Galway United vs Cork City
Thu, Oct 02 2008Buoyed by the call up of winger Jay O'Shea to the Irish U-21 set-up in mid-week, Galway United face a season-defining 90 minutes with Cork City on Friday night. For Jeff Kenna's side, hanging by a thread over the precipice of relegation, a win is the only viable outcome as they require at least four victories before season's end to have a chance at "The Great Escape".
Before Cork's marathon replay with Derry City on Tuesday night, Galway may not have targeted this as a winnable fixture, whatever their public utterances. Ties with Sligo, Bray, Finn Harps, and UCD were more viable options for three point hauls. Now, a surely jaded City side will arrive in Terryland having just relinquished the FAI Cup and with it their last realistic chance of European qualification from a turbulent year.
So, with Alan Matthews now armed with a lengthening injury list, this game has suddenly become a much more appealing fixture for United. Opportunity knocks. They are unbeaten in four but have only managed a win against Bray in the cup, so now is the time for the players to produce the goods, both for the home fans who have endured so much, and a manager who could easily have thrown in the towel given the diminishing financial circumstances the club was pitched into after his arrival.
Under Kenna's guidance, O'Shea has grown into a potent threat, either out wide or through the middle, and his talents will be needed to expose a Cork side who could well be without Cillian Lordan, Sean Kelly, Colin Healy, Alan O’Connor, Darragh Ryan, and Denis Behan. Galway are at full strength and it will be interesting to see if Kenna sticks with an unchanged side once more, as he has done since the win in Bray.
If so, Alan Murphy, Derek Glynn, and Iarflaith Davoren will have to make do with a spot on the bench again, but all three will expect to see action at some point. Kenna is keen to insist that their absence has had no detrimental effect on squad morale. ""Morale is great within the team at the moment. A lot of soul searching has taken place over the last month and the result of this has been very positive, with improved performances and points on the board. However, winning games is the priority and we will be looking at tomorrow's match against Cork City as a great opportunity to get three points."
A great opportunity indeed, if they can reproduce the football that had Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda United in trouble for portions of their recent ties. But portions will not now suffice. A full ninety minute performance is required, or the defeat away to Cobh Ramblers which initially brought on the "soul searching" will be the dominant memory from the 2008 season.
Kick off on Friday night is 1945. Referee: Mark Gough.
Alan Dooley
is extratime's Chief Editor, who is based in County Galway and has been following the League of Ireland on and off since he was roughly six which, unfortunately for him, was way back mid-80s. His first memory of the drama of domestic football was Vinny Arkins, then of Shamrock Rovers, on the receiving end of banter about his long, blond hairdo which was in need of a trim, while his favourite player of all time is Derry City's Liam Coyle.