Folan and Moran put Galway in driving seat

Galway Utd - 2 Drogheda Utd - 0:National League: Galway's record at the back this season always suggested that Tony Mannion would travel to United Park on Saturday happy if his men had something to defend, and as the home side's manager slipped off to the dressing-room he looked at least as satisfied with his team's achievement as most of the 4,500 fans making their merry way home.

Mannion's back four have been the league's most economical this season and the manager always said they could provide the basis for the club completing what would be a remarkable success story by winning promotion this week.

Goals, on the other hand, weren't expected to come easy. That was the thinking before Tony Folan and Barry Moran put the home side in a commanding position to win this two legged play-off.

Alan Murphy may have been the First Division side's most prolific scorer this season, but when Folan has contributed to the team's promotion drive, he has made a habit of giving the fans something to talk about on the way home.

Sure enough, his fourth of the season was a little bit special, too, with the former Crystal Palace and Brentford midfielder first slipping past Drogheda's right back Robbie Dunne and then curling a wonderful shot just inside the right hand post from the far side of the area.

Folan went on to establish himself as the first half's most influential figure, although at times he over indulged. When he ignored a whole range of better options to attempt a flick shot from the edge of the area with more than a hint of arrogance it was clear he reckoned it was his night.

When a neat little through ball of his set up Galway's second with half an hour gone it seemed hard to argue, though.

Both Moran and Alan Murphy looked to be offside as Folan played the ball and their brief hesitation appeared to suggest that even they knew it, but when the well-placed linesman waved play on the local pair reacted a split second faster than any of the three nearby defenders. Having then edged clear of his team-mate in the race towards goal, the teenager finished well with a low shot across Gary Rogers to the left hand corner.

It could have been worse for Drogheda with Rogers almost having been caught off his line by Moran as early as the third minute and Derek O'Brien easily beating Dunne down the left only to fire into the side netting from a very tight angle.

Harry McCue's side, on the other hand, could make little impression up front, although Mark Dempsey's finish from the centre of the area was terribly disappointing after Shaun Gallagher had looked to have done the difficult stuff for his team-mate.

Most problematic for the visitors was the inability of their strikers, Andy Myler and Declan O'Brien, to get away from Fran Carter and Nigel Keady who barely gave their opponents an inch throughout the opening period.

In the minutes that followed the break McCue did at least seem to have impressed upon his players of the seriousness of heading into the weekend's return leg entirely empty-handed. Almost from the restart Drogheda piled forward into the area and the locals first survived a desperate scramble by the skin of their teeth and then, after the ball was hoofed away, they saw Gary Cronin's long-range shot float just over.

However, their urgency to get forward had a downside, too, as their defenders discovered when they found themselves having to tear back in pursuit of the breaking Murphy, Moran and O'Brien.

Both strikers had chances to add to their side's lead, but then five minutes from time the tie could have ended up looking a lot more finely balanced when Aidan Lynch headed Dempsey's free from the right off the post and Mark Quinless sent his follow-up shot into the side-netting from very close range. It was one of the night's rare moments when the Galway defence didn't look entirely on top of their task.

Their workload, of course, should be somewhat heavier on Saturday, but last night's performance suggests that they have what it takes to complete Galway's journey back to top flight football. Around United Park, though, they've learned a thing or two in recent weeks about coming back from the brink.

GALWAY UNITED: Forde; Harty, Keady, Carter, Quirke; Folan, Herrick, Fortune, O'Brien; Moran (Goldbey, 89 mins), Murphy.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Rogers; Dunne, Lynch, Gray, Cronin; Gallagher (Quinless, half-time), Tierney, O'Connor, Dempsey; O'Brien, Myler (Quinn, 88 mins).

Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).