GALWAY United’s players will head for the country’s airports this weekend as the league enters its traditional two-week summer break, but before they pack the suncream and sliders, they must first head to Tallaght Stadium on Friday night for a meeting with the league leaders (8pm).

There hasn’t really been a good time, per se, to face Shamrock Rovers over the past five or six seasons, but this looks like really lousy timing. Stephen Bradley’s side have put a disappointing 2024 season, and a slow start to the current campaign, right behind them thanks to a run of five wins on the spin to suddenly move six points clear at the top of the table.

They have the most potent attack (33 goals scored) and meanest defence (16 conceded), and with United looking for a first league win over the Hoops in 19 years – and a first in Dublin in . . .  deep breath . . . a scarcely believable 31 years – United fans will travel more in hope rather than expectation of getting a result in west Dublin.

They did emerge unbeaten from their two trips to the finest ground in the league last season, even if both games did end in a bit of disappointment: Stephen Walsh gave United a 55th minute lead in April, only for Johnny Kenny to score an 84th minute equaliser for the home side; while Danny Mandroiu pounced for a leveller in the 88th minute of the meeting between the sides in August after Pat Hickey had given the visitors a 74th minute lead.

To give you an idea of how poor United’s record is against the country’s most successful team, that was the first time in 36 games that United managed to go back-to-back without a defeat: only once before have United enjoyed three away games with Rovers without defeat, so the return of some experienced campaigners last week for the Tribesmen could not have come at a better time.

Caption: Conor McCormack…goal scorer last time out.

Get the full preview and full report from last weekend’s win over Cork City in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.