United’s best display of season tumbles tables toppers

Galway United 2

UCD 0

A loss is hard to recover from, a loss in the dying moments of a game you totally dominated can be mentally scarring to any team’s push for glory.

Last week was going to be one that defined Shane Keegan’s troops with games against promotion seeking rivals Finn Harps and UCD, and after the heartbreak of a losing in Donegal, it was going to test their resolve to the limits.

Under pressure from supporters and pundits alike a big performance was needed, and taking on the table toppers UCD, United came prepared as they blew the students away to record a comprehensive win courtesy of goals in either half from Eoin McCormack and Ryan Connolly that put the Tribesmen right back in the mix for silverware.

Speaking to the media following the game, the Laois man was happy to admit his side were under huge pressure, but he felt his players thrived in the conditions using the criticism to their advantage.

“I think from certain factions around the club, there was a little bit of an over-reaction to our defeat on Monday night. The players in that dressing room knew they were being doubted as individuals and as a team. Maybe it is exactly what we needed to really kick us into life.”

The league title is United’s best chance in years of achieving national glory, and Keegan was keen to stress the importance the win had on keeping them in touching distance of the title they last won in 1993.

“There’s no point shying away from it, If we had lost tonight we were going to be 11 points behind them, and trying to reel that back was going to be near enough mission impossible. So in that regard it was real important to get the win tonight, to keep the prospect of being first alive.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.