Walsh bags historic goal as Utd claim runners-up spot

Galway United 2

Wexford FC 1

Keith Kelly at Eamonn Deacy Park

You have to cross your fingers and hope that Galway United are getting their shaky performances out of the way in this final strength of meaningless league games ahead of the play-offs, because performances like this won’t be good enough in those knockout stages.

United missed chance after chance to make this a far more comfortable outing than it proved to be against a side which has proven to be a stubborn opponent for United this season, in spite of their basement side status, and being reduced to 10 men in the 52nd minute didn’t help United’s cause either.

There was a moment of notable history on the night as Stephen Walsh scored what was the club’s 2,000th competitive goal, the defender heading home in the 7th minute for what looked like being the first of many goals on the evening.

Speaking in the days before the game, United manager John Caulfield said that, with the play-offs looming and a congested run of games in the coming weeks, he would rotate his squad in the final three league games.

He did insist there would not be wholesale changes, but it was still fair to expect more than the one change he did make for this match, and that was a change that was forced on him, with Mikey Rowe suspended after reaching five yellows cards.

Shane Doherty came into the side in his pace, but that apart, it was the same players that started in the 1-0 win away to Cobh Ramblers in the previous game a fortnight earlier. Doherty went close to marking his return with a goal when pouncing on a loose pass by Kevin McEvoy across his own 18 yard line in the 9th minute, but his shot was saved by the advancing Jimmy Corcoran.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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