Galway United 2

Bohemians 0

WHEN the final whistle went, you half expected Lieutenant Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith to step out of the shadows, taking a long drag from a big fat cigar as he says “I love it when a plan comes together”, before jumping into a black GMC Vandura along with Faceman, Murdock, and BA, and head off along the Dyke Road.

If ever Galway United needed a night of results to go their way it was last Friday night, and for once, luck fell their way.

All games kicked-off at 7.45pm, and in the space of two agonising minutes just past the 8pm mark, both Sligo Rovers and Waterford took the lead in their respective games to leave the Tribesmen staring down the barrel of the relegation play-off.

Then Sligo conceded an equaliser in the 30th minute of their trip to Shelbourne; before Waterford conceded to Derry City in the 34th minute of their game in the RSC, and United took full advantage when taking the lead against Bohs in the 36th minute.

Both Sligo and Waterford went on to lose their games (3-1 and 2-1 respectively), while United were beating Bohs for a second time this season, and all of a sudden, the dread of facing a relegation play-off has eased somewhat.

The three sides are all locked on 37 points, but United have a far superior goal difference, and also enjoy a game-in-hand over the other two, so they could find themselves out of the play-off equation this weekend if they defeat Drogheda at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday, and one of the other two sides lose: Sligo are at home to an already relegated Cork City, while Waterford face a trip to Europe-chasing St Patrick’s Athletic.

That 36th minute goal came somewhat against the run of play: having started on the front foot, United once again began to fade after those promising early stages, as Bohs began to dominate possession and stroke the ball around with apparent nonchalance.

Too much nonchalance perhaps: out of nothing, Aaron Bolger found himself wide on the right wing and he looped in as cross, and Archie Meekison failed his ‘Basic Defending 101’ class by allowing the ball to bounce in the box.

Bobby Burns headed on to Jimmy Keohane, who played it back to the wing-back. Burns drove to the end-line before drilling in a cross, and Patrick Hickey met it at the near post to divert the ball past Kacper Chorazka at his near post.

There was post-match debate about whether Cian Byrne had in fact got the decisive touch, but the goal was, and remains, awarded to Hickey, who ended an 18-game run without finding the net.

Bohs needed to win to maintain their push for European qualification, but they had just one effort on target in the first-half, a scuffed effort from Meekison; and they were equally as impotent in attack in the second-half as Brendan Clarke enjoyed just a second clean sheet of the season.

He was helped in that regard by referee Rob Harvey, who had an interesting view on proceedings at times.

Dara McGuinness hade the first shot on target in the game in only the third minute, though it was a rather soft effort that was straight at Chorazka from 18 yards out.

Soft was the order of the day two minutes later when the visitors thought they had taken the lead: a corner from the left was flicked on by James Clarke to the back post, where Rob Cornwall met it to head home.

Bohs’ celebrations were cut short, however, when Harvey blew for a free out, deciding Cornwall had pushed Hickey in the build-up. It was a terrible decision, but it set the tone for a pretty poor first-half by Harvey.

He booked Stephen Walsh for dissent after the United man rightly argued that Cornwall didn’t so much handle the ball as punch it in the 20th minute; and not long after, the man in the middle waved play on after McGuinness was clearly tripped in the Bohs penalty area.

Frustration started to take hold of United both with their own performance and that of Harvey, and it dovetailed with Bohs taking a stranglehold of the game, but they never really tested Clarke.

His biggest scare came in the 31st minute when Jordan Flores met a Bohs corner from the left at the near post, but he volleyed narrowly wide, and you got the feeling that while Bohs were in command, they were also getting bit complacent, and United punished them five minutes later.

Bohs reacted by making a double substitution at the break, taking off Cornwall and Meekison and throwing on Connor Parsons and Colm Whelan as the visitors switched to three at the back.

They threatened briefly, and Burns put in a brilliant block to deny James Clarke, before United doubled their lead.

The crucial second goal came from the penalty spot after Niall Morahan apparently thought he was playing volleyball and smacked a cross away with his hand, David Hurley making no mistake from 12 yards in the 57th minute.

That sucked any remaining threat out of Bohs, and United should have added a third five minutes later, but Morahan cleared Walsh’s inviting ball into the box.

Jeannot Esua then failed to get any power behind a 67th minute volley after getting on the end of a cross from Keohane, who wore the captain’s armband on the night for the second consecutive game, United’s third captain in seven games with Brendan Clarke and Davie Hurley – who both started on Friday – having also worn it in recent games.

Dayle Rooney blazed a 30-yard free-kick for Bohs high and into the car-park behind Clarke’s goal in the 83rd minute before one of the loudest cheers on the night, when Stephen Walsh was replaced in the 90th minute, affording the home fans a chance to acclaim the city native who broke Kevin Cassidy’s all-time appearance record for United on the night, the game being his 369th in a United jersey.

If he decides he has another season in his legs – and he clearly does – it is looking more and more likely that it will be in the top-flight in 2026, and hallelujah to that.

Galway United: Clarke; Esua, Buckley, Brouder, Burns; Hurley (Piesold 90), Bolger; McGuinness (McCarthy 65), Hickey (Slevin 73), Keohane; Walsh (Sivi 90).

Bohemians: Chorazka; Morahan (Kavanagh 79), Cornwall (Parsons h-t), Byrne, Flores; Devoy, McDonnell (Buckley 68); Meekison (Whelan h-t), Tierney (Strods 79), Rooney; Clarke.

Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin).

Pictured: Galway United’s Dara McGuinness battling for possession with Dayle Rooney of Bohemians during Friday night’s Premier Division tie at Eamonn Deacy Park. Photo: Iain McDonald.