United boss upbeat

Date Published: 30-Oct-2009

GALWAY United travel to Dublin tonight for a game against title-chasing Shamrock Rovers (kick-off 7.35pm), and all associated with the club are hoping it will be United’s last away game of the season.

United are one place and three points outside of the relegation play-off spots with just two league games remaining, but with St Patrick’s Athletic – the team in that final play-off spot – facing a very winnable game against Drogheda United in United Park this evening, United are likely to need at least a point from their visit to Tallaght to ensure their destiny remains in their own hands.

The FAI have changed the kick-off to tonight’s game to 7.35pm so that the game will be played at the same time as the clash between Bohemians and Sligo Rovers in Dalymount Park.

RTE are screening that game live, but cameras will be in Tallaght Stadium and coverage of the Bohs-Sligo game will be interrupted to show any goals from United’s game.

United manager Ian Foster acknowledges it will be a tough ask for his players tonight, but he insists he will send out a team looking for a win, and promises that the desire of his own players won’t play second fiddle to those of the hosts. “I can assure you the Shamrock Rovers players won’t want it [the win] any more than my players, we are looking for a win. It will be tough there, but we can take great heart from last week’s performance., Yes we lost 2-0, but it was against a very good side and you have to look at the positives, how we kept working, kept trying, kept showing a desire, and I want more of the same on Friday.

“It will be very tough up there, they are still on the coat tails of Bohemians and they will want to finish their season at home on a high, and yes, if we try and match them up in a 4-4-2 for example, that will leave us very vulnerable on a big pitch, so that is why I am looking for something different,” he said.

Shamrock Rovers had been on a stunning five month, 22- match unbeaten run until they came undone at home to Cork City 10 days ago, and Michael O’Neill’s title-chasers certainly won’t want to finish their first season in their new home with two home defeats.

They have what Foster describes as the best centre-half pairing in the country in Aidan Price and Craig Sives, but he agrees with the suggestion that strong as they are in the air, the pair, and Rovers’ defence in general, are not the fastest in the league.

“They are very good and strong but yes, they are not the quickest, so hopefully the pace of the likes of Derek O’Brien and Aaron Greene will hurt them. As I said, it will be tough, but we are going there with a positive attitude and hopefully we can get a result,” he said.

There were stories in the national press during the week which attributed comments to Foster along the lines that he will quit the club if his budget is drastically cut for next season, but he denied to Tribune Sport making any such comments.

“That story was in all the papers. I spoke to them [national press] after last Friday’s game and said I didn’t know what my budget would be, but I imagine it will be cut. That is all I said, but they went and got a story out of that,” he said.

He said that preliminary meetings have been held in relation to a playing budget next year, but said there was no question of him issuing an ultimatum to the board over making finance available. “We have sat down and had a look at it, we need to know where the money is coming from but to be honest it is not coming from anywhere. It is the same at most other clubs, though. I do expect my budget will be cut – yes, in an ideal world I’d like more money, but that is not going to happen.

“As for issuing an ultimatum, no, I haven’t – what would be the point, there is not much money there, and if I did do go looking for money, they could turn around and ask me what division we’ll be in next season and I don’t know that, though hopefully results on
Friday night will change that.

“I have enjoyed my first year as a manager, it has been great working with the players. Yes there have been tough times, like when the budget was cut in July, that affected the players and my coaching staff, but it is a learning curve that I am enjoying.

“We have been in the top seven all season, and if you offered us that at the start of the season, and the fact we have our destiny in our own hands with two games remaining, obviously anyone would have taken that.

“We have to tough games to come, but so do the teams around us. We will compete in the next two games, and if that sees us safe, great. If we have to go into a play-off, well that still gives us a chance to stay in this division, but hopefully it won’t come to that,” he said.

He is without Mark O’Toole (hand) and John Russell (ankle) for tonight’s game. Russell had an MRI scan on Wednesday, and is due to see a surgeon on Monday, but given the fact he has been unable to train for a month, and has missed the last few games, his season looks like it has ended.

Alan Murphy has not trained all week, and Iarflaith Davoren only trained on Monday, but Foster is hopeful that both will be available to at least make the 16-man squad for tonight’s games.

Rovers are at full strength for tonight’s game, but O’Neill says he is expecting a tough test from United.

“There’s a lot to play for and every fixture this weekend has something hinging on it – and our game against Galway at Tallaght Stadium is no different. “They had some good results recently and may have felt that they were safe, but in the last couple of weeks they’ve gone back into a dangerous position so this is a big game for them.

“We expect a tough game from Galway, but we know it’s a must-win game for Shamrock Rovers and that’s what we’ve prepared for and what we intend to do,” he said.

Rovers have won the three previous league games between the sides this season, recording 3-1 and 1-0 wins in Terryland, and a 1-0 win in Tallaght back in June.