United hit the goal trail in thrilling league tie
Galway United 5
Bohemian FC 3
GALWAY United made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season – and three wins in their last four games – to move up to sixth in the table with a thrilling win over Bohemian FC in Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night.
Bohemians came into the game unbeaten away from home this season, and having conceded just one goal on the road in 2015. United smashed both those records ruthlessly.
They opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Jake Keegan with a carbon copy of his goal against Derry City the previous weekend. United were awarded a free-kick about 10 yards inside the Bohs half, and the visitors clearly hadn’t done their homework as they allowed Ryan Connolly take it quickly.
He clipped the ball over the high defensive line for Keegan to sneak in from the right wing, and he looped a header over the stranded Dean Delaney.
The lead lasted just four minutes, with Patrick Kavanagh firing the Gypsies level. He made ground down the right before sending in a cross which was headed straight back to him by Stephen Walsh, and this time the midfielder smashed a shot across goal from inside the box, nestling inside Connor Gleeson’s right-hand post.
Walsh had a chance to make amends for that error just 60 seconds later when losing his marker to meet a Connolly corner from the right, but his close-range header flew wide of the post.
United did get their noses back in front in the 23rd minute when Cork referee Anthony Buttimer – often a bane in the lives of United sides in the past – awarded them a baby skin-soft penalty. Roberto Lopes appeared to cleanly win the ball from Kevin Garcia, but Buttimer pointed to the spot and Enda Curran drilled his effort down the centre of the goal as Delaney dived to his right.
It was end to end stuff, and Lopes had a goal-bound header cleared off the line by Walsh in the 25th minute before United doubled their lead three minutes later. There appeared little danger as Derek Prendergast collected possession 10 yards outside the Bohs penalty area, but he dawdled in possession and Padraic Cunningham easily dispossessed him before firing past Delaney.
Full report in this week's Connacht Tribune.