Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty

West United put in a battling displays worthy of the club in Moanbawn last weekend but a side hit by injuries and absences of key players were left with nothing to show for their efforts as Athenry scraped a win to maintain their place at the top of the table.

Despite that impressive start, Athenry should not be getting any great notions or getting carried away by their lofty position. Wins over Renmore, Mervue United and Colga would be expected from a side challenging for honours; and they really struggled last Saturday in a 2-0 win over a West United side almost unrecognisable from the familiar faces that normally line out for the battling Claddagh side.

Stricken by long term injuries to seasoned players like Denis Lydon, Ronan Caldwell, Keith Lee and James Ryan and missing a huge number of other players for various reasons, West United should have been dismissed with ease on this occasion, but aided by a huge performance by goalkeeper John Egan they restricted Athenry to just two goals.

The opener for the home side was slotted home by new signing Jason McPhilbin, before the second was added midway through the second half when a Shane Keogh corner was eventually scrambled over the line by Aaron Leggett to make it 2-0.

Three opening half goals set Salthill Devon on the way to a comfortable 4-0 win over Colga in Drom on Friday night and it was young Darren Darcy with his first senior goal who got them off the mark.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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