Three points a must for Galway FC

GALWAY FC manager Tommy Dunne is looking for his side to stop leaving points behind them and register their first win of the season when they entertain Cobh Ramblers in Eamonn Deacy Park tonight (7.45pm).

The league’s newest club have yet to win a game in the league after four rounds of games, but Dunne says that now that the monkeys of a first point and a first goal are off their back, he is looking for his squad to complete the set and record that so far elusive first win.

“We made an all right start to the season, but I do think we have left some points behind us – against Shamrock Rovers B, for instance, and even last week against Harps. All things considered – away to a tough team, and having a man [Derek O’Brien] sent-off early – it was a great point, but we could so easily have gotten that first win.

“We need to be winning our home games, no matter who the opposition is, and so in one respect, this Friday night is no different o any other game. People will say we should be beating Cobh – and maybe we should – but don’t let anyone think it will be an easy game, ”Dunne warns.

His caution is understandable for, while Cobh have made a poor start to the season, and suffered a 5-0 hammering away to Finn Harps in their last outing – last week’s scheduled home game with Longford Town was postponed – they are expected to have a slew of new players at their disposal tonight.

The club won the U-19 Enda McGuill Cup for the first time in its history last weekend, and with that competition now out of the way, Dunne is expecting a number of those players to step up to the senior ranks for the Cork club, starting tonight.

“I really don’t know what we will face on Friday night. I had someone marked down to watch their game last weekend, but it was called off. In addition, the word coming out of Cork is that a number of their players who won the U-19 Cup will now join up with the senior squad.

“I don’t know if that will be this weekend, or if those players will get a bit of rest-time before joining the senior squad – they were struggling for bodies this season, so those players could very well make the step-up this weekend, you just don’t know how they will approach it,” he said.

For more pre-match analysis see this week’s City Tribune