Wilson settles extraordinary Turners Cross encounter in Dundalk’s favour
Galway United 0-1 Dundalk FC
Tyreke Wilson struck deep into stoppage time as Dundalk FC maintained their impressive SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Galway United in the most unusual of circumstances at Turners Cross.
A fixture originally scheduled for Eamonn Deacy Park was first switched to Pearse Stadium because of drainage works before Galway’s All-Ireland senior football quarter-final against Westmeath forced another change.
The result was a League of Ireland match played 200 kilometres from Galway, with Turners Cross hosting a nominal home game that attracted just 454 spectators.
Dundalk were the more purposeful side for much of the evening and might have been ahead early on.
Daryl Horgan had penalty appeals dismissed after appearing to be fouled by Arthur Parker before Eoin Kenny forced Evan Watts into the first significant save of the contest with a powerful effort from distance.
Horgan followed up, but his shot drifted across the face of goal.
Kenny continued to trouble the Galway defence and created another opening when his approach play allowed Horgan to flash a dangerous low cross through the six-yard box, narrowly beyond the reach of Danny Mullen.
The visitors remained on top and came close again when Lee Devitt failed to deal with a Horgan delivery, only for Mullen’s header to pass just wide.
Galway offered little as an attacking force in the opening half-hour, with the Connacht side producing their best spell before the interval.
Ed McCarthy surged forward to force Enda Minogue into a save on 37 minutes and, four minutes later, saw another effort inside the area deflected narrowly wide by JR Wilson.
The hosts carried that momentum into the second half. Seconds after the restart, David Hurley’s free-kick was turned wide by Conor McCormack, while McCarthy again threatened, shooting off target from a promising position.
Dundalk soon regained control. Horgan released Mullen just before the hour mark, but the striker was denied at his near post by Watts.
Mullen then squandered the clearest chance of the game, heading wide from a JR Wilson cross when a goal looked inevitable, before Horgan volleyed harmlessly off target.
As the contest entered its closing stages, Rob Cornwall’s ambitious effort failed to trouble the goalkeeper, while Ronan Teahan, after getting the better of Killian Brouder, forced another save from Watts.
Dundalk continued to press and came within inches of a breakthrough in stoppage time when Teahan headed JR Wilson’s cross against the post.
Galway survived that escape, but only briefly.
In the second minute of added time, Kenny’s intelligent hold-up play created one final opening and the loose ball fell kindly for Tyreke Wilson, who guided a first-time strike from outside the area into the bottom corner to secure all three points for The Lilywhites.
Galway United: Evan Watts; Arthur Parker (Al-Amin Kazeem 61), Gianfranco Facchineri, Killian Brouder, Lee Devitt (Frantz Pierrot 61); Conor McCormack (Wasiri Williams 61), Aaron Bolger; Jimmy Keohane, David Hurley, Ed McCarthy (Axel Piesold 61); Stephen Walsh (Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau 80)
Subs not used: Hugo Cunha (gk), Matty Wolfe, Junior Thiam, James Morahan
Dundalk FC: Enda Minogue; JR Wilson, Rob Cornwall, Bobby Burns, Tyreke Wilson; Ronan Teahan, Aodh Dervin; Declan McDaid (Keith Buckley 72), Eoin Kenny, Daryl Horgan (Harry Groome 90+1); Danny Mullen (Shane Tracey 72)
Subs not used: Peter Cherrie (gk), Gbemi Arubi, Luke Mulligan, Sean Spaight, Aaron Keogh, TJ Molloy
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork)
Attendance: 454