Galway United 2

Sligo Rovers 2

By Mike Rafferty at Eamonn Deacy Park

FOLLOWING your local team is a mixture of joy and frustration as was evident at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night when Galway United played their last home game of the season in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

It was a night when a packed Terryland saw 4,400 in attendance as the home support still held out hopes of a possible European spot and a top four position in the table.

For that scenario to unfold a win was required, but after dropping points in their last home game against Dundalk and falling to defeat last time out against St Patrick’s Athletic, the path to a night on foreign shores was gradually eroded.

The full house saw a game worthy of the occasion. The outcome in the end was probably fair, but the home side will certainly look at it as two points dropped. For the opening half, United were ordinary at best, but had chances to make matters better. Those opportunities were spurned, while the visitors made the most of what came their way in finishing terms as they led by one at the break.

It was a half in which the home side sat too deep and were somewhat passive in their application as they allowed Jack Henry-Francis run the show from midfield. Sligo were good to watch as they pinged passes about, but the home rearguard were generally alive to the challenges faced and thus goal chances for the visitors were slim.

Obviously, bells were ringing in the ears of the United management and a trio of changes at the break saw Conor McCormack, Jeannot Esua and Regan Donelon introduced in place of Colm Horgan, Rob Burns and Vincent Borden.

The reaction was exactly what one would have wanted  as United started on the front foot and hardly retreated for the half. Of course, there was the odd imperfection – like the Sligo goal, but the team certainly gave the management and supporters a half to remember as they pressed the visitors for the 45 minutes. That they came up just short is a frustration that is often thrown up in sport, and so it was in this case.

According to assistant manager Ollie Horgan afterwards: “The players are gutted in there. As poor as we were in the first half, we had chances. In the second half, I thought we were very good and in the last 15 minutes we were outstanding. However, the breaks did not go our way when Sligo’s backs were to the wall.

Pictured: Galway United’s Robert Burns takes on John Ross Wilson of Sligo Rovers during Friday’s Premier Division clash at Eamonn Deacy Park. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.