Little drama as Galway United stay in top flight

Galway United 0

St Patrick’s Athletic 1

SO that’s it done and dusted for another year. We face into four months of the Late Late Show and having to talk to herself now that the season is over – March can’t come soon enough.

Then again, enduring Ryan Tubridy and a never-ending parade of z-list celebrities is probably marginally preferable to having to sit through another game like last Friday night’s encounter in Eamonn Deacy Park, but you don’t realise how good you have something until you have to do without it, as Galway United fans know all too well.

Yes, it was a disappointing end to the season, both in terms of performance and result, but taking a step back, what a brilliant season it has been: a first Cup final appearance in nearly 20 years, and Premier Division football secured for 2016, all done with a young, local squad that had very little experience of top-flight football and which, let’s not forget, was only good enough to finish third in the First Division last season.

United won the promotion play-off last year to dine at the top table in 2015, and while they often had to live off scraps with a squad arguably weaker than last year due to the loss of Ryan Manning and Paddy Barrett, it is fair to say that the United project is definitely ahead of target.

Those running the club, and the team, know there is a job of work ahead of them in the off-season to strengthen both on and off the field ahead of the first weekend in March, when we do it all over again, and work on that front has already begun.

“The key is to prepare a lot better and properly for next year, so we have got to sit down now and see can we start picking up players, signing the players we want to stay at the club, and start getting ready for next year,” United manager Tommy Dunne said after the final whistle on Friday night.

The first clutch of signings have already been confirmed, with Ryan Connolly, Colm Horgan and Padraic Cunningham all having committed to the club for next season, and Dunne says he will continue to meet with the players from this year’s squad over the coming days and weeks.

“Colm, Ryan and Padraic have all re-signed so that’s a start, and a lot of other lads there I’ll be sitting down and talking to over next week or two and, of course, we are looking at other candidates outside the club as well.

“As a club we need to sit down, we have our plan set out and we need to try as best we can to get a squad together as quick as we can to so we can get them prepared and ready for next season,” he said.

Dunne confirmed talks have also opened between himself and the club over reaming at the helm for 2016 – his two year contract is now up, though there was the option of a third year, one he is keen to activate.

Full match report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.