Galway United bidding to extend long unbeaten league run against Donegal visitors

GALWAY United put their longest unbeaten league run on the line tonight when they welcome Finn Harps to Eamonn Deacy Park, with Tommy Dunne’s side looking to make it 12 games without defeat against the Donegal outfit.

You have to go back to October 2004 for the last time Harps tasted victory over United in the league, with the visitors to the Dyke Road venue recording a 5-1 win on their way to capturing the First Division title that season.

That statistic won’t matter tonight, with Dunne and his squad looking to bounce back from last Friday’s disappointing loss away to Shamrock Rovers and maintain what has been a solid start to the season.

“You always want to bounce back from a defeat, but that is especially so this week as we are at home. Last season out home form wasn’t good enough, and we said at the start of the season we wanted to change that,” Dunne said.

“We have started on the right foot with league wins over Bray and Bohs, and we beat the Mayo League in the EA Sports Cup as well. We need to continue that against Harps.

“They are a strong team and will give anyone a game – they beat Derry on the opening weekend of the season and they beat Longford in their last game, so we know we need to match them in all areas of the pitch if we are to get a result,” Dunne said.

United will need to get a grip on midfield from the first whistle tonight, unlike last week where they struggled against a Rovers side that parked Pat Cregg and Gary McCabe in front of the back four, allowing Brandon Miele to play just in behind frontman Michael Drennan, supported by the raiding Killian Brennan and Dean Clarke on the wings.

It left United slightly overrun, and by the time they got to grips with the Rovers’ shape in the second-half, they found themselves a goal behind with just half of the game left to chase it down, a task that proved beyond them.

“I don’t want to be overly critical of the lads last Friday, they worked their socks off and Shamrock Rovers are a very good side. We conceded two goals, I thought the first one there was a handball in the lead up to it, but Brandon Miele still had plenty to do.

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