Galway United throw in the towel as relegation play-off looms

Date Published: 14-Oct-2010

Keith Kelly

GALWAY United manager Sean Connor is expected to use tonight’s game with Sporting Fingal in the Morton Stadium (kick-off 7.45pm), and next Friday home game with Bohemians, as an opportunity to rest some of his more established players in preparation for the relegation play-off with Bray Wanderers on Tuesday, November 2.

United can still avoid that play-off as they are seven points behind UCD with three games remaining, but a realistic Connor has admitted that he is already planning for that one-off game with Bray Wanderers in a bid to retain the club’s Premier Division status.

“The problems we are having now is what you get when you have a small squad. Realistically we are playing with an average First Division budget, I always knew we had difficulties coming around the corner as I could see the suspensions mounting up.

“If you take two players out of my team, that is a catastrophe–- [if] Pat Fenlon has a problem up front, he plays Jason Byrne, Raffael Cretaro, Paddy Madden, Mark Quigley or Aaron Greene. I have one recognised striker, Karl Sheppard, and he is suffering with confidence.

“My only hope is we can have our best team in the park when we go away to Drogheda to get a win to take into the play-off with Bray, and I’ll give the young lads a run in the next two games and protect my better players for Drogheda and Bray,” said Connor.

Barry Ryan is suspended for tonight’s game; both Karl Sheppard and Stephen Walshe will miss the game with Bohemians through suspension; while Stephen O’Donnell will miss both games after having surgery on a knee injury this week.

For United to avoid the play-off, they will need to win their remaining three league games, as UCD have a far superior goal difference (-1 as opposed to United’s -20), but given the fact United haven’t strung a run of three wins together in a season since the 2006 First Division campaign, Connor is perhaps wise to focus on a clash four games away.

Sporting Fingal are still in the hunt for third in the league, which would bring qualification for European football next season, and they will be confident of making it 10 points from a possible 12 against United this season.