Sports
Dunne is delighted but says side can improve
Galway United manager Tommy Dunne was delighted with his side’s performance on Saturday evening, but insisted there were still faults with the display and he warned against anyone getting carried away with the result from one game, no matter how impressive it was.
United racked up their biggest-ever win against Bray Wanderers, and their biggest-ever away win in the Premier Division, on Saturday evening, but the feeling prevailed that the margin of victory could have been even bigger, a sentiment Dunne agreed with after the game.
“The disappointing thing is our goal difference is not good so we could have probably have picked up a couple of more goals, but you take the three points first and foremost – away from home we have a clean sheet and five goals, it’s a fantastic day for us.
“We started fantastically, possibly the game could have been out of sight after 10 minutes with the number of opportunities and chances we had, but over the course of the game I thought we were professional in what we done, we looked solid as a team and looked a threat.
“I was wondering would we rue the chances that we missed but we didn’t in the end, we got a lot of joy at the start of both halves. I’m delighted with the performance, it was an important three points that pushes us up the table and keep us in the mix in making sure we’re competitive in the league,” he said.
Club captain Paul Sinnott said he was “very proud” of the team for the performance and the result, saying it was “one of those games” when everything went right for the Tribesmen.
“That was some performance, we started the game really well and I thought we could have been 3 or 4 up after the first 15 minutes, we had great chances, we just played really well. It was just one of those games, we felt it had been coming, we have been training well last few weeks and playing well in matches in stages, and today was a complete performance.
“We’ve been saying for a while it would click, in all the matches we have played we have created lots chances. There were games there we threw away a lot of points we should have had, so next round of games coming up we’ll be looking to build on this result tonight,” he said.
The first chance United will get to do that is at home to St Patrick’s Athletic this Friday night (7.45pm), but Dunne says the test posed by the Inchicore outfit will be very different to that of a disappointing Bray side.
“I went to see Pats last night playing against Sligo,” said Dunne of the Dubliners’ 3-0 win over Sligo Rovers, “and to be truthful they were very good. I know Liam well, and his teams are good and we have a tough task, but we are looking forward to it and tonight gives us an opportunity to go and be a little bit more positive in the game.
“In saying that we need to be clued in and well drilled for next week as they are the kind of team that can give you a beating, so you have to make sure you’re ready but we are at home and we hope to have a good crowd behind us and we’ll get after them and give them a good run for their money,” he said.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
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.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
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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