Galway FC make it four consecutive wins

Galway FC strengthened their grip in the promotion play-off places with a 3-0 win over Finn Harps on Saturday night.

It was their fourth win on the trot in the SSE Airtricity League First Division; a third clean-sheet in that run; and the first time Finn Harps have conceded three goals all season.

“We were the better team throughout the match and tried to play as much as we possibly could, but we weren’t as fluent as we would like to be, especially in the first half. Sometimes you get games like that, it was important for us to get the three points first and foremost, and to get three goals and a clean sheet is a bonus,” said Galway FC manager, Tommy Dunne, in Eamonn Deacy Park after the game.

“At different times we got in to good areas of the pitch but our final ball wasn’t great so we might need to look at that. In the first half I thought we were a bit sloppy, but you do get spells like that in games.

“But overall, we’re not going to be too harsh on individuals – it’s at that time of the year where results are probably more important than anything else,” Dunne said.

Speaking to Sentinel Sport after the game, Galway FC midfielder Ryan Connolly admitted that the games against the Ballybofey outfit this season have been tough, but the players were ready for the approach of their visitors on Saturday night, and could plan accordingly.

“They are horrible to play against, but that is the way they are set up to play and you know what you’re getting. They are difficult to play against, you know you’re going to get a kicking, they are a very physical team –you’ve got to match them first of all physically, and then try to impose our own game with passing and moving and I think we did that very well tonight,” Connolly said.

With a place in the promotion play-off almost secured, Connolly dispelled any notions that the players weren’t ready to make the step up to the top flight, but he cautioned that there were still three games to go in the campaign, and that play-off spot – while likely – wasn’t secure just yet.

“Are we not ready for promotion? Maybe as a club, maybe in the background – we don’t know as players what’s going on in the background, but as a squad definitely we are ready, we have a squad good enough to go up to the Premier.

“Obviously we would add players if we go up but at the minute there’s everything there for us to go up, everything is in place – a great stadium, we have great facilities for training, so I can’t see how we aren’t ready to go up.

“We are in great form going into last set of games. We set ourselves a target of trying to win each of the last seven games, we can only take one game at a time and that’s four down, three to go so hopefully we can go on and win all seven, but we have Cobh away next Saturday and that is a tough game, it’s a tough place to go, so we’re not looking any further than that,” he said.