Keegan grabs a hat trick to send Limerick packing

Limerick FC 2

Galway United 4

YOU wait 13 years for a first Premier Division hat-trick by a Galway United player – and then two come along in the same season, with Jake Keegan claiming his first-ever match-ball in the Markets Field on Saturday night as United ended a three-match run without a win.

Enda Curran bagged three in the 5-0 rout of Bray Wanderers back in April, and Keegan’s treble on Saturday, along with Gary Shanahan’s cake-topping cherry near the end, means only the top four have scored more than United this season.

But just as they are able to find the net, the blip on Saturday night was once again their failure to defend their own onion bag from set-pieces, handing the home side a lifeline into the game when conceding from a corner yet again in the first-half.

Just as United have been banging in the goals at one end, their defence is one of the most porous in the league – only Limerick, rooted to the bottom of the table without a win all season, have conceded more than them.

There will be the argument that as long as they score more than they concede, they’ll do okay, but even after Saturday night’s win, United manager Tommy Dunne was, if not seething, then certainly very annoyed, at the concession of yet another set-piece goal.

United have a break from league action this weekend, due to Dundalk’s involvement in the Champions League qualifiers, and with the goals looking after themselves at one end, you’d imagine the next week will be all about tightening up at the back, especially given the fact a hugely improved Bray Wanderers are next up for United on Friday week.

As for last Saturday, the early pressure was coming from the visitors, and it paid dividends when they took a deserved lead in the 12th minute. Keegan picked up possession in the centre of the park, and as the Limerick defence backed off, he drove towards goal before sliding the ball wide right to Shanahan.

The Limerick native delivered a first-time ball into that nightmare area for goalkeepers, in behind the defence along the six-yard line, and Keegan had continued his run to meet the cross and fire into the net at the back post.

The goal roused the home side, who enjoyed a decent little spell of pressure, but had nothing to show for it apart from fruitless claims for a penalty, the officials correctly ruling that Keegan’s 16th minute tackle on Dean Clarke was outside the box.

Shane Tracy swept in the subsequent free-kick, but with Galway native Vinny Faherty lurking at the back post, a flying Conor Winn got a solid hand to the ball to push it to safety.

Faherty had another sniff four minutes later, but Stephen Walsh nicked the ball off his toe, and Colm Horgan tidied up as Lee Lynch looked to get on the end of the loose ball.

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