Superb United take a massive leap towards safety

An amazing rollercoaster ride of a season took a decided upturn for Galway United at a raucous Terryland Park on Friday night when the home side totally outplayed fellow strugglers Finn Harps to overtake them on the Premier League table and ensure they enter the final series of games with their fate firmly in their own hands.It’s been a remarkable turnaround for United, who now know that a win over already relegated UCD at Belfield on Friday night (7.35 p.m.) will preserve their status in the top flight for 2009, irrespective of what happens to Harps or Cobh Ramblers in their last games.As final home games go, this was a joyous occasion. A 2,790 strong crowd made light of the deplorable conditions to give United vocal backing right from the start and, after the frustration of being unable to trouble the Harps rearguard in the first half, three well-taken goals duly arrived to lighten the mood after the break. Amazing stuff from a club which sacked manager Tony Cousins after just four games of the campaign, who appointed a 'rookie’ replacement with no managerial experience in former international Jeff Kenna, and who had to let seven players go due to a financial crisis within weeks of the... For analysis and a full match report see this week's Sentinel