Sports
Trip down memory lane – Galway FC host Wexford Youths in Eamonn Deacy Park
The Dyke Road could be unofficially renamed as Memory Lane this Sunday as Galway United/FC plays its first Sunday afternoon League of Ireland game at Eamonn Deacy Park for more than two decades.
There were FAI Cup semi-finals in 1999 (against Finn Harps) and 2000 (against Shelbourne), but you have to go back to Sunday March 14, 1993, for the last time a league game was played at the ground on a Sunday afternoon.
That game saw Galway United defeat St James’ Gate 4-0 in a season in which Tony Mannion’s side went on to win the First Division title and gain promotion to the Premier Division, and while the same title is out of reach this time around, promotion is very much to the fore for the latest players to represent Galway city and county in the national league.
Galway FC head into Sunday’s final league game of the season against Wexford Youths (kick-off 3pm) three points ahead of the team from the South East, and with a goal difference which is 14 better off than Sunday’s visitors.
That means Shane Keegan’s side need something of a miracle to overhaul the Tribesmen and book a place in the First Division play-off against Shelbourne, although Galway FC manager Tommy Dunne is taking nothing for granted ahead of Sunday’s game.
“We need to be professional and full focussed on Sunday’s game, I think people are jumping the gun saying we have made the play-offs, but Wexford can still catch us so neither me nor my players are taking anything for granted.
“We still have a job to do and we will approach this game like we would any other – wanting to win it. If we start thinking the job is done, we could slip in to some bad habits, and you are in danger if you do that.
“Wexford will give this a right go, they will come at us from the very start and we have to be clued-in from the first whistle. In one way that might work in our favour, but we have to make sure we are at the pitch of the game from the very start,” he said.
It will be an afternoon of nostalgia for older followers of Galway United, recalling the days of the old shed and the chicken-wire boundary fence; the rickety old dressing rooms and the moss-covered ‘al-fresco’ toilets, which had strategically placed concrete blocks you could stand on to ensure you didn’t miss any of the action!
Dunne is anxious to give today’s fans a memorable end to this season’s campaign, and continue their recent impressive run, which saw five straight wins before last week’s draw away to Shelbourne. He says that only for the same old failings of the season to resurface last Friday night in Tolka Park, his side should be looking for a magnificent seven of victories on Sunday.
“It was the story of our season on Friday night – we had plenty of opportunities to win the game, but just didn’t take them. If we took even half the chances we had over the season to win games, we’d have been right in the hunt for the title, but it wasn’t to be.
“Shelbourne are waiting in the play-offs for either us or Wexford, and they are a very good side. They have plenty of experience so if we do make the play-offs, we need to be heading into those games [over the next two weekends] in the best for possible.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway United 1
Longford Town 0
Keith Kelly at Eamonn Deacy Park
IT is six of the best from Galway United on Friday night as Darren Clarke got one over on the club he joined United from in the off-season when his cross was deflected past visiting goalkeeper Jack Brady by Viktor Serdeniuk for an OG 15 minutes from time to see the Tribesmen start a season with six wins on the bounce for the first time in the history of the club.
United have often found Longford to be obdurate opponents – most recently, the Midlanders ended their previous unbeaten start to last season – and they almost proved party-poopers again on Friday when the hosts failed to turn their almost complete dominance of possession and territory into goals.
It was a tough watch at times, with United lacking that bit of quality up front, and while they got away with it on Friday night, those ongoing struggles in front of goal must be a concern at this stage, with Rob Manley surely worth a chance to prove his worth in upcoming games.
That is for another day, though, and should not take away from the achievement in making it six wins from six, which already has the Tribesmen six points clear at the top of the table, and has been such a statement of intent that Waterford FC have already blinked.
The Blues sacked manager Danny Searle earlier this week after their own ordinary start has left them 10 points behind United, albeit having played a game less after their meeting with Treaty United in the Markets Field last Friday was called off due to an unplayable pitch.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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GALWAY United’s perfect start to the season sees them up at the top of the pile and there to be shot at, but assistant manager Ollie Horgan says that is exactly the kind of pressure all at the club were hoping for heading into the season.
The Tribesmen have won their first six games of the season for the first time in the club’s history, and they will bid to extend that – and match its best-ever run of seven on the spin – by taking all three points from their trip east on the M6 this Friday to take on Athlone Town at Lissywollen (7.45pm).
“Ah, we will take that pressure any day of the week, it is a little bit different, I had been in that position with Finn Harps way back, being top of the league, and Wexford eventually caught us because we couldn’t keep it going. We need to keep it going and if we are playing poorly, we need to try and pick something up,” says United assistant manager, Horgan, referencing the 2015 season when Harps finished second in the table to Wexford, having led for much of the campaign.
“We have a hugely difficult game on Friday against a damn good Athlone side. A lot of teams struggle down there, Finn Harps struggled down there in Athlone’s first home game; Treaty were 2-0 up and Athlone were down to 10 men and they got back into the game.
“They are a handful, they have energy, they have good players and a lot of pace and power about them. Athlone are a much better side than they were last season and we are just hoping we are a better side than last year also,” Horgan said.
The Midlands outfit have made a decent start to the season, winning the Midlands El Classico 3-1 away to Longford Town on the opening day of the season, and following that up with a 3-1 win at home to Harps the following week.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galwegians 12
Belfast Harlequins 31
A week of rain gave way to some early spring sunshine last Saturday at Crowley Park, but it shone mainly for the visitors as this defeat for Galwegians coupled with Enniscorthy’s win at home to Malahide, saw the Blues fall to the foot of the table.
Galwegians got the afternoon’s game underway kicking off towards the clubhouse end, and the first five minutes consisted of kick tennis and several lineouts, with Galwegians looking the better of the two sides, winning the first four lineouts.
The Blues set-piece put the visitors under immense pressure, forcing them back to defend on their goal line, but as has been all season, Galwegians would prove to be their own worst enemy, a knock-on at the line costing them the chance, and Harlequins then cleared their lines after winning a scrum penalty.
The Belfast side worked themselves into a scoring position after Galwegians’ ill-discipline allowed the visitor to creep within range of the posts, and centre Paul Kerr’s kick cleared the posts from inside the 10-metre line, to give the Ulster men a 3-0 lead.
Harlequins soon found the first try of the afternoon off the back of an overthrown line out, with Kerr putting on the footwork, turning back against traffic and finding a gap in the Galwegians’ defence, to sail over the whitewash. Kerr pushed them further ahead as he added the extras to make it 10-0.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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