air throughout, came close with a header as United pressed for the goal that seemed like it would be enough to win it.
He got it two minutes later. A David Hurley free was spilled by Brian Maher. Hickey hacked it home. The visitors howled for a free-kick but the contact that came on the ‘keeper seemed to be friendly fire.
With the stakes piled high, Derry pressed from the restart. Within a minute, sub Danny Mullen was turned loose. He had a header from six yards that Clarke saved fantastically.
David Hurley nearly sealed the win but he drilled over from distance. It was immaterial as United held on for a famous win with massive consequences all around.
Galway United: Clarke; Esua (Horgan 89), Buckley, Brouder (Slevin 53), Cunningham; Keohane, Borden (Hurley 63), McCormack (Nugent 63), Hickey, McCarthy (Burns 89); Walsh
Derry City: Maher; Wisdom (Boyce 82), Connolly, McEleney, Coll (Doherty 82); O’ Reilly (Whelan 82), Diallo (McEleney 74), Patching; McMullan, Hoban (Mullen 74)
Referee: K O’ Sullivan
Sam Cane seems to play best when he has something to prove. After being absent in NZ against Ireland, he played some game in that qf. He’ll want to make up for that red card in the final… could be a big game for him
Is it me or does neither team look as strong as during WC? Definitely fancy a cracking at either of those. Amazing how a few injuries can change the whole fabric
@Noel Lynn: they’d love for us to get a crack at them in one off friendly matches. They use the games wisely to blood new players. We use the games to sell DVDs and make RTE documentaries.
@Andrew Smyth: good comment.
@Andrew Smyth: one off friendlies? 2 test series in SA. And a 3 game series against SA. Hardly one off. And those teams fielded against us were their strongest teams. The last SA team was their most capped ever.
@james joyce: 3 game series v NZ
@Andrew Smyth: When we beat new zealand it aint friendlies pretty great since took us over 100 years
@james joyce: triggered :)
@james joyce: either way there’s a new competition coming soon, so they’ll be less series/one off games.
@brian o’leary: ideally, the global season could be aligned better.
@Andrew Smyth: Totally agree, now we’ve hit certain markers it’s time to solely focus on improving our dire World Cup record. We’ve won Grand Slams, Six Nations, Southern Hemisphere tours, beaten both SA and NZ in their own back yard.
The only thing left to achieve in the game for us is to get further than a World Cup Quarter Final, or better win the damn thing.
@Caballo Blanco: 100% agree. This obsession with one/two meanlingless fixtures with a full squad consistently for the last 20 years makes us look weak. And the failures at the World Cups are proof of that weakness.
@Andrew Smyth: you haven’t a notion about rugby with a comment like that. Scurry back to where you came from.
@Cian O: so you’re telling me that not learning from the constant same mistake is not weak?
RJ injured again?
@Ger: Indeed , SA have 4 or 5 Second rows unavailable through injury, De Jager, Mostert, Snyman, Klein.