Report on game v Kilkenny

United could only draw with Kilkenny City in Terryland Park in very wet and blustery conditions. United dominated for long periods but a series of misses in the first half proved costly and this was not the result United wanted as we chase the leaders in Division One.
United started the brighter of the two sides and Conor Frawley had a header cleared off the line on eight minutes from a Ryan Casey corner. His younger brother Ronan headed wide from another Casey corner on 13 minutes. On 14 minutes United should have taken the lead when David O'Dowd intercepted a weak backpass but his attempted curler went well wide. The same player nearly got on the score sheet on 23 minutes when a Mixie Harty through ball for Damien Dupuy was blocked, it fell kindly to O'Dowd but his placed shot went inches wide.
On 41 minutes Mixie Harty sent in a superb cross for Damien Dupuy, but our French striker glanced a header wide from five yards out.
The second half was only two minutes old when Kilkenny took the lead, a Craig Maher cross was headed home by Philip Gorman via the underside of the crossbar for a shock lead. Kilkenny should of doubled their lead on 56 minutes when a weak Conor Frawley backpass put Alan Gough in trouble, Gough had to slide in to reach the ball and could only push it out to Niall Andrews who had an empty net in front of him but his attempted shot took a deflection and went wide.
The introduction of Barry Moran on 59 minutes gave United a badly needed lift with Kilkenny City pushing forward and looking for a second. On 61 minutes Ryan Casey put in a superb cross for Mixie Harty but the United winger somehow managed to head over from three yards out. A minute later Fran Carter played in Dupuy but David O'Neill pulled off a great save. Finally on 72 minutes the goal United deserved came when a Moran cross was cleared only as far as Colin Fortune who volleyed in from 15 yards out. United kept up the pressure and a bizarre goalmouth scramble on 75 minutes saw United have several chances to score but on each occassion Kilkenny blocked their efforts. Two minutes later Dupuy came in from the left and again O'Neill pulled off a fine save from his angled shot.
The last action of the game was in the 90th minute when a Fran Carter cross was nearly sliced into his own net by Kilkenny City defender Martin Cummins.

Galway United line up:
A.Gough
M.Quirke
C.Frawley
N.Keady
R.Frawley
M.Harty
F.Carter
C.Fortune
D.O'Dowd
D.Dupuy
R.Casey

Subs
D.O'Brien for R.Casey (81 mins)
B.Moran for D.O'Dowd (59 mins)

Unused subs
N.Curran
D.McCarthy
R.Forde (GK)

Goals:
C.Fortune (72 mins)


Booked:
F.Carter

Sent off:


H/T: 0-0
F/T: 1-1