Galway game

[U-C-D]

1-1 after 1 minute! sounds entertaining. bray 2-0 up already. come on rovers.

any news on starting team?

[Poor Student]

We're 2-1 down. I know McNally and King are on the bench and we're playing 4-4-2.

[U-C-D]

why would mcnally be on the bench? surely he wasnt dropped for shorty. tony must be in midfield if kingers on the bench

[Poor Student]

No idea. He might be half injured. I hear it's an open match.

[Schumi]

Team as far I can tell is:

- - - - - - - Quigley - - - - - - -

Mahon - Kenna - Shortall - Bermo

Conan - Finn - - Tony - McWalter

- - - - Sammon - - P Byrne - - - -

[U-C-D]

waterford score they stay up, if they let 1 in they go down, if it stays 0-0 there in the playoff. now thats tight

[DmanDmythDledge]

What a time to play a weakened team, in the two most important positions on the pitch.

[Poor Student]

What a time to play a weakened team, in the two most important positions on the pitch.

Pete obviously went with the best team he felt he had available. McNally must have been only partially fit. Tony Mac is an automatic choice to Mahon, at least he definitely is when McFaul is out.

[pineapple stu]

A nerve wracking 90 minutes in Galway ultimately saw UCD secure Premier Division football for next season, but it was another disappointing performance, and one which saw them end with a run of two points from seven games.

Manager Pete Mahon changed thinigs around after last week's 3-0 stuffing by St Pat's, with Alan McNally, Brian Shortall and Brian King. Paul Crowley, Ian Bermingham and Paul Byrne came back into the line up, with Tony McDonnell shifting to central defence. A point would seal safety for UCD, but if they lost, they would have to rely on either Bray losing against Sligo or Waterford not winning away to Shamrock Rovers.

The game had a quite sensational opening. Just 8 seconds had elapsed when Galway won a penalty - straight from tip, Galway went down the left, Derek O'Brien burst into the box and was tripped by Alan Mahon. Alan Keane tucked the spot kick home off the post.

But UCD, who hadn't scored in four games, were level within 60 seconds. Ian Bermingham's low cross was snatched at by Wes Charles, whose panicked clearance hit off Paul Byrne and rolled into the far corner. The goal gave the scoreline the bizarre statistic of Galway United 1 (Keane 1), UCD 1 (P Byrne 1).

Just five minutes later, news filtered through from Bray that the Seagulls had taken the lead against Sligo, moving them ahead of UCD in the table. That became 2-0 on 14 minutes, by which time Conan Byrne had nearly given UCD the lead when he broke into the box, but his drive was excellently turned away by the Galway keeper, Gary Rogers. And on the quarter hour, Paul Byrne's flick sent Conor Sammon through; the keeper was out to narrow the angle, forcing Sammon wide, and his pass back to McWalter was misplaced.

It was the start of the story of the match for UCD. The Galway defence was hesitant and shaky under pressure and under any bouncing ball, more often than not quite happy to hoof clear into row Z. But the Students' weak attack simply couldn't take any advantage, while at the other end, UCD's own unusually shaky defence gifted Galway fewer, but far better, chances in what was a hugely open first half. And crucially, Galway took one of those chances on 17 minutes, when Derek Glynn - who burst onto the league scene with six goals in his first three games, but who hadn't scored since the last meeting between the two teams back in August - held off Tony McDonnell to break into the box and slot home under the advancing Quigley.

For the next ten minutes, it was a one-man show as Quigley denied Galway quite superbly on three occasions. First off, a shot on the turn was pushed out for a corner, before a horrific pass from Tony McDonnell set Glynn through one on one, but Quigley was out to the edge of the area to make a smothering save, and a minute later, Paul Byrne's loose pass set up another attack for Galway; from the right wing cross, a header came in which Quigley again did well to push away.

