Galway United ended their run of four defeats on the trot when they beat bottom-of-the-table Kilkenny City at Buckley Park on Saturday night, but they made very hard work of it. The visitors took the lead through Eric Levine after 19 minutes. However, even though they created a good number of chances, failure to add to their tally left them vulnerable to the finish.

Poor Kilkenny had little or nothing to offer up front, and they created just one chance of note during the 90 minutes. That came in the 71st minute when defender Graham O'Hanlon drilled in a powerful, low shot from 20 yards that had goalkeeper David Forde diving full length to turn the ball away. The Galway winner was a sweetly engineered score. In a classic counter-attack, Bobby Ryan got the move in motion from the edge of his box. Colin Fortune was sent clear on the right, and his deep cross was prodded home from inside the six-yard box by the alert Levine. Galway should have wrapped up the game in the 51st minute. However, after the ball broke following a corner on the right by Bobby Ryan, the ever dangerous Stephen Grant blasted over the top.

The same thing happened in the 86th minute when, this time, Grant turned provider and Derek O'Brien headed over the bar from no more than eight yards.

Galway mid-fielder Colin Fortune was stretchered off with what appeared to be a bad ankle injury.

KILKENNY CITY: Forde, O'Hanlon, Brunton, Purdy, Riordan, Costello, Parkes, McGrath, Aiken, Carter, Murray. Subs: Jordan for Aiken (34th mins), Brennan for Parkes (60 mins).

GALWAY UNITED: Forde, Murphy, Morgan, Burke, Silke, Fortune, Sheridan, Crossley, Levine, Grant, Ryan. Subs: O'Brien for Murphy (78 mins), Maher for Fortune (94 mins).

Referee: A O'Riordan (Cork).