Salthill Devon 0 - 5 Mervue United

• Peter O'Connor
• Sun, Aug 14 2011


Mervue United produced their most emphatic away way win of the season on Saturday evening, with a convincing display that produced five goals against their local rivals Salthill Devon.

The home side came into the game full of confidence following an impressive home victory over Wexford youths last week, however it was Mervue who started the better of the two sides. Peter Dravins released Jason Molloy in the fifth minute for the games first chance but his shot was well saved by Ronan Forde in the Salthill goal.

Two minutes later Molloy turned provider after he broke down the left wing and played in a sumptuous cross which Kevin Crehan got on the end of, but again Forde was equal to the task. Mervue were now piling the pressure on Salthill’s back four and Dravins had a goal disallowed on nine minutes after challenging Forde in the air from another Molloy left wing delivery.

Devon had their first chance of the game when the industrious Eugene Greaney let fly from outside the area, only to see his shot sail over Ger Hanley’s crossbar on fifteen minutes. The game looked as if it would now spark into life as some crunching tackling in midfield led to the games first booking as Crehan was punished for a late tackle on Greaney. However this intense battle never materialized and it seemed inevitable the away side would take the lead following sustained pressure, which was the case after twenty eight minutes.

A seemingly innocuous ball over the top was chased down by Pat Hoban who blocked  keeper Forde’s attempted clearance from outside the box and the ball deflected kindly for Dravins who coolly slotted the ball into an open goal. Hoban himself almost doubled the lead on thirty one minutes after latching on to John Mountney’s deflected effort, however his shot was narrowly wide.

But Mervue would only have to wait until the thirty third minute to double their lead. Following some fantastic footwork from Alex Lee in the Salthill penalty area, he somehow managed to find Dravins unmarked, and the striker thundered home his second despite the best intentions of Paddy Quinlan who almost stopped the ball crossing the line.

Salthill had a rare opportunity to pull one back on forty two minutes with Greaney again firing a speculative effort narrowly over the bar. Mervue resumed their onslaught and the hat trick seeking Dravins produced a top class save from Forde just before the break when he swiveled and smashed a fierce drive from twenty five yards, which the keeper brilliantly touched over his crossbar.

The second half started with more pressure from the visitors, and they added to their lead on the sixty fifth minute. Alex Lee again turned provider as he broke down the right flank and played a fantastic pass through to the oncoming Dave O’Brien who smashed the ball into the top corner from close range. Pat Hoban then made it four nil on seventy three minutes with a thunderous strike from outside the area, which was aided by a deflection from the luckless Greaney.

The rampant Mervue side continued to attack and the overworked Devon defense struggled to cope with the constant pressure. Numerically, Salthill regained an advantage with two minutes to go as substitute Noel Varley was sent off for a second booking following an unnecessary, intentional hand ball in the opposition box. This, however, didn’t stop Mervue attacking and in injury time they managed to score a fifth, recording their most impressive result in the Airtricity League in the process.

Substitute Ethan Elokobi raced clear of the Salthill defense only to be hacked down on the edge of the box, which resulted in a free kick. The impressive Jason Molloy finished the game by dispatching the free kick spectacularly into the top right corner, giving Forde little chance.

Local bragging rights well and truly on the east side of Galway city following this derby, and Salthill will be looking to their next fixture to restore some confidence after a demoralizing defeat.

Salthill Devon:
Ronan Forde; James Whelan(c), Ray Winters, Paddy Quinlan, Brian Geraghty; Eugene Greaney, Colm Horgan (Paul Convey, 56), Enda Dunne (Charlie Burke, 70), Timmy Molloy; Brian O’Grady (Ope Oworu, 46), Emmet Shaw.
Subs not used: Paul Smyth, Colm Power, Luke McConnell, Gerry Dolan.

Booked: Brian Geraghty.

Mervue United: Ger Hanley; Dave O’Brien, Mark Ludden, James Casserly, Martin Conneely(c); Pat Hoban, Kevin Crehan, John Mountney (Noel Varley, 72), Alex Lee (Etanda Nkololo, 75); Jason Molloy, Peter Dravins (David Goldbey, 65).
Subs not used: Brian O’Donoghue, Barry McEntee, Jason Finn, Mike Elwood.

Booked: Crehan, Varley.
Sent off: Varley.

Referee: Graham Kelly.