Galway FC continue surge up table

Galway FC           1

Wexford Youths               0

Galway FC closed to within two points of First Division leaders Shelbourne on Friday night with a hard-fought win over Wexford Youths that leaves them in great shape for the second half of the season.

Stephen Walsh got the game’s only goal, finding the net midway through a first half in which the home side dominated, but the visitors posed more of a threat in the second 45 and its not stretching things to suggest Galway were hanging on in the end.

They also survived a major scare when Athlone referee Ray Matthews awarded the visitors a penalty in the 75th minute after Conor Gleeson and Danny Furlong tangled in the box. However, local assistant referee Trevor Conlon called Matthews over and after a brief discussion, the referee changed his mind about the spot-kick and restarted play with a drop ball.

In truth, there were no appeals from the visitors when Furlong got on the end of Ben Ryan’s ball over the top only to clatter in to Gleeson, who advanced from his line to snuff out the danger.

It looked like the ’keeper had got ball before man, and Tommy Dunne suggested as much when he spoke to the media after the game. “I believe when Conor came and the lad tried to put it over him, it hit Conor so he got the ball and his momentum took him in to player, that’s my take on it,” he said.

Wexford came with the intention of stifling the home side’s passing game, playing five men across the middle of the park, but they weren’t too shabby in attack themselves and only for a perfectly-timed tackle by Alex Byrne, they could have taken the lead inside 30 seconds as Furlong found himself in space inside the box.

Full report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.