Gaynor sends visitors to the top

Galway Utd 0 Dundalk 1
Attendance: 740

HAVING STUNNED the standard-bearers, Bohemians, last Friday night, a drop of expectation accompanied Galway United into this interesting collision with Dundalk, but it was the Lilywhites who prevailed at the end of an encounter packed with gritty football.

As managers Seán Connor and Ian Foster faced their former clubs, the evening wasn’t short on sub-plots. And while the match was all about passion, Ross Gaynor supplied the 61st-minute goal that put Dundalk back on top.

Sporting Fingal had terminated Dundalk’s unbeaten start to the season, and the visitors were all positive aggression in the early stages. There was a crispness to the midfield play of Tom Miller, Stephen Maher and JJ Melligan as Dundalk’s three-man central midfield unit caused Galway some problems.

Twenty minutes in Gaynor, prominent during this spell of Dundalk dominance, located Maher with a wicked cross, but the former St Patrick’s Athletic man headed wide.

Galway improved as the first half evolved, with Karl Sheppard’s pace always providing a threat on the break and James Creaney blazing over in the 36th minute.

The visitors, though, failed to convert a gilt-edged opportunity two minutes before the interval as Melligan rifled wide following a clever Faz Kuduzovic header.

In the 55th minute Barry Ryan fouled Neale Fenn in the area, but the Galway custodian denied the striker’s spot-kick with an excellent save. Gaynor, though, ensured Dundalk returned to the summit.

GALWAY UNITED:Barry Ryan; Conneely, Synott, McKenzie, Meynell; Bobby Ryan (King, 76), Foley, Curran (McBrien, 65), Creaney (O'Brien, 73); Flood, Sheppard.

DUNDALK:Cherrie; Kelly, G Breen, Burns, Hatswell; Miller, Melligan, Maher; Kuduzovic (McGuigan, 88), Fenn (Murphy, 81), Gaynor.

Referee:P Sutton (Clare).