Brennan faces Jumbo task to rescue season

Date Published: {J}

Keith Kelly

The end of the most humiliating season in the history of Galway United moves a step closer this week with a small chink of light on the horizon and a new shot of confidence in a club that has set a League record for consecutive losses.

United return to action this Friday night after a week off due to FAI Cup action when they host the only side they have beaten all season – Bohemians FC – in Terryland Park (kick-off 7.45pm) in what will be the first home game in charge for new manager, club legend John ‘Jumbo’ Brennan.

Brennan – who is third on United’s all-time League scorers list on 49 goals, only headed by Paul ‘Ski’ McGee and Alan Murphy – has been appointed as caretaker manager for the remainder of the season after the club and Sean Connor finally parted company earlier this month.

The club’s Management Committee passed a motion of no confidence in Connor back on July 22 following an 18th consecutive loss by United, but it took another four defeats over seven weeks before they were finally able to reach agreement with him on a pay-off to leave.

Ironically, Connor’s last game in charge saw United finally end the worst-ever run of defeats in the 89 year history of the league when United drew 2-2 with Dundalk in Terryland Park two weeks

ago, though they followed that up three days later with yet another l0sos, losing by the odd goal in three away to UCD.

Brennan was in charge of that game, but given the fact he had less than 72 hours to put his stamp on the club, the defeat did not come as a surprise. And given the fact United have won just once in 32 competitive games all season – 30 in the league and 2 in

Cup competition – then anything other than a defeat against Bohs will be a major surprise.

However the fact that United had last weekend ‘off’ after being knocked out of the FAI Cup at the first hurdle could be a blessing in disguise for the club, as it gave Brennan an uninterrupted two weeks to work with a group of players who can’t be faulted for effort, whatever about quality.

Connor slammed the club, those running it, and the players he had at his disposal as “amateur” after the Dundalk game, and his quip that the next club he worked at would be “professional” was a thinly-veiled swipe at United.

One would imagine that whoever that club is will expect Connor to attend training on a regular basis, and that he will be present more than the three days a week that was the situation at times this season, a season which saw United start with a budget bigger than at least one – and possibly three – other Premier Division clubs, despite the now-departed manager’s whines about the finance available to him.

All of that is in the past now, however, and the one saving grace from a season of shame is that the club now has a manager with a real attachment to the club, and one who has plenty of local pride and will demand the same from his players.

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