DAVID HURLEY’S LATE penalty miss gave Drogheda United a vital point on the road after both sides battled out a 0-0 draw in Galway on Friday night.
The home side kicked-off and had the Tribesmen crowd on their feet inside 10 minutes when a Hurley cross found the head of Stephen Walsh, his effort saved low and held by Luke Dennison in goal.
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Galway piled on the pressure in search of an early lead, but it was Drogheda who came closest when some excellent trickery by Jason Bucknor forced an outstretched one-handed save from Hugo Pires Da Cunha.
The hosts reacted well and forced a number of opportunities from set pieces, none of which troubled the Drogheda keeper, and the home fans were on their feet once more when Walsh appeared to have been pushed in the box by Conor Keeley, referee Daniel Murphy waving play on much to the disbelief of the Galway players.
As half-time approached Drogheda almost forced an unlikely opener against the run of play when Thomas Oluwa dispossessed da Cunha just metres from goal, the loose ball bouncing harmlessly out of play as the teams went in level at the break.
Both sides emerged unchanged as Drogheda restarted proceedings, and Galway forced another chance at goal when Aaron Bolger’s strike from a Hurley corner was blocked and cleared from danger.
The opposing managers both turned to their benches as the game entered the final stages, Galway coming close with shots from McCarthy, Walsh and Devitt all arriving in quick succession but failing to hit the target.
The Tribesmen refused to relent, and their persistence appeared to finally pay off when Francely Lomboto was brought down by Edwin Agbaje inside the box, the referee showing no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Up stepped Hurley with a chance to score the first goal on the newly-laid surface at Eamonn Deacy Park, but his penalty was struck over the bar to give a huge let-off to the visitors.
The pressure intensified as the clock edged towards full-time, with the Tribesmen relentlessly searching for a late winner but shots from Hurley, Bolger and Connolly all failed to find the net. Ultimately a frustrating night for Galway became a hard-fought draw for Drogheda, with both sides remaining 7th and 8th respectively in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
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Late penalty miss ensures Galway and Drogheda share the spoils
Galway United 0
Drogheda United 0
Paul Madden reports from Eamonn Deacy Park
DAVID HURLEY’S LATE penalty miss gave Drogheda United a vital point on the road after both sides battled out a 0-0 draw in Galway on Friday night.
The home side kicked-off and had the Tribesmen crowd on their feet inside 10 minutes when a Hurley cross found the head of Stephen Walsh, his effort saved low and held by Luke Dennison in goal.
Galway piled on the pressure in search of an early lead, but it was Drogheda who came closest when some excellent trickery by Jason Bucknor forced an outstretched one-handed save from Hugo Pires Da Cunha.
The hosts reacted well and forced a number of opportunities from set pieces, none of which troubled the Drogheda keeper, and the home fans were on their feet once more when Walsh appeared to have been pushed in the box by Conor Keeley, referee Daniel Murphy waving play on much to the disbelief of the Galway players.
As half-time approached Drogheda almost forced an unlikely opener against the run of play when Thomas Oluwa dispossessed da Cunha just metres from goal, the loose ball bouncing harmlessly out of play as the teams went in level at the break.
Both sides emerged unchanged as Drogheda restarted proceedings, and Galway forced another chance at goal when Aaron Bolger’s strike from a Hurley corner was blocked and cleared from danger.
The opposing managers both turned to their benches as the game entered the final stages, Galway coming close with shots from McCarthy, Walsh and Devitt all arriving in quick succession but failing to hit the target.
The Tribesmen refused to relent, and their persistence appeared to finally pay off when Francely Lomboto was brought down by Edwin Agbaje inside the box, the referee showing no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Up stepped Hurley with a chance to score the first goal on the newly-laid surface at Eamonn Deacy Park, but his penalty was struck over the bar to give a huge let-off to the visitors.
The pressure intensified as the clock edged towards full-time, with the Tribesmen relentlessly searching for a late winner but shots from Hurley, Bolger and Connolly all failed to find the net. Ultimately a frustrating night for Galway became a hard-fought draw for Drogheda, with both sides remaining 7th and 8th respectively in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
GALWAY UNITED: Da Cunha; Barratt (Devitt 63’), Facchineri, Williams, Kavanagh, Bolger, Hurley, Keohane, McCarthy (Connolly 82’), Walsh, Pierrot (Lomboto 63’).
DROGHEDA UNITED: Dennison; Agbaje (Burney 75’), Bolger, Keeley, Farrell, Bates (Godden 69’), Bucknor (Davis 60’), Kane, Brennan, Doyle (Ancelin 60’), Oluwa.
Referee: Daniel Murphy
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Drogheda United Galway United League of Ireland LOI Premier Division Soccer Stalemate