Salthill Devon 0

Athlone Town 1

Keith Kelly

SALTHILL Devon’s introduction to life in the Airtricity League didn’t have the fairytale start the club had hoped for, but that was the one disappointment on a night when the home side played all the football with a performance that showed they deserve their place at the top level.

Despite the best efforts of the management team of Emlyn Long, Mike Quirke and Sean Buckley, Devon displayed some nerves early on and at times you feared a physically bigger and stronger Athlone Town side would steamroll the debutantes. However, once Devon got their passing game going, they started to dominate and in the end there was only one team in it - even if they couldn’t find a way to unlock the visitors’ defence.

Daryl Horgan tormented Eoin O’Shea all night down the right, while Robbie Porter and Luke McConnell edged the battle in the centre of midfield. Brian Geraghty was a tower of strength at the back, as was James Whelan, whose Rory Delap-style throw-ins caused havoc in the Athlone box at times.

Unfortunately for the home side, it was always an Athlone player to whom the ball broke in those scrambles, and perhaps when they look at the video of the game, Long and Quirke will see the merit in having a player on the edge of the box to get on those loose balls.

Devon had the first shot in anger, Sean Murphy - just back from his exploits with NUI Galway in their march to the Collingwood Cup final during the week - firing in a 30 yard free which swerved viciously in the air, but Athlone ‘keeper Chris Bennion is a season campaigner and he gathered with minimum fuss.

Bennion was to the fore again two minutes later when Porter’s measured ball put Sean Boyle clear on goal, but Bennion got down well to deny him, though Boyle will be disappointed with his finish.
Athlone rode that early storm, and took the lead in the tenth minute with their first attack. Richie O’Hanlon, Athlone’s best player on the night, made ground down the right before whipping in an inviting cross.

Austin Skelly miscontrolled the ball, but that resulted in wrongfooting the Devon defence, and Skelly dug the ball from under his feet and fired home from inside the box, giving Ronan Forde no chance in the Devon goal.

Devon wobbled briefly, and O’Hanlon was a constant danger down the wing, firing across goal and wide from the edge of the box in the 22nd minute, and sending a clever chip just wide of the post a minute later.

Athlone should have added a second ten minutes before the break when Kevin Williamson’s deep cross was headed back into the danger area by Robbie Farrell, but Brian McCarthy sliced his shot into the air and Forde gathered comfortably.

Devon were lacking a bit of composure, and they needed someone to put a foot on the ball rather than through it, but they soon settled and almost drew level four minutes before the break, Mickey Gilmore’s looping header beating Bennion, but landing on the roof of the net, and McConnell scuffed a 20 yard shot wide of the post with Bennion rooted to the spot.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune