Salthill tipped to topple Tullamore

Date Published: 04-Jun-2010

Salthill Devon will be hoping that a successful jaunt in the FAI Cup could lift the gloom that has descended on a season in which the club is still seeking its first win per se. Their campaign kicks off against Tullamore Town in the third round of the FAI Cup at Leah Victoria Park on Saturday evening when the Galway side will fancy their chances of progressing to the next stage.

“I suppose we’re probably going into the game as favourites on paper,” said Salthill Manager Emyln Long, “but in any away fixture in a cup competition, it probably swings back in favour of the home side.

“We played them twice last year and beat them in both games, but they’re a difficult side to play against and they’re very dogged competitors. We beat them handsomely at home and 2-0 in the away fixture but one of those goals came in injury time,” he recalled.

Devon have no fresh injury concerns going into the game but will be without long-term absentees Damien O’Reilly and midfield duo Michael Gilmore and Ronan Larkin.

Salthill’s performances in recent game suggest an improvement in form, although they have failed to glean more than five points in their 14 matches so far.

“We have seen an improvement lately and we’ve had a very unlucky season, but we’ll hopefully be facing into the second part of the season after the break with a full squad and a degree of confidence,” said Long.

Some success in the cup competition would go some way towards lifting the gloom at Drom and boosting the confidence required to turn a number of good performances into good results.

“It would be great to have a cup run and I’ve even noticed a different atmosphere in training – there’s something different about a cup game,” he said.

A cup run would also serve to boost floundering attendances at matches, which Long has described as “a bit disappointing”.

“In terms of support, I had hoped that it would be a bit better. From a financial point of view, we had based our figures on nil attendance but from a playing point of view it’s been a bit disappointing to be honest, especially considering that we have up to 800 members,” said Long.