Galway United pay hefty price for poor defending

Bohemian FC     2

Galway United 0

GALWAY United were punished for poor defending in Dalymount Park on Friday night as a Bohemians side that is just about the far side of ordinary ran out comfortable winners against the top-flight newcomers.

It was a poor performance from Tommy Dunne’s side, though that won’t be held against them considering the run of results, and performances, that they put in to secure promotion at the end of last season.

However, if they are to avoid an immediate return to the First Division, they will need to sharpen up on a lot of areas of their play, and in particular, defending set-pieces.

Five of the six goals United have conceded in their three competitive games to date have been from set-pieces, including the two goals the home side scored on Friday night – something is seriously wrong and it needs to be urgently addressed by Dunne and his coaching staff.

The home side stuck with the same starting XI that opened the season with a 3-0 win away to Limerick, but the visitors made three changes to the side beaten by Derry City. One of those was enforced after David O’Leary went over on his ankle in training midweek – Alex Byrne replaced him in midfield, while Jason Molloy and Marc Ludden also came into the side in place of Jake Keegan and Andy O’Connell respectively.

Like a couple of cagey boxers, both sides moved and jabbed in the first five minutes without ever landing a blow, but when Bohs launched their first meaningful attack of the game in the 6th minute, they landed a knockout blow.

Ludden conceded a cheap free out wide in line with the United penalty area, and when Lorcan Fitzgerald sent in an inswinger, Anto Murphy rose above Enda Curran highest to power a header past Connor Gleeson.

United had a couple of half-chances to equalise two minutes later, but Dean Delany was down bravely at the feet of Curran to smother the danger; and 30 seconds later, Gary Shanahan found Molloy on the edge of the box but he completely miskicked and the ball bobbled harmlessly wide.

They were sporadic threats, however, as it was the home side who always looked more likely to score. Dean Kelly peeled away from Stephen Walsh at the other end two minutes later but headed over from an Adam Evans cross. United did enjoy a decent five-minute spell of good possession, but it was all played in the middle of the park as they struggled to penetrate a solid-looking Bohs defence.

The home side had a clear advantage in midfield, exemplified in the 36th minute when Robert Lopes skated past the challenges of Byrne, Ryan Connolly and Paul Sinnott, but Walsh halted his progress with a perfectly-timed tackle in the box.

The visitors were almost undone for a second time from a set-piece in the 40th minute when Derek Prendergast was given the freedom of the United penalty area to get on the end of Fitzgerald’s corner from the left, but he headed straight at Gleeson.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.