Not even a photo finish could separate Galway United and Dundalk as the
visitors snatched an injury time equaliser
to share the points at Terryland Stadium tonight.
On the eve of Race Week in the west a United win would have
been the perfect potion to get the party started and give Galway
their first victory in a month. But midfielder Neale Fenn obviously didn’t
read
that version of the script as his 92nd minute goal gave Dundalk and sent
United into despair.
It boded as a close battle – not so much of epic
proportions, but pitting an over-worked Dundalk against a Galway team who
has
not won a game in a month and have lost three of their last four. Dundalk
meanwhile, have faced the unenviable task of
seven matches this month and were fresh off the back of a losing Europa
League
tie against Bulgarian side Levski Sofia on Thursday night.
Under 21s Irish international and former Shamrock Rovers
defender Simon Madden was making his first appearance for the Lilywhites
after
returning from English club Darlington.
There were a few new faces in the maroon as well with the
recent roster cuts and 19-year-old Galway
junior Steven Walsh was handed his first start, lining up in front alongside
Bobby Ryan. Normally a centre back, Walsh made a sterling debut as he gave
Galway the early lead with a goal in the 16th minute, tapping a soft
shot over Dundalk ‘keeper Peter Cherrie.
It was a lead that United managed to maintain for the
remainder of the half and it would be a fair assessment to say the teams
played
out an evenly matched half. Captain Stephen Maher was among Dundalk’s best,
creating plenty of opportunities and space in the midfield, while
ever-present Galway winger Derek O’Brien was firing and had several
opportunities himself, or setting up others. It was, however, an opening forty five minutes
relatively
devout of entertaining football.
The momentum began to pick up in the opening stages of the
second term though. Wayne Hatswell and Garry Breen both had strong chances,
the
latter’s a particularly narrow escape for Galway
as Breen sent a shot screaming past the right post. Ciaran McGuigan’s long
range effort was just flicked over the bar by a full-stretch Barry Ryan and
Maher had a shot on target which a diving Ryan managed to nullify.
Meanwhile Derek O’Brien forced a low save at the opposite
end with a powerful strike from the left, while Walsh continued to make
inroads
at the front and was unlucky to be denied in the 64th minute by some
scrambling Dundalk defence. Rhys Meynell’s
cross also found Walsh at the far post and his header went high, but was heading in before Cherrie snatched it.
Dundalk were hungry and as
fulltime drew nearer their efforts grew, led by striker Steven Lennon who
twice
went within millimetres of levelling the ledger. His first effort saw him
grab a
great double touch before firing it from close range at pace. Ryan was up to
the task though and pushed it wide with a diving one handed save.
Lennon was in the middle of the action again when a scramble
in the box almost resulted in an equaliser, but Galway
were eventually rewarded a free out by referee Richie Winter.
It was heartbreak for United, but elation for the visitors
deep into added time though as Fenn managed to head in a corner which took
numerous deflections before finding the back of the net and handing Dundalk
a share of the spoils.
Galway United: Barry Ryan;
Conneely, Sinnott, McKenzie, Meynell, Curran,
O’Donnell, Heary, O’Brien (Shaw 79), Walsh (Molloy 88), Ryan (King 71)
Dundalk FC: Cherrie,
McGuigan, Breen, Hatswell, Madden,
Kuduzovic,
Miller, Maher, Gaynor (McDonnell 62), Lennon
(Breen 89), Fenn
