Galway United boss Dunne wants players to take charge of own destiny

THE maths are simple for Galway United when they travel to the Carlisle Grounds tomorrow evening to take on Bray Wanderers (5.45pm): win and they will avoid automatic relegation to the First Division.

In fact, even a draw might be enough for United as, by the time they take on Mick Cooke’s side, all other 10 teams in the division will have played this weekend. One thing is for certain, Tommy Dunne’s players will know exactly what they have to do by the time referee Ray Matthews blows his whistle to signal the start of proceedings down by the DART line tomorrow.

“I still think things will go down to the final weekend, but we’ll know more on Friday night when all the other teams will have played,” Dunne told City Sport yesterday.

“Limerick host Shamrock Rovers, Drogheda are home to Longford and Sligo are away to St Pat’s. To be honest with you, I hope all three [Limerick, Drogheda and Sligo] lose as it will make our job much easier, but I think all three will get a result to bring it to the final weekend.

“I think both Limerick and Sligo will get a point, and I fancy Drogheda to beat Longford, who are now safe, so I still think it will go down to the final day. I think we need four points to be safe, and obviously getting the win in Bray will take some pressure off for our final game at home to Pats,” Dunne said.

There are just two rounds of games left, and going into this weekend’s fixtures, United sit four points clear of bottom-of-the-table Limerick, and two points ahead of the relegation play-off spot which is currently occupied by Drogheda, who are level on points with Sligo but have an inferior goal difference.

If, as Dunne predicts, all three sides pick up points tonight, then it will make for a very interesting final weekend when Limerick travel to the Showgrounds to take on Sligo Rovers in what could be a winner-takes-all game.

“That game, for me, is a bigger game than any cup final as there is so much more riding on it – it could be all about which team survives and which team is relegated, and that is huge. Hopefully by then our interest in that game will be just a passing one, as we’ll have secured our place for next year, but we have a tough game against Bray on Saturday,” Dunne said.

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