Big Galway derby between Salthill Devon and Mervue United

Date Published: {J}

Keith Kelly

THE first weekend of the new Airtricity League First Division will see a Galway derby in Drom after the FAI issued a revised fixtures schedule for the season on Tuesday.

Salthill Devon were due to open their campaign with a home game against Longford Town on Saturday March 5, and while they retain home advantage on the opening weekend of the campaign, their visitors will instead be cross-city rivals Mervue United.

In the original fixture list issued a number of weeks ago, the two city sides were due to meet on the second weekend of the season in what was to be the historic first Airtricity League game played at Fahy’s Field following Mervue’s decision to play at their home ground this season, rather than Terryland Park as they had done in their first two season in the Airtricity League.

Instead, the honour of providing the opposition in that first game on Friday, March 11 falls to Cork City, who will again make League of Ireland history in Galway – the first-ever game played under lights at the redeveloped Terryland Park was on October 22, 1994 when Cork City provide the opposition for Galway United, a game which United won 2-1.

The new fixture list is the result of there only being 11 teams competing in this year’s First Division, as opposed to the original list of 12.

The recent decision by 2009 FAI Cup winners Sporting Fingal to cease trading has resulted in Drogheda United returning to the Premier Division to take their place, just three months after being relegated, but that has left an uneven number of teams in the First Division.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.