Galway United make first signings for 2015 campaign

Six of the Galway United squad which secured promotion to the Premier Division via the play-offs have signed with the club for the 2015 campaign.

Galway United manager Tommy Dunne expecting to add up to five more of the squad in the next 48 hours.

The club’s Player of the Season, Ryan Connolly, was the latest to put pen to paper with the club, and he joins Alex Byrne, Stephen Walsh, Jason Molloy, Ger Hanley and Jake Keegan in pledging their allegiance to a side that will revert to the name Galway United for the 2015 season.

Dunne is to speak to more of this season’s squad in the coming days, and hopes to finalise agreements with the likes of Marc Ludden, Gary Shanahan, Paul Sinnott, Conor Gleeson and Colm Horgan by tomorrow evening; while talks with Ryan Manning will begin after the club’s Young Player of the Year returns from international duty with the Irish U-19 side.

The budget for the 2015 season has been agreed by the Galway United board, and Dunne says it is along the lines of what he was expecting.

“Let’s just say there won’t be any million pound signings!” he said yesterday. “To be fair, the budget is what I was expecting, I wouldn’t have expected any more and we have to make that work as best we can now.

“The lads did the job this year, but of course making the step up to the Premier Division, we need to add a few bodies. We will need a bit of experience, I am looking at a few players, have made a few phone calls, but to be honest the money is fairly tight.

“It would be wrong to think we could compete on that level with the top sides, but I think with the players we had this year, if we can add a few more we’ll do okay,” he said.

Key to a successful season will be a strong start – Galway United certainly can’t afford to be as slow out of the blocks as they were in 2014, when they had to wait five games for a first win of the season. Athlone Town lost their first 10 games of the Premier Division campaign, and while they went on a late run of decent results, that poor start eventually cost them their place in the top flight.

Galway United can’t afford a similar start next season, but Dunne says that whatever start his side makes, his players will need the public to get behind them.

“There’s the saying that if the team does well, the fans will come out and support them, but for me, the fans need to come out for the club to do well. We need a minimum of 1,500 at every game, and I’d like to think that the clubs we will face will be a big attraction and I’d love to top the 4,000 mark at games, that would be a massive boost.

“Our fans were great to us this year, but we need more of them and on a consistent basis for next year. We played some lovely football, and if the people get behind us, it will help us build a successful team,” he said.

One of the big ‘hits’ with the fans last year was American striker Jake Keegan, and there is a chance he will be joined by more of his countrymen at the Dyke Road venue next season.

“Jake has signed, subject to a work permit being granted, but hopefully that won’t be a problem, and I’m not ruling out going to that side of the world for one or two more players. I have been told about a couple of players who could be worth a look at, so hopefully we’ll be able to get them over for a look,” Dunne said.

Pre-season training will begin on Monday January 12, and with the Premier Division fixtures list usually announced in December, it will be a busy few weeks for all involved with the club. Season tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks.