United rise to challenge with shock Cup win over St Pat’s

Galway United  2

 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

WHILE surviving the relegation battle is the main objective for manager Shane Keegan in his first season at the helm, that task has been done before by many of his predecessors, be it Tommy Dunne, Jeff Kenna or Ian Foster to name just a few and isn’t an unique achievement.

And though survival is what the fans crave more than anything, something a generation of United fans have missed out on is that chance to see their side lift a trophy, with 2017 marking 20 years since the club last won a major competition, the League Cup back in 1997.

On Friday night, Keegan’s charges went one step closer to ending that quest for silverware, as the doom and gloom of the relegation battle was forgotten, with goals in either half from Jonah Ayunga and Eoin McCormack sealing a rare and surprise victory in Richmond Park and earning them a spot in the FAI Cup quarter finals.

The opening 15 minutes saw both sides struggle to really get into the game, yet The Saints were looking the more likely to open the scoring, particularly when getting the influential Billy Dennehy onto the ball.

The Kerry native was being found in the corner, and while he was arguably wasted there so far from scoring positions, he did look like setting up a team-mate every time the ball touched his feet, his sublime passing finding Ian Bermingham and Christy Fagan in a crowded box, both wasting good early chances.

The Tribesmen had been kept to just shots from long range early on, but would take the lead on 17 minutes when Ronan Murray broke free down the left channel and played a superb cross into the path of an inrushing Jonah Ayunga, who reacted fastest to slide in and bury the ball home past Barry Murphy.

Liam Buckley’s charges would step it up a gear from here as they looked for a quick equaliser, and United were let off the hook on 26 minutes when a Conan Byrne corner found its way to defender Bermingham, the Pat’s captain’s strike denied only by the woodwork.

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