Galway United 1

Shelbourne 1

By Mike Rafferty in Eamonn Deacy Park

The ability of Galway United to hang in there when all seemed lost was rewarded in Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday evening when a late Bobby Burns goal allowed the home side to collect a point in an always competitive League of Ireland tie.

As to be expected, it was the defending champions who enjoyed the greater amount of possession and they took an opening-half lead when slack marking allowed Mipo Odubeko have a free header. However, the arrival of the goal was followed by a combination of the visitors stepping off the gas and United stepping up a few gears.

The response was impressive but not profitable, as United hung in there. As time progressed it was Shelbourne who created the majority of the opportunities, but their finishing left a lot to be desired as a combination of poor finishing and Evan Watts kept the game in the balance.

The reward at the other end was eventually secured on 84 minutes when Burns struck for his first goal of the season to give the home side a slender reward for their effort as they maintained their seventh position in the table for the sixth week in succession.

It was a dramatic week for both teams in terms of club personnel. For a considerable amount of time the position of Galway United striker Moses Dyer was in question as the word was that the league’s leading scorer was on the move with just his destination a mystery.

While the exact facts of the case are still unproven as the club have not offered any clarity on the situation, Dyer is gone, with Cambodia apparently his destination.

For Shelbourne, the resignation of manager Damien Duff caught the Dublin club unawares, as their recent poor form bothered him so much he stepped down, with his assistant Joey O’Brien stepping into the top job.

With United having lost to Sligo earlier in the week and fielded an unchanged side for the fourth game in succession, there was always going to be at least one switch following the red card picked up by Dyer in what looks like having been his final game for the club.

In fact, management made three changers to the starting XI as, with Patrick Hickey out through injury, Stephen Walsh and new signing Malcolm Shaw started a new striking partnership; and with Vince Borden on the bench, Killian Brouder came into the back-three to join Garry Buckley and Rob Slevin.

Shelbourne also responded to having a third game in a week, as they made five changes to the selection that drew with Waterford on the Monday night and while the visitors gave every indication of the strength of their bench as the game progressed, it was the home side who went closest to an early breakthrough.

Pictured: Galway United’s David Hurley looks to break away from the challenge of Shelbourne’s Sean Boyd and JJ Lunney in Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.