Sporting Fingal 2 Galway Utd 0:CRACKING FOURTH goals of the season from both Ronan Finn and Eamon Zayed moved Sporting Fingal to within three points of the top of the table.
Sporting left back Lorcan Fitzgerald missed an early chance, while Galway’s debutant goalkeeper Daire Geraghty saved well from Ger O’Brien as Sporting dominated the first half.
Finn then broke the deadlock on 53 minutes when Fitzgerald intercepted a stray pass to set him up to rifle home from 30 yards.
Galway should have levelled on the hour but Gary Curran shot wide. Substitute Zayed sealed Sporting’s win on 76 minutes when collecting Shaun Williams’ pass to curl a shot to the net.
Finn brought another good save from Geraghty, while Williams hit a post from long-range late on as Sporting should have won by more.
“We’ve played better,” said Sporting manager Buckley. “I thought we were a little bit sloppy at times in the first half. We weren’t getting an end result in the final third. The second half was better.”
Galway, missing Barry Ryan, Séamus Conneely, Rhys Meynell and Karl Sheppard, had only three players on their bench. “They’re four big players for us,” said Galway boss Séan Connor. “I’m disappointed because we worked on a system all week to try and make sure we got a point and I probably changed the system too early.”
SPORTING FINGAL: Clarke; O’Brien, Maher, Gannon, Fitzgerald; Finn, Williams, Kirby; Byrne, Crowe (Zayed, 63), Quinn (Barrett, 80 mins.).
GALWAY UNITED: Geraghty; Sinnott, Heary, McKenzie, Creaney; King (Molloy, 75), Curran, O’Donnell, Foley, Ryan; Flood.
Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork).
Attendance: 611
