Galway Utd fail to fire and pay the penalty in shoot-out

St Patrick’s Athletic 0

After extra-time St Pat’s win 4-3 on penalties

A bit of a farcical end to a disappointing night, and the disappointment wasn’t just confined to the final outcome, as Galway United’s dreams of a first piece of major silverware in almost 19 years were shot down in a shoot-out.

After 120 minutes of action failed to produce a single goal, the destination of this year’s EA Sports Cup went down to the lottery of penalties, and visiting ’keeper Conor O’Malley saved the efforts of both Jake Keegan and Andy O’Connell to ensure the cup travelled back with St Patrick’s Athletic to Dublin.

It was the third final United had lost in its history, and the second in a penalty shoot-out: the club also suffered spot-kick sadness against Dundalk in the 1981 League Cup final. Mind you, the victors seemed intent to give United another crack at success – the cup belonged to Pats when O’Malley’s saved O’Connell’s effort, but midfielder Greg Bolger started walking forward to take a 6th penalty for the visitors.

There were no celebrations from the Pats players either, and it required referee Sean Grant to intercept Bolger to confirm the shoot-out was over and that Pats had, in fact won.

O’Malley was named as the sponsor’s man-of-the-match, a selection which smacked a little of laziness for while he pulled off some good saves, and was the shoot-out hero for the visitors, Conor Winn was more than a match at the other end.

The big ’keeper made a couple of top-drawer saves, the pick of which was in the 77th minute when he threw himself to his right to claw away James Chamber’s 30-yard dipping effort, a save which saw both benches get to their feet to applaud.

However, it was two centre-backs who really caught the eye, with United’s Kilian Cantwell and Kenny Brown of St Patrick’s Athletic the stand-out players. Brown won every aerial challenge in the Pat’s penalty area, though you have to question United’s persistence in lumping the ball forward when Brown was so dominant in the air.

Down the other end of the pitch, Cantwell had less of an aerial threat to deal with, but he was excellent on the ground, making a number of crucial blocks, while his distribution was decent as well.

For United’s players, disappointment at failure to win the cup will be matched with regret at not playing anywhere near their potential. The same starting XI that had romped to a 4-0 lead over Longford Town after 70 minutes just two weeks ago seemed to let the occasion get to them. They needed to get stuck into the visitors from the start, lay down a marker that this was their turf and there would be no welcome for their opponents, but that never materialised, and the hope has to be that they can pick themselves up for the league run-in, which sees them hovering precariously just outside the relegation play-off spot.

It is rare to get a classic in a final: more often than not, the game turns into a battle, and that was the case on Saturday night, especially in the first-half, which was a largely forgettable 45 minutes of action as both sides struggled to get a passing game going, despite the excellent condition Noel Connolly and his crew had the pitch in.

The first chance of note fell to United in the fourth minute when Enda Curran got on the end of Jason Molloy’s corner, but Aaron Greene blocked his goal-bound effort. Cantwell hooked the ball off the toe of the raiding Morgan Langley in the 17th minute as the American got a sight of goal; while Winn gathered Greg Bolger’s effort midway through the half at the second attempt.

Cantwell timed his tackle to perfection again on the half-hour mark to once again dispossess Langley - such was the job he did on St Pat’s lone frontman, Langley was replaced by a far-from-fit Christy Fagan just after the hour mark.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.