Galway WFC fail to make first-half dominance count

Galway WFC 1

Castlebar Celtic 1

From the opening minute when Meabh de Burca brought a save from Celtic goalkeeper Rachel King, matters looked to going the way of the home side. Efforts by Lynsay McKey and Sinead Taylor went close to opening their account as Galway WFC maintained their impressive start to the game.

The merited breakthrough arrived in unexpected fashion on 13 minutes, when a De Burca cross was pushed into her own net by Katie Walsh for an own goal, as Taylor was waiting to pounce behind her.

They continued to try and press home their advantage as De Burca, Ruth Fahy and Grainne Barrett enjoyed midfield supremacy, but apart from another De Burca shot, the margin in reality wasn’t rewarding enough for a good opening-half.

For some reason the second-half was a different affair, as Emma Hansbury, Sarah Rowe and Aileen Gilroy ensured that Castlebar were much more competitive on the resumption. While they seldom looked like scoring from open play, a Nicole Fowley free-kick crashed off a post on 61 minutes, before home custodian Melissa Casserly displayed safe hands to keep out two free kicks by Gilroy.

The visitors were eventually rewarded for their endeavours on 84 minutes, when Emma Mullin held off the challenge of Becky Walsh in the box, before beating Casserly at her near post for a merited equaliser from close range.