Reds alert as Galway earn points
GAL THE WAY: Galway’s Edward McCarthy celebrates scoring
by Joseph MURRAY
SHELBOURNE’S lightning early season start is becoming a distant memory now as Galway condemned them to a second straight defeat.
Damien Duff’s team are now four games without a win as Edward McCarthy’s strike settled the game in the Tribesmen’s favour.
The Reds were also without their away support on the evening, having received a supporters ban due to an incident where a match official was struck by a pyrotechnic during their draw against Drogheda United earlier this month.
The lack of support did quench some of the away side’s fire, as they struggled to find their feet in the first half and looked vulnerable to counter-attacks as the game progressed.
Striker Stephen Walsh got his angles all wrong and sent a closerange header aimlessly wide.
The visitors mustered a huge chance of their own through Sean Boyd, with the frontman’s powerful header forcing United stopper Brendan Clarke into an acrobatic save.
That was as good as it got for Shels, as Galway controlled proceedings and took the lead through McCarthy, who rifled his side ahead at the back post after meeting a driven cross by Aodh Dervin.
Frustrated
Galway continued to cause problems after the goal and applied pressure high up the pitch as Shels looked increasingly frustrated in their attempts to draw level against a resolute home defence.
United almost doubled their lead through the excellent Dervin, who latched onto a through ball by McCarthy before cutting in and cannoning a curling effort off the post.
Shelbourne still had a mountain to climb after the break and Duff made a triple change soon after.
The freshly introduced Will Jarvis came close to restoring parity after collecting a diagonal ball by Paddy Barrett and finding himself in on goal, but Clarke smothered the effort.
Tensions increased around the ground as the seconds ticked towards full-time, with John Caulfield dismissed for a touchline incident with Shelbourne’s bench, but United ultimately held firm to preserve their lead and claim the points. GALWAY UNITED: Clarke 8; O’Keeffe 6, Brouder 7, Slevin 7, Kazeem 7; Borden 6, McCormack 7, Hurley 6, Dervin 8 (O’Sullivan 75), McCarthy 8; Walsh 7. SHELBOURNE: Kearns 6; Gannon 5 (Ledwidge 57), Barrett 4, Molloy 5, Wilson 6; Caffrey 5 (Jarvis 57), Lunney 6; Burt 7, O’Sullivan 5;
Farrell 5 (Smith 57), Boyd 6. Referee: Damien MacGraith.