Rivalries will be renewed on Saturday night when Galway United face Sligo Rovers in The Showgrounds.
That the loser will end the night in the relegation playoff position portrays the importance of the encounter.
After a shaky start, Sligo have lost only once in their last seven, amassing 12 points in the process. A side often feted for their fine football, they have tightened up at the back, conceding only three goals in that spell.
United’s fast start has slowed. After excellent back-to-back wins, they are winless in five. This statistic belies the positive performances put in during this period and rather underscores the competition within the league.
They should take something from these games and also something from beating Sligo earlier in the season. It put to bed a wretched run in the Connacht Derby, having lost their last three games to Sligo last season.
It looks like United can ill afford a similar run this season. Shels and Derry will likely leave United, Waterford, Drogheda and Sligo to fight it out between themselves. Therefore, results in this mini league will be crucial. United have done well heretofore, with 10 points out of a possible 15. It compares favourably to seven points from a possible 30 in their other fixtures.
United have some concerns heading into Saturday. There shouldn’t be an over-reaction to a loss against Shamrock Rovers. Their goals per game have been drying off. The over-performance of Kris Twardek early in the season has levelled off. Frantz Pierrot is without one in his last six. His 60 minutes against Derry has been the most he has managed in maroon.
Conor McCormack got his first start of the season against Rovers and played the 90 minutes. It will be interesting to see who wins the midfield berths. Axel Piesold and Matty Wolfe were favoured off the bench. Wolfe’s goal got United back into the game for a spell.
Al-Amin Kazeem and Lee Devitt both continue to alternate at the back, while Wasiri Williams started back-to-back games for the first time in his United career.
Predicting the starting eleven is therefore a fool’s errand. The ability to rotate has been helpful for United when the calendar becomes congested. However, perhaps a price is paid also for the lack of a settled eleven.
Either way, United will be confident that they have enough firepower in their first XI and on the bench to land an important blow against Sligo and grab a rare and precious win in the Showgrounds on Saturday.
