Galway stage second-half comeback to beat Waterford
Waterford FC 1-2 Galway United
League of Ireland Premier Division
Galway United came from a goal down to beat Waterford FC on Friday night, securing a crucial victory in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
Second-half goals from Stephen Walsh and Killian Broader were enough for United to complete a comeback which keeps their European dream alive.
It was a game of two halves at the RSC, with Waterford hitting the front after just 7 minutes through Dean McMenamy. Things went from bad to worse for Galway minutes later, when goalkeeper Brendan Clarke was deemed to have brought down Sam Bellis in the penalty area. However, Clarke saved Amond’s resulting penalty, in what turned out to be a huge moment at the RSC. Waterford continued to dominate proceedings after their missed penalty, with Galway struggling to get any sort of grip of the game. As the game ticked towards half-time though, the visitors started to get a foothold, with Jimmy Keohane going close with a deflected shot on 36 minutes. As the whistle blew for half-time at the RSC, you got the sense that Waterford might just rue that early penalty miss.
After the break, United came out looking like a different team altogether, showing an aggressive nature in their pressing and looking much more confident in possession. Waterford began to absorb more and more pressure as Galway went in search of an equaliser. That equaliser eventually arrived on 60 minutes, with Stephen Walsh poking home from close-range after a well-worked move down the right hand side.
John Caulfield’s side showed no signs of letting up after the equaliser, and they completed a stunning turnaround just 7 minutes later. Centre-back Killian Broader was on hand to give Galway the lead after Gregory Cunningham’s free-kick had rebounded off the Waterford crossbar. Waterford looked to turn the screw in the last 20 minutes, but the home side never really looked like finding an equaliser.
The full-time whistle sparked scenes of elation in the away end, as the Galway supporters celebrated a crucial away victory. The win saw John Caulfield’s side move up to 4th in the table, level on points with 3rd placed Shamrock Rovers. With just four games to go, United are well and truly still in the hunt for European football next season.
Line Up
WATERFORD FC: Sargeant; Power, Horton (Pattisson 74), Radkowski (Arubi 85), Leahy, Burke; McDonald, Baggley, McMenamy (Parsons 74); Bellis (Glenfield 66), Amond.
GALWAY UNITED: Clarke; Cunningham, Buckley, Brouder, Horgan (Esua 46), Hickey (Slevin 90); O’Sullivan (McCarthy 66), McCormack (Hurley 46), Keohane, Borden (O’Keeffe 85); Walsh.
REFEREE: Paul Norton (Dublin).
