Galbraith benchmark as drought is ended

DANNY Galbraith ended a six-year goal drought in English and Scottish football with bottom-of-the-table York's stoppage-time winner against Stevenage.
York City.York City.
York City.

Aside from a season playing for Limerick in the League of Ireland, the Galashiels-born 25-year-old last netted for Hibernian in a 2-1 triumph at Celtic in January, 2010.

But, after hitting an upright to set up Luke Summerfield’s equaliser at Carlisle seven days earlier, Galbraith was hailed off the bench for a successive weekend to secure maximum points against fellow strugglers Stevenage, who have gone eight games without a win under Teddy Sheringham.

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Galbraith, who started as a substitute again due to being a pre-match doubt with groin problems, took possession just inside the visitors’ half on ‘93 minutes’ and, after spinning past marker Keith Keane, drove to the edge of the area before beating Chris Day with a low shot off the inside of his right-hand post.

On-loan Cambridge midfielder Keane had earlier drawn Sheringham’s men level with a 30-yard shot that Scott Flinders was slow to react to on 78 minutes.

Kenny McEvoy’s 15th-minute strike, set up by a swift counter-attack led by Luke Summerfield and Michael Coulson, gave York the lead but, just moments before Galbraith’s winner, Dave Winfield also had to clear Aaron O’Connor’s effort off the line.

The importance of that intervention was not lost on home chief Jackie McNamara, who said: “That clearance off the line was as important as the winning goal for me.”

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York City: Flinders; Hendrie, Winfield, Cameron, Ilesanmi; Penn, Dixon, Summerfield (Galbraith, 78), Coulson; McEvoy (Massanka, 72), Oliver. Unused substitutes: Berrett, Satka, Carson, Ingham, Fewster.

Stevenage: Day; Franks, Wells, Wilkinson, Ogilvie; Petravicius (Parrett, 46), Keane, Tonge (Cox, 21), Pett; Lee, O’Connor. Unused substitutes: Jones, Gordon, Akiyemi, Johnson, Gorman.

Referee: J Simpson (Lancs).

Man-of-the-match: Michael Coulson.