Sports
High flying United chasing third league win on the trot in Drogheda
GALWAY United go in search of their third consecutive Premier Division victory – and fourth win on the trot – when they travel to face Drogheda United at United Park this evening, Friday (7:45pm).
Following a remarkable 5-3 win over Bohemians at Éamonn Deacy Park last Friday – followed by a 1-0 extra-time victory over the same opposition at the same venue in the EA Sports Cup on Monday – Tommy Dunne’s outfit has been riding the crest of a wave.
With the offensive quartet of Enda Curran, Padraig Cunningham, Jake Keegan and Ryan Connolly – all of whom netted in the 5-3 league victory over Bohemians – in sparkling form at present, Galway should be confident heading to face a Drogheda side that is languishing four points behind them in the table . . . and Galway United have a game in hand!
That said, manager Dunne is not getting carried away by his charges fine run of late – a run which has also included a victory away to Derry City. “We have done okay. We just need to try and keep it going if we can, which is easier said than done,” he remarks.
The contrast of their last two games could not be as stark. The league tie against Bohemians turned out to be an eight-goal fest while the Cup meeting three days later proved to be a dour struggle, which Dunne’s men won after extra-time 1-0. Two very different fixtures.
“Yeah, the league tie was a game where two teams went at each other and we attacked like hell. So, it was an open game where the Cup game was a bit more subdued,” says Dunne. “We started that league game like a house on fire and just kept going. The only disappointment was we gave away a few silly goals. Other than that, I think we were good for the win.”
Indeed, the concession of three goals, including a penalty, must be a worry. Dunne believes though these were more down to individual errors rather than being weak structurally. “They could have been avoided,” he adds. “So, it wasn’t like we were opened up too much but we can still improve on that.
“We will need to improve on that because it is going to get a bit tighter as the season goes on. So, we just got to make sure that we tidy up on that aspect of our play.”
In all, Galway has conceded 24 goals to date in their 13 league games while Drogheda has coughed up 25 in 14 outings. So, defensively, both sides have a great deal of work, particularly when the teams around them, namely Longford Town and Derry City, have conceded less than 20.
Galway’s strength though has been their attack, with none of the six teams below them coming near their goal tally of 19. “Jake (Keegan), Enda (Curran) and Padraic (Cunningham) would be all different types of players and they are all giving us something in the way that they play. So, we are delighted,” says Dunne.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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