A sublime save from Athlone goalkeeper Gary Connaughton, which deprived Michael Donnellan a winner on his full debut for Galway, gained the home team a draw at St Mel's Park last night. The teams will meet again at Terryland Park on Tuesday night.
Connaughton, who will miss the replay due to suspension, produced his acrobatics a minute into the second half to tip Donnellan's 20yard drive over the crossbar.
As it entered the final five minutes the game developed into a fullblooded cup-tie, flowing from end to end. Athlone substitute Gary Devine was unlucky to see his dipping volley go inches wide of a Galway upright and Galway then survived a dubious penalty appeal when Colin Fortune went down.
Then, at the other end, Galway susbtitute Neil Ogden, a surprise non-starter, found himself clean through on goal with only Connaughton to beat. But in trying to drag the ball round the goalkeeper, Ogden fell over the ball, which stuck in the mud, and the chance was gone.
Athlone, playing three men up front, had dominated the first half. Eric Smyth headed over from a Fortune free-kick as Galway struggled at the back, and a sweeping move up the right involving all three strikers again exposed Galway, but Warren Parkes's header from a Stephen Mullan cross was poor.
A revitalised Galway created two excellent chances inside the opening 90 seconds of the second-half.
First Donnellan turned onto Scott Morgan's ball in from the left to force that save from Connaughton, and the 20-year-old goalkeeper again then did well to hold a Kieran Foley header.
ATHLONE TOWN: Connaughton; Frawley, Malone, Smyth; Fitzell, Connolly, Fortune, Carberry; Clarke, Parkes, Mullan. Subs: Moylan for Connolly (70 mins); Devine for Clarke (79 mins.).
GALWAY UNITED: Hickey; Neary, O'Connor, Clery, Morgan; Sheridan, Dolan, Keane, Gorman; Foley, Donnellan. Subs: Keogh for Foley (72 mins); Ogden for Gorman (76 mins.).
Referee: G Perry (Dublin).
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