CurranÕs spot-kick earns deserved share of spoils for MannionÕs men

Date Published: 02-Apr-2012

SD Galway 1

Longford Town 1

Jason Byrne

SD Galway grabbed their second point of the season when ending the perfect start of early pace-setters Longford Town on Terryland Park on Friday night, the visitors dropping their first points of the campaign thanks to a battling performance from the home side.

Longford had taken the lead after just eight minutes when right-back Noel Haverty headed home at the back post, but Enda Curran’s second half penalty ensured that Tony Mannion’s outfit are yet to lose at home this season.

A crowd of less than 200 people showed up for the clash which saw Longford pose the early threat, with Alan Kirby firing a snapshot well wide of the target.

Just as the hosts were finding their feet, the visitors grabbed the lead six minutes later when the Devon defence failed to deal with Kirby’s telling cross into the dangerzone and Haverty found space and timed his diving header to perfection, catching Liam Grant unawares.

Youngster Tommy Bradshaw has impressed for SD Galway this season and continued to do so at left back, and was the architect of their first meaningful goal chance when he whipped a free into the box towards Eric Browne. As the former Galway United and Mervue defender rose to head it, Colm James made a last-ditch clearance.

From the resulting corner, Enda Curran this time got on the end of Bradshaw’s set piece to flick goalwards, but Haverty deflected it wide.

Three more corners in a row were to follow on the right-hand side, and the next from Bradshaw was aimed at Mike Tierney at the near post who nearly bundled it towards goal, but again Longford cleared their lines.

As the pressure was mounting, the fourth corner was headed clear by Thomas Crawley for a throw much to the relief of an evidently edgy Longford Town manager Tony Cousins.

SD Galway were now dominating affairs and continued to press for an equaliser, and on the half hour mark Enda Curran’s through ball was swiftly picked up by Mikey Gilmore, but the advancing Craig Hyland stopped him in his tracks.

Two minutes later Longford launched their first meaningful attack for almost 20 minutes when Kirby picked up a loose ball and fed it out to Daniel Purdy on the left flank, who in turn squared to Mark Salmon, but blasted wide at the Dyke Road end of Terryland.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.