Weary United fall

A JADED looking Galway United slumped to their fifth defeat of the season in the RSC in Waterford on Friday night, a result that pushes Tony Cousins’ side back into the bottom two as well as highlighting the urgent need to strengthen his squad during the July transfer window.Spirited performances this season against the likes of Cork, Bohemians and Derry yielded points for United, but taking the maximum bounty against a side you are likely to be involved in a season-long relegation battle with would be far more valuable than those moral victories.Questions need to be asked of the wisdom of selecting a near full-strength side for United’s League Cup clash at the Brandywell on Tuesday night, 72 hours before this crucial bottom of the table league clash at the other end of the country.Two long away journeys saw the United players clock up close to 640 miles of travel in the space of three days, hardly the ideal preparation for a match of such importance as Friday night.Waterford, on the other hand, rested five players for their midweek trip to Cobh, and they looked much the fresher side. Both teams were knocked out of the League Cup, but it was Waterford who kept on eye on the bread and butter stuff of the league and were rewarded with the win.