Friday's SSE Airtricity League first division encounter against UCD is a game Galway United goalkeeper Conor Kearns does not want to miss.
Unfortunately, the popular United goalkeeper serves the second match of a two game suspension ensuring Kearns is unavailable for the clash with one of his former teams.
Having joined John Caulfield's outfit in January, Kearns remains adamant about the potential in the west of Ireland. "When the chance came up, although it is a change of culture and a change of scenery, it was a no brainer," Kearns says. "It has been everything I expected and more.
"Outside of the football I love the city, I love the people around the club. Even the people that volunteer, there is just a great atmosphere around the club.
"The full-time training was something that was huge for me, I have enjoyed every minute of that. Thankfully this season has been going quite well. Hopefully we can keep pushing to end it on a high because as much as I have enjoyed it all, it is a results business.
"If we don't get a good solid reward at the end it will feel like an opportunity missed. I have really enjoyed my time in Galway thus far."
United can develop further according to Kearns, who has made a significant impact throughout the 2021 campaign. "I was always a big supporter of the league growing up, I think everybody knows that Galway is an untapped gem in the sense that there is huge potential here," he adds.
"It is a fantastic city, a fantastic sporting city. There is a great youthful vibe about the place, there is a great history of long support. When the opportunity came up I always knew there was potential to be a big club in Galway, to be a part of that was an opportunity I could not turn down.
"To see it moving in that direction is really encouraging, it is great for everyone involved. Long may it continue."
The former UCD and St Patrick's Athletic custodian praised the contribution made by Luke Dennison, who dramatically saved a penalty following Kearns' controversial dismissal against Cabinteely, with the American subsequently keeping a clean sheet in the Treaty United draw.
"It is disappointing to miss the game obviously, but I think the most important thing as Lukey has shown is that the team is still in safe hands," Kearns says.
"He has been excellent since he came in, we have been missing bodies throughout the season at different stages, we have shown that we are more than capable of picking up results with any of the personnel in the squad."
**Listen to the full interview with Conor Kearns on this week's 'Cian on Sport' podcast available on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
