Tribeswomen look to close gap on top two
Following the high of their come-from-behind win over Shelbourne last weekend, Galway United will be looking to maintain that form when they travel to Dublin on Saturday for a meeting with Peamount United (5pm).
As performances go, last weekend’s win was probably as impressive as United have played all season. They trailed at the break, before two set-piece goals saw them claim a 2-1 victory and in the process moved them up the table.
They will look to carry that form in this game, but will need to show some improvement from them previous meeting between the sides when Peamount escaped with a point in a 1-1 draw in Eamonn Deacy Park.
On that occasion, an Eleanor Ryan-Doyle finish put the visitors ahead, but they were reduced to 10 players on 45 minutes following the dismissal of Aisling Spillane. It was an occasion when the numerical advantage made no difference to the home side as they struggled for the duration and were grateful for an Amanda Smith goal for the equaliser.
Peamount might be positioned in the lower half of the table, but they are the in-form team of the moment with four wins in succession over Waterford (5-0), Shamrock Rovers (2-0), Cork City (2-0), and Bohemians (2-1).
“Look, we will just keep going and see where it takes us,” United manager, Phil Trill, said of the possibility of catching the top two in the table.
“Our target for now is to collect more points than last year and hopefully add a few goals also. As we all know, sport can work in different ways. If we look at the game against Shelbourne, we came away with a performance and a result to match. Sometimes the result and performance don't align and we certainly have had some of them throughout the season.
“Against Shelbourne, we deserved the outcome we got. On so many occasions in previous meetings we were the better team, but did not get the result. We have to build on that.
“For over an hour we were the better team, but then we sat back a bit. We had to make a change to our defensive structure, but we still did well and took all the pressure that Shelbourne put upon us. I know I have said this before, we have a very young squad, I believe it is the second youngest in the league and the players are building their experience with game time.
“Our test against Peamount will probably be different. They are obviously in good form. In Eleanor Ryan-Doyle they have one of the best players in the league, but they can back that up with other quality performers like Karen Duggan, Sadhbh Doyle, and Dearbhaile Beirne. However, our players are capable of playing at a high standard also and we just have to believe that we can win,” Trill said ahead of the trip to Dublin.
One concern for United is the lack of clean sheets, as they have just kept one in the league from 17 games - last season they kept eight throughout the campaign. However, at the other end of the pitch, Emma Doherty has contributed 10 goals and is well supported by Amanda Smith and the now-injured Aisling Meaney who have scored six each.
The return of central defender Jamie Erickson has provided a real boost for the side and her three goals in four games have all proved to be match winners.
Pictured: Jamie Erickson wheels away in celebration after scoring what proved to be the match winner against Shelbourne last Satuday. Photo: Michael Gough.