Date Published: 21-Apr-2011

Galway United 1

Derry City 4

Keith Kelly at

Terryland Park

Galway United grabbed their first home goal of the season on Friday night, but that is as about the only positive to be taken from the defeat at the hands of a Derry City side that moved joint-top of the table courtesy of their comfortable victory.

Already with a skeleton squad, United suffered a major blow on Thursday when striker Joseph Yoffe damaged his ankle in training. With Alan Murphy also on the injury list, that left Sean Connor with just one fit recognised striker with League of Ireland experience, Enda Curran, who started on the bench.

When your squad is stretched to breaking point, you have to take a gamble on your younger players at some stage, and Connor had promised to ring the changes after the poor display against Drogheda United the previous week.

The United manager did make two changes for last Friday but both were enforced, with Eduardo Duci retaining his place in the side, having replaced the injured Murphy a week previously, while Yoffe’s training ground mishap saw Steve Feeney thrown in up front, leaving Curran wondering what he has to do to get a run in the team.

He has not the most prolific record, and is prone to the odd fit of temper, as seen in his clash with Victor Ekenam in Drogheda just over a week ago, but he has good strength and bags more pace than Feeney, although to be fair to the Sligoman, he did well on Friday, particularly in the air.

The defeat means United have taken just one point from their four games at Terryland Park this season, and that does not look like changing any time soon with defending league champions Shamrock Rovers the next visitors to the Dyke Road on Friday week for a game that will be televised live.

Before that, United travel to the Carlisle Grounds this Friday to take on the early-season surprise packets, Bray Wanderers, who are just a point off top spot, and if they are to take anything from their trip to the Wicklow coast, United will need to show more concentration in defence, more commitment in midfield and more potency up front.

The frustrating thing about Friday night is that United were marginally the better side for much of the first half in front of a crowd that was down more than 900 bodies on the previous home game with Sligo Rovers.

Derry brought a far smaller crowd than they traditionally do, but the main reason for the low numbers was surely the folly of there being three big games taking place with the same kick-off time, as Mervue United were hosting Limerick in the First Division, while Cardiff were the visitors to the Sportsground for Connacht’s last home game of the season.

The FAI in particular have a case to answer for scheduling two games in the city on the same night, and there is more of the same to come. United and Mervue’s next two home games will also clash, while United and Salthill Devon will have clashing games two weeks later again. Surely if the FAI were serious about supporting their clubs, something could have been done to avoid this.

Bobby Ryan took just 12 seconds to let off the first shot in anger on Friday night, dribbling forward from kick-off before shooting from 25 yards, his effort just clearing the crossbar. It looked like a statement of intent from United, one that was continued in the next five minutes by Sean Kelly, Feeney and Ryan again, who all had attempts on goal.

It took Derry a dozen or so minutes to settle, but their response to the early onslaught was impressive. James McClean – who had a cracking game – drilled a ball across the United six-yard box, which was met at the near post by Eamon Zayed. The Libyan international side-footed goalwards, but Greg Fleming got down brilliantly to claw the ball away.

McClean gave Shaun Kelly a right going-over on the night, and it was he who supplied the ammunition again in the 15th minute later, sending in another cross from the left, but Gareth McGlynn couldn’t direct his cheeky back-heel on target.

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