There’s no place like home

Two local Ballinasloe players, goalkeeper Nathan King and defender James Shaughnessy, are set to make their senior debuts for the Galway footballers when they host Leitrim in the second round of the FBD League at Duggan Park, Ballinasloe, on Sunday (2pm).

Both King and Shaughnessy were instrumental in guiding Ballinasloe to All-Ireland junior club glory at Croke Park last year and manager Alan Mulholland has promised to hand starting roles to both players in what promises to be an experimental Galway side.

Corofin’s Ian Burke who, like Shaughnessy, was a key member of last year’s All-Ireland winning U-21 side, is also set to start as Mulholland aims to make “six or seven” changes from the side which overcame Sligo by 3-10 to 0-8 last weekend.

Mulholland was delighted by the attitude shown by his players in seeing off the Sligo challenge in difficult conditions, but also urged some caution by saying that people should not read too much into an 11-point win in early January.

After soaking up some early pressure from Sligo in atrocious conditions last Sunday, the Tribesmen produced a rampant second-half performance in storming to a 3-10 to 0-8 win in which the attitude and commitment of the players was a joy to behold.

Nothing of substance is won in January, but the arrival on the scene of Milltown-based Garda James Kavanagh has added a new dimension to the Galway panel, and the former Kildare star marked his debut in a maroon shirt with a high-energy performance which augurs well for the coming year.

With captain Paul Conroy showing admirable leadership from midfield, and Gareth Bradshaw making a return after his sojourn to the United States last Summer, there were plenty of positives to be taken from last weekend’s tie for Mulholland and his management team.

“The conditions were bad in Tuam, but the attitude was good and we tried to get our skills half-right,” said Mulholland.

“Having said that, Sligo manager Pat Flanagan has only been in the job for three weeks. I spoke to him after the game. We have done a lot more work than they have at this stage, so I wouldn’t read too much into that game.”

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