UCD were evidently rattled by the prospect of a play off, which had seemed so remote seven weeks ago, but to their credit, they did emerge from that spell and start to create some openings again. On the half hour, Pat McWalter's low cross went right across the six yard box, with Sammon inches from connecting, while three minutes later, the same pair combined with Sammon just failing to beat the Galway keeper to a lovely through ball from McWalter. Paul Byrne got the ball stuck under his feet from an Ian Bermingham cross, while two chances arrived just on half time - first, Paul Crowley's header found Sammon in acres of space, but the striker's first time volley from the edge of the area was just wide when he perhaps had time to take a touch, and then Sammon's header almost found Crowley, but again the keeper had to be quickly out to snuff out the danger.

At half time, UCD were a point above the play off, hoping Waterford wouldn't take a shock lead in Tolka. Granted, the news filtering through early in the second half was that Waterford were time wasting already, seemingly content to keep things tight and play for the 0-0 that would guarantee the play off rather than throw players forward for the win but risk leaving gaps at the back which could see them concede and go straight down.

Five minutes into the second half, Galway missed another great chance to put the game out of UCD's reach - a corner from the right ended up trickling right the way across the face of the UCD goal with two players only just unable to connect and send the ball into an empty net.

The game was less open than the first half; UCD were still far too exposed on the wings, Conan Byrne was fading on the wing and while the Galway defence still looked their for the taking, it was becoming less clear as to who could actually manufacture something. Ronan Finn, easily the most energetic performance of the night, sent had a snap shot from the edge of the area wide, but on the hour, another slip in the UCD defence sent Galway through, but Ian Bermingham produced a quite superb last ditch tackle to deny an almost certain goal.

The game quietend down further after that; when UCD wanted, they passed the ball around to little enough effect, but this was always underlain by the nerves which had seen several awful misplaced passes already. The tempo upped again though as we entered the last ten minutes - Paul Byrne sent a header across goal, and then remarkably missed from three yards as a corner was cleared and returned over the defence, but on the turn, the unmarked Byrne could only prod a weak volley straight at Rogers with the goal gaping.

UCD's attitude towards the game was summed up when Galway put the ball out for treatment to one of their players, but played on from the throw instead of giving the ball back. Karma struck on this occasion as Conan Byrne was almost instantly dispossessed as he looked to get a cross in.

As we entered the first of four minutes of injury time, UCD were starting to camp out in Galway's half, knowing that a goal would end any doubts as to survival. Still no word was coming through from Tolka - apart from the Galway PA, who bizarrely announced Waterford were leading at half time. Alan McNally sent in a low drive minutes after coming on which Rovers got down to save, Vinny Sullivan in Tolka fresh air kicked at an open goal which would have put us in the play offs, we launched free after free into the box, tried overheads, scrambles, anything to force the ball in. It was all to no avail, as the final whistle went with Galway having preserved their advantage. UCD's players trooped off the pitch utterly dejected, but two minutes later came the news that Waterford had ended scoreless with Rovers, thereby ending up a point behind UCD in the standings, and condemned to a play off against either Harps or Cobh.

UCD - Quigley; Mahon, Bermingham (McNally 84), Kenna, McDonnell; Crowley, C Byrne, McWalter, Finn; Sammon (Purcell 74), P Byrne. Subs not used - Gregg, Shortall. There was another used sub too; can't remember who.

Booked - McDonnell

[DmanDmythDledge]

Highlights from Vinny on Galway's forum.



Galway's peno seems to be very marginally outside the box.

[pineapple stu]

The stand is a lot emptier than I realised. Given that the new stand was between half and two thirds full, there's no way in hell there were 2288 at that game.

Gas to see the entire first two minutes! Penalty challenge is on seven seconds, scored on 38 seconds, and we equalise on 77!

Awful camerawork.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Shocking defending for their second goal.

[pineapple stu]

I'd rather have seen the goal, to be honest.

What's up - can't take criticism? Do you think the camerawork is good? Should we not criticise Galway now because they don't like it?

[Conor H]

The stand is a lot emptier than I realised. Given that the new stand was between half and two thirds full, there's no way in hell there were 2288 at that game.

Gas to see the entire first two minutes! Penalty challenge is on seven seconds, scored on 38 seconds, and we equalise on 77!

Awful camerawork.

See EL Section.

ps-You're obsessed.There was probabaly more than the quoted figure in the ground.

[pineapple stu]

It is indeed a good service. But I don't see the problem in saying it's poor camerawork.