United end a long wait for away victory in Waterford

Waterford FC 0

Galway United 1

Keith Kelly at the RSC

GALWAY United ended a scarcely believable 23-year wait for a league win at the RSC in Waterford on Friday night, with Manu Dimas’ first-half strike enough to take the three points that capped a polished performance from the Tribesmen.

The win saw United temporarily draw level with Cork City at the top of the table, until the Leesiders matched United in winning 2-1 at the RSC in Monday’s round of fixtures which United sat out, leaving the Tribesmen three points off the top but with a game in hand.

It is early stages yet in the season, but that pair of defeats for the Blues over the Easter weekend has left the pre-season title favourites nine points off the pace, and United, City, and Longford Town now looking like making the destiny of the title a three-horse race.

United made two changes from the side held to a 1-1 draw by Wexford the previous weekend, with Dimas and Dave Hurley coming into the side as Gary Boylan and Ed McCarthy dropped to the bench.

More notably, United also switched to a 4-3-3 formation when in possession, with Stephen Walsh starting as the arrowhead of a front three of Dimas and Wilson Waweru; while Conor McCormack sat deep with Hurley and Mikie Rowe either side of him.

Waweru dropped to left wing when United were defending, doubling up with Alex Murphy to put some béasa on the dangerous Phoenix Patterson in a 4-4-2 formation, and gave arguably his best performance of the season out wide, a position he may become familiar with as the season continues.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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