Yoffe goal takes the points as Utd get the better of Bohs once again

Date Published: {J}

Bohemian FC 0

Galway United 1

Daire Walsh

Galway United’s excellent recent form against Bohemians continued in Dalymount Park last Friday evening, when a 60th minute strike by Joseph Yoffe gave them all three points as United made it four wins from their last five meetings with Pat Fenlon’s side.

It was a first win of the season for The Tribesmen, and manager Sean Connor will be hoping that his troops can push on from here as they aim to leave a tough pre-season campaign behind them.

Having lost to St Patrick’s Athletic and Dundalk in their opening two matches, United possibly deserved more than the draw they got against UCD last week, with Connor saying after that game that he felt it was two points dropped and so his side would have to pick up points elsewhere.

He didn’t have long to wait, as Yoffe’s goal on the hour mark on Friday night means United have now taken 13 points from a possible 15 in their last five games with the Dalymount Park club, and while they are just one off the bottom of the table, the win will give them a massive lift ahead of the visit of Sligo Rovers top Terryland Park this coming Friday night.

Bohs, who have introduced a number of young players to their first-team squad for this season, had to re-shuffle their attack when star striker Chris Fagan was ruled out through injury, with Anto Flood deployed as a lone striker, with Stephen Traynor playing in the role just behind him.

The changes seemed to work quite well initially, as Bohs made a promising start to the game, and were presented with the first real chance of the game with just 10 minutes gone when good approach work by Traynor and Flood presented Robert Bayly with a chance just inside the United penalty area, but the former Sporting Fingal man was well off target in the end.

Bohs continued to cause problems for United, with Killian Brennan in particular being a real threat out wide. In fact, the Drogheda native went close to opening the scoring just six minutes later when he was played through by skipper Owen Heary, but his subsequent shot was just wide of the right-hand post.

United, on the other hand, were finding that chances were few and far between during the opening quarter, but they did have a lively operator in Yoffe, who looked threatening whenever he gained possession in the final third.

Karl Moore was also causing Bohs plenty of problems on the ball, and he was the catalyst behind United’s best chance just seven minutes before the break, as he waltzed his way through The Gypsies’ defence before attempting a through-ball to Yoffe, whose eventual charge down on a Mark Rossiter clearance almost went all the way past Barry Murphy in the Bohs goal.

After something of a lull in their performance levels, Bohs finished the half in good form, but the closest they came was an effort from former United striker Flood which went narrowly wide.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.