Galling loss is a reality check for Euro heroes
SOCCER SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
VINNY Faherty only managed the one goal during his spell at Dundalk back in 2013. However, his first goal against his former employers was enough to ensure a brilliant week ended on something of a sour note as Stephen Kenny’s side went down to Galway United at Eamon Deacy Park.
After the high of Tuesday’s victory over BATE Borisov, Dundalk were brought crashing back down to earth by the Tribesmen in what was a forgettable game.
To the visitors’ credit, they didn’t look to use the exerts of three days earlier as an excuse but it undoubtedly had an impact, with no one doing anything above the norm.
While it’s disappointing for Dundalk to lose any game, the thing that will annoy the players and manager most is that they never really looked like scoring bar one big chance for Ciaran Kilduff at the end.
The striker was one of four changes from Tuesday along with Darren Meenan, Patrick McEleney, and Robbie Benson who came in for John Mountney, Stephen O’Donnell, David McMillan and the sidelined Ronan Finn.
The manager would no doubt have hoped those changes would freshen things up but it was a largely letarghic performance from Dundalk, particularly in the final third where they never really got going even when changes were made in the second half.
While Cork City’s defeat to Sligo Rovers on Monday meant they at least failed to take advantage of Dundalk’s slip up, it is a warning of what possibly lies ahead for the Lilywhites.
Bigger sides with bigger squads have a history of suffering European hangovers and with an abundance of fixtures to come between now and the end of the domestic campaign on October 28th, Dundalk will have to get used to the games coming thick and fast.
Kenny will have known to expect this but if there is a silver lining from Friday’s defeat it is the early wake up call that Dundalk cannot afford to take their eye off the ball domestically.
It was the league after all which gave them the opportunity of the fantastic European breakthrough we witnessed last Tuesday and it will be the league that allows them to make it a more regular occurrence, which will surely be the manager’s next aim no matter what happens in Europe from here on out.
After their back-to-back league titles in recent seasons, Dundalk have already been a big scalp to claim but even more so now and the biggest turnout of the season from Galway reflected this, not to mention their celebrations long after the full-time whistle.
Success has a price and that is an even bigger target on your back and less preparation time to get things 100% right.
That said, Friday night’s defeats could be attributed to just one of those nights for Dundalk. Faherty’s goal, while taken, could easily have been prevented and it told its own story that Galway managed just the one shot in the second half.
While the home side’s defensive display was to be admired, they rode their luck at times with at least one of three Dundalk penalty shouts possibly unfortunate not to be given. In the end the Lilywhites must admit they perhaps didn’t do enough. While they did manage three times as many chances as their opponents, few troubled Conor Winn and even less so were within a range that would be likely to trouble him if on target.
Dundalk will do their best now to put this quickly behind them when they travel to Bray on Wednesday night. Kenny will be hoping their third defeat of the campaign will be a harsh lesson rather than a moment of regret come the end of the season.
The visitors actually started well with McEleney conjuring up the first chance on five minutes, taking a free and trying to beat Winn at his near post only to see it pushed out for a corner.
Meenan’s delivery was then met by Kilduff, whose header was parried clear by Winn with Dane Massey unable to apply the finish from the follow up.
On 16 minutes Daryl Horgan then volleyed just wide with his left foot after a dangerous cross from the right from Meenan was only cleared as far as him.
Galway then had their first chance six minutes later when Ryan Connolly’s free was headed down by Armin Aganovic with Chris Shields having to hook the ball clear at the expense of a corner.
Dundalk then had half-hearted penalty appeals turned down on 29 minutes when a shot from Shields was blocked and appeared to come back off the hand of Kevin Devaney. Nothing was given though.
Dundalk continued to pressurise with McEleney going close to creating an opening on 35 minutes with a surging run from half way only for his attempted cross towards Kilduff to be cut out by the head of Aganovic.
The visitors almost put themselves in bother two minutes later though when Andy Boyle played a short pass back that Gary Rogers did well to get to ahead of Connol- ly. Galway then had another big chance three minutes before the break when a free from Connolly was flicked on by Stephen Folan, whose effort just cleared the crossbar from eight yards out.
The warning from that chance was not heeded and right on halftime the Lilywhites fell behind. A break down the right from Colm Horgan saw him cross for the inrushing Paul Sinnott, who just failed to apply the finish at the near post. The danger was never properly dealt with though and when the ball found its way to the left to Stephen Walsh his cross back into the danger area was flicked on by the head of Faherty with the ball creeping under Rogers for his 11th league goal of the campaign
Two minutes after the restart Alex Byrne would have an effort from the edge of the area to double his side’s advantage but it was well saved low down by Rogers.
That was the end of the Galway chances for the night as the visitors went in search of an equaliser.
Things did look a little better moments after that Byrne chance when Horgan fizzed a pass into Kilduff with his back to goal only for his shot on the turn to be saved low down by Winn. The effort was relatively straight at him in the end but it looked more promising.
Unfortunately that would be the nearest Dundalk came to threatening the goalkeeper for some time after that. The in-form David McMillan was introduced and got straight into the action but his shot on the turn on the hour mark was somewhat snatched at and drifte well wide.
Stephen O’Donnell was also introduced at this point and the skipper too got stuck in straight away with a pass to Benson that saw the midfielder follow up with a shot that went just wide.
Indeed, it summed up the threat Dundalk were posing that the nearest they came to an equaliser in that period was a mishit cross from Meenan that crept over the backtracking Winn before ending on the roof of the net.
There was another half-hearted penalty appeal from Dundalk on 67 minutes when Kilduff went down after feeling contact from behind in a chase for the ball with Winn. It would have been soft but another big call four minutes later looked a more sure thing as Massey went down under a challenge from Stephen Folan as he looked to burst through from the left. While there may have been question marks over whether or not the contact was in or outside the box, it certainly frustrated the 100 or so travelling supporters that nothing whatsoever was given.
Massey almost responded in perfect fashion on 77 minutes with
a low drive that had to be turned around the post by the legs of Winn after Horgan’s cross was only headed clear as far as him by Folan.
The chances dried up somewhat after that but lady luck almost shone on Dundalk when a mishit cross from the right by Gannon had to be clawed over the crossbar by Winn.
Mountney’s corner then fell invitingly for the unmarked Kilduff but with the goal at his mercy he headed over from about eight yards out.
That was Dundalk’s chance and it was gone.
Cork’s 2-1 defeat to Sligo Rovers on Monday means that there has been a bit of a let-off in relation to this defeat but it was a warning that must be heeded. If Dundalk are to compete both in Europe and domestically they’ll need to be better than this.