Flood on way out of United

Date Published: 15-Jun-2010

GALWAY United manager Sean Connor has warned that the side he has built on a shoestring budget for this season is in danger of breaking up during the July transfer window because of the paltry attendances at Terryland Park this season.

Striker Anto Flood, who has scored six goals this season – five in the league and one in the cup – looks set to be the first out the door as the Dubliner is expected to join a Cypriot team next month, and Connor says he is bracing himself for more departures as he struggles to balance the books.

“It is not a certainty, but Anto looks like he will join a team in Cyprus when the transfer window opens. I don’t want to lose him, but if the offer is the right one for him, and for the club, then I won’t stand in his way, or the way of any other players.

“I made a statement a few weeks ago saying that if the people of Galway didn’t come out and support the team, it was inevitable the squad would break up. The attendances have been very poor, so that looks like what might happen now,” he said.

Connor pointed to the fact that, just a couple of season ago, United were averaging attendances of 1,200 – which was still poor compared to the likes of most other top-flight clubs at the time – but said that has now slipped to around the 700-mark, and he pointed out that one of his jobs as manager was to make sure the books balanced from the playing point of view.

He wouldn’t comment on what other United players – if any – were attracting interest from other clubs, but when a list of Karl Sheppard, Stephen O’Donnell and Seamus Conneely was put to him, he said “yeah, maybe one of those”.

With all due respect to the other two, the conclusion is that it is Sheppard who has also caught the eye, given the fact he has the same scoring record as Flood (five in the league and one in the cup) and his displays have been as noteworthy for his tireless work as his scoring achievements.

If United do lose their first choice striking partnership, one would imagine it would seriously dilute their chances of climbing out of the bottom three and avoiding automatic relegation, or a place in the relegation play-off, but Connor says that is not necessarily the case.

For the rest of this interview see page 30 of this week’s Sentinel