Southend's Kevin Barry slides in on Johnville's Gary Kelly.
Johnville 1; Southend United 1
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When your luck is out in football nothing appears to go your way and that was certainly the case for Southend United in St Martin’s Park on Sunday morning last.
The visitors led, courtesy of a Paddy Dooley goal on 28 minutes, and they held that lead until four minures from time as the game was turned on its head within the space of 30 seconds.
Ian Galgey got a clear run on goal and it looked as if he would wrap up the win for the visitors but an assistant referee’s up-raised flag prevented him from trying his luck and from the resultant free kick Johnville equalised in truly dramatic circumstances.
The point has moved Southend onto a total of five points, six behind Ferrybank and all is far from lost from their viewpoint. But the two points dropped here could prove vital come the end of the season.
Both sides finished with ten players in what was a fiercely contested match.
Dooley cracker
Southend opened up in determined fashion and Ian Galgey took a pass from Lee Hayes after 10 minutes but his angled shot on the run from the left went narrowly over the crossbar.
A minute later Kevin Barry crossed from the left side of the penalty area but this time Galgey headed wide. Johnville were dealt a big blow on 15 minutes when Gavin Phelan was carried off injured and he was replaced by Eddie Barrett in the middle of the park.
Goals have been a major problem for Southend all season and going into this game they had found the net just five times. However, their sixth arrived when Paddy Carey went off on a run down the right flank, and after getting around full-back Dan Murphy, he sent a ball deep into the Johnville penalty area. Paddy Dooley controlled on his chest before shooting low past Johnville ’keeper Liam Purcell.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full story.
