Galway United face a tough journey to the southeast to take on a rejuvenated Waterford FC side tomorrow night.
The gap between the sides stood at eight points just a fortnight ago, but it has been whittled down to two, with Waterford enjoying three impressive wins on the bounce.
United have been competitive throughout but there are some signs that a congested calendar is taking a toll on the squad.
In the stands last Monday, Jimmy Keohane, Garry Buckley, Vince Borden and Cian Byrne all sat alongside each other and watched their colleagues succumb to a late Bohemians winner.
United entrusted Colm Horgan, Conor McCormack and Cillian Tollett with their first starts of the campaign. It was an enthralling contest, but one in which United ultimately came up short.
The magic of Moses Dyer seemed like it might make the difference once more after he handed his side a lead late in the first half.
A brace from Sean Grehan gave the visitors a win that they believed they merited, despite the winner coming in the 97th minute.
United have had the upper hand against Waterford over the last number of seasons, but they enter tomorrow’s tie with the momentum against them.
With injuries and suspensions, their options have been limited. Until the double defeat over the bank holiday weekend, the squad had held up admirably. There was still enough defiance in both performances to encourage.
In such a congested league, there is an onus to continue to collect points. It adds significance to tomorrow’s clash.
A side that had been largely settled had question marks surrounding every line last Monday. The cover at the back was not clear with so many missing bodies. Despite a welcome return of Ed McCarthy to the bench, the midfield options were curtailed due to the absentees.
There has been a lack of goalscoring production in Dyer’s strike partners, placing a heavy burden on the New Zealander.
To date, he has carried the responsibility well but United require a more even distribution of goals to sustain their challenge in the upper reaches of a league.
There should be no losing sight of the healthy 11-point advantage that they have gained over their Connacht rivals, Sligo.
United need to continue their dominance over sides like Waterford to allow their fans to dream of the promised land of Europe. It will prove a tall task but one they are unlikely to shy away from.
