United left hanging on after almost blowing 3-goal lead
Galway United 3
Finn Harps 2
GALWAY United began life without Tommy Dunne with a win on Saturday night – but it was far from the free-flowing performance that some people were suggesting was on the cards following the sacking of the manager 48 hours earlier.
Dunne paid for a poor run of performances and results with his job on Thursday, after 109 games at the club, and while there were some positives to take from Saturday night to attract anyone interested in the job, there is also plenty of work to be done after the home side almost blew a three goal lead against a side that came into the game on the back of an eight-game losing streak.
When Colm Horgan headed United into a 3-0 lead just 46 seconds into the second-half, a rout looked on the cards and it had us scrambling for the record books to check United’s biggest win over the Donegal side (a 5-1 win in Ballybofey back in February 1985, since you ask).
However, United went from a position of dominance to one of panic as they were left holding on for the win after the visitors ended a staggering run of 799 minutes without a goal when former United striker Ruairi Keating found the net in the 58th minute; and Harps added a second through substitute Adam Hanlon with 15 minutes remaining, but the home side held on for the win.
Dunne’s assistant, Leo Tierney, has taken interim charge of the side along with coach, Gary O’Connor, and they made four changes to the side beaten 5-3 by Cork City in mid-week.
Kevin Horgan, Stephen Walsh, Gary Shanahan, and Enda Curran all came into the side, with Conor Winn, Killian Cantwell, Alex Byrne, and Conor Melody the ones to make way.
The one real positive from the game was the performance of goalkeeper, Kevin Horgan, who showed great distribution, and was dominant in the air, something United have lacked this season. Horgan slipped to third in the pecking order after Dunne brought in Sam Ramsbottom in the transfer window to challenge Conor Winn for the goalkeeper position – Horgan showed on Saturday night that he is more than capable of making the position his own.
He didn’t have a lot to do in the first-half as United were largely on top, thanks to a two-goal salvo in the opening 10 minutes. Vinny Faherty opened the scoring in the seventh minute, firing home past Ciaran Gallagher after the Harps’ ’keeper saved his initial effort from a Ryan Connolly free-kick.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.