United get job done in preserving team’s top flight status

Bray Wanderers 1

Galway United 1

JOB done. Well, almost – Galway United picked up a point in the Carlisle Grounds on Saturday evening that, barring a ridiculously unlikely set of results this Friday night, guarantees them Premier Division soccer next season.

Defeats for both Limerick FC and Drogheda United on Friday night means United cannot now be automatically relegated, as they enjoy a five-point lead over Limerick; and while they are just three points clear of Drogheda in the play-off spot, United are seven goals better off on goal difference.

Throw in the fact United have scored more than Drogheda, that effectively means the Louth club have to beat Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght this Friday, hope United lose at home to St Pat’s, and also make up an eight goal difference. The chances are ‘slim’ to ‘none’, and ‘slim’ just left the building.

On a brass-monkey cold night in Bray, United were second best for much of the contest but led by the excellent Colm Horgan at the back, they did enough to claim the point that shortened the journey home for the large and loud travelling support.

The club, along with the Galway United Supporters’ Trust, put on subsidised buses for what was hoped would be United’s last away game of the season, and around 100 fans availed of the €5 bus ticket offer, with about as many again making their own way there.

While the mathematics means there is still a chance of United being dragged into the play-off spot, it was telling that as the players wheeled away after applauding the United fans from the centre circle after the final whistle, manager Tommy Dunne and goalkeeping coach Mark Cobey turned the players around and brought them over to the embrace of the United fans. They know the job has been done.

“There are certain permutations still in the melting pot, if I’m right Drogheda have to beat Rovers by a significant amount. I know it has happened before and we still have a game ourselves, we want to finish the season as well as we can,” Dunne said after the game.

“We didn’t perform to our potential, there was a lot of individual errors and there was a lot of nervous bodies out there, but we got over the line as regarding getting a point,” he said.

However, thoughts have immediately turned to building a stronger squad for next season: Dunne said that “what we’ve done this year I don’t think will be good enough next year” and he said that “we need to sit down, some serious conversations need to be had within the club to see where we go next year”.

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