Lovely hurlin: Galway United set for Pearse Stadium bow
Derry City provide the opposition on historic occasion for the club
It is a week later than originally planned, but Galway United’s historic bow at Pearse Stadium takes place this evening when they take on Derry City FC in the League of Ireland Premier Division at the home of Galway GAA (7.45pm).
It will be the first of four league and cup matches that will be played at the Salthill venue while drainage and resurfacing works take place at Eamonn Deacy Park, and will see it become the third GAA ground to host a Galway United home game, following the UEFA Cup tie with Dutch side Groningen that was played in Carraroe in October 1986; and the Cup Winners’ Cup tie with Odense from Denmark, that was staged in Ballinderreen in August 1991.
United were due to play Dundalk at the ground last week, but in a way it is fitting that it is the Candystripes who will provide the opposition for tonight’s historic first game as the Ulster side have just finished their own temporary move to a GAA ground, having relocated to Celtic Park while the pitch at the Brandywell was dug up and replaced.
"It'll be a great occasion for us," United manager John Caulfield says, "and look, we are appealing to the Galway public to come and support us.
"It's difficult, you know, because we're away from our home ground, and that's always tricky when you're playing your home games in venues that you're not used to, but we look forward to Pearse Stadium, it will be an exciting venture," he says.
United have slashed the price of tickets for the game in a bid to attract more people, with an adult ticket cut from €18 to €10, and an U-12 ticket down from €7 to €5.
They will be hoping to match Derry City's experience of a link-up with the local GAA: Tiernan Lynch's side were unbeaten in their five-game residency at Celtic Park earlier this season, winning two games and drawing the other three.
They also saw a boost in attendances, going from an average of 3,700 at the Brandywell to an average of 4,128 at Celtic Park, including 7,104 for their first game, a 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers.
On the playing front, Caulfield said he expected both Connor Barratt and Kris Twardek to be back after the pair missed last Friday's defeat against Dundalk, but Francely Lomboto is likely to be ruled out due to a knee injury.
He has also revealed that he hopes to add "one or two" players when the transfer window opens in July, saying the club has been "working for a good while to see can we bring players in, to freshen things up".
"We're working on a few, but it's always a difficult time in terms of you might get players that haven't played for a while, and that's tricky coming in when they might need a preseason, which we don't want, we're trying to get players that might be able to adapt quickly, we'll definitely get one or two in."