By Jason Byrne at Eamonn Deacy Park
Galway United 1-0 Drogheda United
Galway United earned their first points of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Drogheda United at Eamonn Deacy Park thanks to Enda Curran’s early finish.
The result was the visitors their first defeat of the season.
Galway spent over an hour of the game with ten men after defender Samuel Oji was red-carded, but Johnny McDonnell’s side failed to make the extra man count in front of 1,375 on the banks of the Corrib.
The only goal came in the fourth minute when Curran turned his man with a cheeky back heel and fired into the bottom corner.
After the early goal, action at both ends was at a minimum, with neither keeper sternly tested as both teams passed patiently amid scrappy play.
On 26 minutes the hosts were reduced to ten men when Oji saw red for his body check on Tiarnan Mulvenna. Oji's weak header back to goalkeeper Conor Gleeson had not enough on it and he then sent Mulvenna to the ground.
Galway reacted by hauling off goalscorer Curran, defender Andy O’Connell introduced to the fray as Tommy Dunne went with a 4-4-1 formation.
From the resulting free kick Sean Thornton almost levelled the game but his effort skimmed the crossbar, and for the remainder of the half United limited Drogheda to very few scoring chances.
Stephen Maher had a low drive blocked by Galway skipper Paul Sinnott before the hosts almost doubled their lead with Ryan Connolly giving an inch-perfect through ball to Jake Keegan but the American fired over.
On the stroke of half time Mulvenna had a tame effort saved by Gleeson; the hosts would have been pleased with how they coped with Oji’s dismissal up to the break.
After the restart, Drogheda created an early chance when Stephen Maher ghosted into the box but his low shot trickled wide, and despite decent spells of possession, Drogs failed to unlock a stern Galway defence.
Dunne's side created their best chance of the half just after the hour mark when a clever Molloy ball was collected by Keegan again but Michael Schlingermann was quick to come off his line and save.
McDonnell introduced Carl Walshe and Mark Hughes to bolster their threat going forward but the hosts still held their nerve and organisation as the comeback specialists failed to reach the heights of their dramatic win over Sligo Rovers.
The Drogheda subs combined well when a Hughes cross was flicked goalwards by Walshe but his connection was not perfect and Alex Byrne was at hand to clear the danger.
Minutes later, a dangerous Thornton free from the right flank was whipped into the box but as Gleeson missed it so did Drogheda’s attackers and again the men in maroon cleared.
As the final ten minutes began Maher unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the box and with Gleeson beaten the ball arrowed wide of the posts by inches when the travelling support were about to celebrate.
Late pressure from the visitors came to nothing as Michael Scott also came off the bench but Galway began to win the midfield battle led by Mayo man Ryan Connolly.
Groans echoed around Eamonn Deacy Park when the fourth official added four minutes of injury time and by this point every member of the home side were rooted behind the ball to good effect as Drogheda’s opening never came.
GALWAY UNITED: Conor Gleeson; Colm Horgan, Alex Byrne, Samuel Oji, Stephen Walsh; Gary Shanahan, Paul Sinnott, Ryan Connolly, Jason Molloy (David O’Leary 77); Jake Keegan (Padraic Cunningham 83), Enda Curran (Andy O’Connell 31).
Subs not used: Conor Winn, Conor Barry, Cormac Raftery, Antaine O Laoi.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Michael Schlingermann; Lloyd Buckley (Carl Walshe 68), Alan Byrne, Neil Yadolahi, Joe Gorman; Cathal Brady (Michael Scott 79), Stephen Maher, Sean Thornton, Jason Marks; Tiernan Mulvenna, Sean Brennan (Mark Hughes 61).
Subs not used: Dylan Connolly, Matthew Rooney, Lee Duffy, Shane Dunne.
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork)
