Out-of-sorts Utd stumble to another narrow league loss

CABINTEELY FC 1

GALWAY UNITED 0

Daire Walsh in Stradbrook

ROB Manley’s 17th-minute goal proved to be the difference last Friday night in Stradbrook where Galway United fell to their third consecutive 1-0 defeat in the SSE Airtricity League First Division.

After being edged out by Bray Wanderers and Drogheda United in previous encounters at Eamonn Deacy Park, Alan Murphy’s charges were hoping for better luck against a fired-up Cabinteely.

In the front of the watchful gaze of President of Ireland Michael D Higgins – a long-time supporter and member of the club – the Tribesmen certainly weren’t lacking endeavour.

They ultimately couldn’t halt the chllenge of the south Dubliners, however, and remain second-from-bottom ahead of Limerick’s visit to the West on Friday evening. As they sought a return to winning ways, United lined up in a 3-5-2 formation.

Skipper Stephen Walsh was joined in defence by Maurice Nugent and Cian Murphy, with Conor Melody and Marc Ludden deployed in wing-back roles. Following an impressive run of form, Cabinteely were on the receiving end of a 2-1 reversal to Limerick six days earlier.

Eager to make amends, Pat Devlin’s hosts created a number of opportunities during the early exchanges. Conor Keeley was marginally off-target from a Keith Dalton free-kick on 13 minutes, before United netminder Andreas Werner denied Manley at the end of a subsequent attack.

The Cabinteely front man continued to prosper as the action progressed and he got his just rewards in the form of a breakthrough goal. After Dalton delivered a telling cross into the area, Manley headed home in clinical style.

This was an early setback for United in the home of Blackrock College RFC, but they did find their feet (to an extent) moving into the second-quarter. Stephen McGuinness acrobatically tipped over a Wilson Waweru effort and Melody’s fierce drive narrowly cleared the woodwork just past the half-hour mark.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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