Ed McCarthy has a decent goal-scoring return from the wing for Galway United, a return that is improving all the time to see the Limerick native finding the net 14 times in his 82 appearances in the maroon jersey.

He has a habit of scoring some important ones as well: he scored on his United debut, bagging the only goal of the game in United’s opening game of the 2022 season, a 1-0 win over Cork City in Turners Cross.

He finished that season with just three goals from 33 games, but stepped up to the mark last season, finding the net 9 times in 38 games, including scoring in two of the three wins over Waterford FC that virtually sealed the First Division title for United.

United have struggled for goals this season, finding the net just six times, with McCarthy scoring their first of the season, opening the scoring in the 2-0 win away to Dundalk in Oriel Park.

He added his second of the season last Friday night, coming in off the wing to score the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win over Shelbourn, a goal that was almost a carbon copy of that effort in Oriel Park, and one that had a special resonance for McCarthy.

“Yeah, it was my birthday on the Saturday and I scored on the Friday, so it was a nice early birthday present I suppose,” he said as he looked back on a busy couple of days for United, with the Tribesmen following up that 1-0 win at home to Shels on Friday with a scoreless draw away to Sligo Rovers on Monday.

“It was a good goal, a lovely team goal, that is what we worked on. We knew we would catch them, we knew that if we countered quick we would create chances, it was good ball across to be fair and I just jumped on top of it,” he said.

United struggled to get going in the Showgrounds on Monday, looking a bit off the pace in the opening half before growing into, and dominating, the game in the second-half. The visitors lined out in a 4-4-2 formation in that opening 45 minutes, before reverting to their more usual 4-2-3-1 set-up after the break, but McCarthy doesn’t believe that first-half shape had anything to do with United’s lethargic display.

Pictured: Ed McCarthy is faced by Jonathan Lunney of Shelbourne in Eamonn Deacy Park last Friday night. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.