League Report: Galway FC 5 - 0 Shamrock Rovers B

Galway FC humbled Shamrock Rovers B at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday as they ran out hugely convincing 5-0 winners to get their title challenge right back on track.

The Galwegians started the match as they meant to go on, and it took them no less than four minutes to break the deadlock when Vinny Faherty struck to give the home side the lead after being played in with a deft lay-off from Jake Keegan.

Placing the ball into the back of the net from close range, Galway's no. 9 gave Conor O' Malley absolutely no chance in between the sticks from six-yards out.

And then just 12 minutes later, Galway, and Faherty, had doubled their account with yet another well-worked goal. Swinging the ball in from a corner, Ryan Connolly found the veteran striker lurking at the back post, and he rose highest to power home with his head. 

By then, it was clear that Galway, bar an amazing comeback from the visitors, had the win firmly within their grasp. And they smelled blood, too.

But credit to the Hoops as they never looked like giving up, and they showed good determination to at least pull a goal back before half-time.

And if it wasn't for some goalkeeping heroics from Ger Hanley, who received a rare first start, Galway could have found themselves pegged back.

In the 40^th minute, Ger Hanley did ever so well to smother the approach of Chris Lyons, before Stephen Walsh gave the ball away to Emeka Onwubiko just three minutes later to offer him a gilt-edged chance, but Hanley reacted quickest to close him down and parry the ball away.

Following the restart, Galway didn't look anywhere near as comfortable and it took them a little longer to find their rhythm, but when they did, the moves they pulled off were simply majestic.

Ten minutes into the second half, though, Galway's central midfielder Connolly, in a swift counter-attack, played the ball out wide to the left wing where Gary Shanahan was waiting, and he sent a delectable cross into the path of Keegan who glanced a header past the exposed O' Malley to make it 3-0.

And they continued to impose their dominance as the game wore on, as Shanahan put his blistering pace and positive work-rate to great effect as he gave Rovers' left-back, Alan Kehoe a torrid time.

And in the 70^th minute, after switching wings, the pacey Shanahan won a free-kick after a lovely junking run down the right, but O' Malley was more than equal to the resulting shot from Jason Molloy, pushing it over the bar.

Then, in the final quarter hour of the tie, Faherty attempted an audacious acrobatic effort after a cross from the boot of Walsh was pinged in from the left, but again O' Malley kept the scores down.

But alas, it was in vain as super substitution and new man, Enda Curran got himself his first goal in Galway colours when he headed in a Shanahan cross to seal the win just two minutes before Jake Keegan nabbed a goal to cap a fine performance.

All in all, an excellent way for the hosts to regain their form, and Tommy Dunne will be more than happy with their clinical finishing more than anything.

Galway FC: Ger Hanley; Colm Horgan, Marc Ludden (Enda Curran 69), Stephen Walsh, Alex Byrne; Jason Molloy (Robbie Egan 72), Ryan Connolly, Paul Sinnott, Gary Shanahan; Vinny Faherty (Padraic Cunningham 80), Jake Keegan.
Unused subs: Conor Gleeson (gk), Martin Conneely, Aaron McDonagh, Richard Fahy.

Bookings: Byrne (73)

Shamrock Rovers B: Conor O' Malley; Liam Traynor, Alan Kehoe, Nathan Brown, Sean Heaney; Jack Watson (Thomas Tiernan 78), Richard Purdy (Cian Cavanagh 61), Gavin Boyne, Chris Lyons; Emeka Onwubiko, Stephen Confrey (Azeez Yusuff 61).
Unused subs: Shane Fagan, Muhannnad Bucktawa, Richard Fitzgibbon.

Bookings: Kehoe (70), Onwubiko (73)

Referee: Robert Hennessey

Attendance: 703

Man of the Match: Jake Keegan (Galway FC)