Sligo Rovers F.C. - Rovers and Galway share the spoils in pre-season

Rovers and Galway share the spoils in pre-season

Monday, 27 February 2006

Sligo Rovers and Galway United played out a draw in an open and useful friendly tonight in The Showgrounds. It was typical pre-season stuff with plenty of substitutions and experimentation.

The home side started with four of their new signings and although Rovers took time to settle, there was plenty on show for Rovers fans to look forward to the season ahead with optimism.

The addition of Peers and Foy gives the back five greater balance, whilst Chris Turner showed plenty of skill hugging the right flank and Adam Hughes was the perfect foil for O’Grady in the centre. The other signings in the back five – McKenzie and Brush – came in in the second half didn’t have the opportunity to shine whilst Judge and Mansaram showed some good touches despite a relatively brief time on the field.

It was a cold night and it took a while to kick-start the proceedings, but it was the visitors who had the better chances in the half. Paul Deering had barely blew his whistle when Eric Lavin linked well with Alan Murphy for the former Derry City striker to shoot into the grateful arms of John O’Hara denied.

On ten minutes a Galway United corner was headed over by Keane as the Bit O’Red were finding their feet and their formation. But as the game progressed, Rover started to get on top in the middle, began to use the flanks as both Kudozovic and Turner showed some good touches.

An errant defensive header on twenty one minutes set Paul McTiernan and Adam Hughes free, but a touch on by Hughes meant that McTiernan’s strike was ruled offside

Despite the greater urgency in the second quarter, chances were scarce and it was only in the closing stages of the half that the defences were opened. The first one came to when Lavine fired a great cross from the right, but Harty failed to connect in space.

Both Chris Turner and Keith Foy hit the target from distance as the half drew to a close, but neither effort troubled the experienced Galway keeper.

The second half of pre-season friendlies tend to be more about substitutions than skilful exchanges and this affair was no different with Galway introducing three changes during the half time break. And it was Rovers who benefited as Sean Flannery, headed the home side in front on fifty one minutes following an O’Grady effort.

Mansaram latched on to a long clearance midway through the half but his shot from distance failed to hit the target.

The trickle of substitutions became a flood as the half progressed as all Rovers new signings were introduced. Judge showed some nice touches, but neither Brush nor McKenzie were really tested.

The fare was predictably patchy as neither side had time to put a stamp on the game but as it seemed that home side were going to take the honours, the visitors drew level on eighty-four minutes when Rovers defence failed to clear a low Derek O’Brien cross and Goldby sneaked in at the back post to put the ball past Brush.

The Bit O’Red face Finn Harps in Finn Park on Friday night next before starting the new season in Longford on 11 March.

Teams

Sligo Rovers
John O’Hara (Richard Brush), Gavin Peers (Seamus Coleman), Keith Foy (Sean Kelly), Michael McNamara (Jamie McKenzie), Liam Burns, Conor O’Grady, Chris Turner (Gary Curran), Fahrudin Kudozovic, Sean Flannery(Darren Mansaram), Paul McTiernan (Matt Judge), Adam Hughes (Jason McCartney ) Subs not used: John Bellew

Galway United
Alan Gough (Tomas Grozka), Ryan O’Donnell(Barry Moran), Alan Keane(Fran Carty), Ronan Frawley (Liam McKenna), Nigel Keady, Ciaran Foley (Derek O’Brien), Stephen Gavin(Dave Goldby), Mixie Harty Juan Royes (Juan Royes), Eric Lavine (David O’Dowd), Alan Murphy, Philip Reilly

Referee
Paul Deering

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