United ‘Toon’ up for friendly

Date Published: {J}

Keith Kelly

Galway United are set to land a friendly with a Premier League club in Terryland Park in the middle of next month, with the smart money being on Newcastle United as the likely visitors to the Dyke Road venue.

United manager Sean Connor confirmed he has a number of friendlies lined up for the coming weeks, including one against a top-flight English team on the weekend of the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. Four Premier League teams – Liverpool, Newcastle United, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion – were knocked out of the competition in the third round earlier this month, and of those, Alan Pardew’s side look the most likely to travel over next month.

Sunderland played to a packed Terryland Park in 2007, and having also travelled over in the 1990s, they are unlikely to make the trek for a third time; and while Liverpool enjoyed their trip with their reserve side last season, it is unlikely they would bring their first team squad.

With all due respects to West Brom, they would not be as attractive a proposition as the Magpies, who sit in eighth place in the Premier League, and while the club’s Board and Connor refused to be drawn on the matter either on or off the record when contacted by Sentinel Sport yesterday, it is believed a third party is involved in arranging the game and is close to an agreement with Newcastle Utd to travel over for a game on Saturday February 19.

Connor did confirm six other friendlies, all of which will be away from home. United will take on Donegal Celtic in Belfast on February 6, followed two days later by a game with the PSNI, while games have also been lined up against Dungannon Swifts and Coleraine, though dates have to be confirmed.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.