Goalkeeper Ryan available for trip to Dundalk

Date Published: 30-Sep-2010

Keith Kelly

THERE was mixed news for Galway United on the suspension front ahead of their game with Dundalk in Oriel Park tonight (kick-off 7.45pm) with two players receiving one-match bans to be served tonight, but goalkeeper Barry Ryan is not one of that duo.

Both Seamus Conneely and Jamie McKenzie miss tonight’s game as a result of both racking up four yellow cards, but fears that Ryan would be hit with a big ban following his sending off against Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup two weeks ago have not been realised – this week at least – and so the United captain will go straight back into the side for the visit to Louth.

There are just five games left in the season, and with United in the relegation play-off spots, one point from safety behind UCD, they have to take something from tonight’s game at a ground where they have won on just four of their previous 34 visits in the league.

The two sides played out a scoreless draw on the plastic Oriel Park pitch back in May, and with United winning just one of the last 14 meetings between the sides, a point is probably as much as they can hope for tonight, especially with Conneely and McKenzie missing.

United manager Sean Connor doesn’t have a lot of options given the size of the squad he has, with Philip Reilly and either Tom King or Stephen Walsh dropping back into defence. If Ciaran Foley is passed fit, he will slot straight into midfield and give Connor an option of playing a holding game with a five-man midfield and Karl Sheppard ploughing a lone furrow up front.

However, Connor upgraded his points target after the defeat by Shamrock Rovers last weekend, saying his side need three wins form their remaining five games, and with UCD (H), Sporting Fingal (A), Bohemians (H) and Drogheda United (A) all to come, you get the feeling United will have to take all there points tonight as part of that three-wins target.