Attaining a requisite level of consistency was an issue. It has been rectified. For that Jeff Kenna and Ian Foster should take a bow. They also deserve to be commended for deploying Jay O’Shea in a fresh and exciting role that ensures Galway United enter every game with aspirations again.
Suddenly optimism is coursing through Galway’s veins. Can the survival mission, seemingly impossible when torched by Cobh Ramblers, be accomplished? Galway’s year will be defined between now and November, but there is hope. In sport that is all you really need.
With O’Shea in such swashbuckling form United are buzzing. Five match unbeaten sequences involving United are rare, but rewarding. Kenna concurs that O’Shea is a footballer full of promise. “Jay O’Shea has been outstanding in the last, I’d argue longer than five games. Maybe in other games you’d only see glimpses of it, but he’s producing more on a regular basis which is obviously very beneficial to us. He scored an absolute wonder goal.
“The way we’re playing at the moment it suits us very well. We do have players that are comfortable on the ball, not just Jay, but obviously I’d say he’s exceptional. If we can give him as much ball as possible, same with John Russell, Jesper (Jorgensen ) is a good link man and then we’ve got the combativeness of John Lester and Ciaran Foley in the middle of the park also.”
Kenna and Foster went to the laboratory conducting experiments and have concocted a potion that has unnerved opponents. With O’Shea and Russell permitted to probe Galway have the cut of a serious outfit. “We are where we are and I’m delighted with the way things are going and it’s my job to make decisions,” Kenna admitted.
“Obviously John Russell is very comfortable taking the ball so we just felt that, rather than try and stick square pegs in round holes, we’ll chop it round a bit. You could always go back to sticking John Russell on the left side of midfield and Johnny Keane on the right side and take it from there, so we thought we’d have a go at this and see where it takes us and thankfully it’s taken us to where we are now.”
Through the exacting days Kenna insisted that Galway could avoid the drop. A lifetime spent in football can be instructive, and dealing with the twists and turns of a seasonal journey is taxing. Kenna knows what it takes to compete and the Galway players are heeding the gaffer’s advice. “I’m absolutely delighted. The performances in the last five games have been absolutely phenomenal. The work rate, the endeavour, the lads have really got the bit between their teeth.
“It was very important that we won tonight because the games are slipping away but this puts us right back in the mix now and I couldn’t be happier.”
Terryland Park was particularly cheery on Friday. A five goal thriller packed with incidents and excitement, a penalty, a red card, and even a couple of remarkable reflex saves added to the drama. An 11-month search for a Dyke Road League triumph was terminated, ensuring Kenna greeted the result with equal measures of relief and satisfaction.
“It is important to get the first home win under our belts. I’m hoping next year we’ll be doing it in March and not in October.
“The lads have now taken responsibility, they all believe in what we’re trying to achieve, the togetherness is fantastic, the team spirit is exceptional and I think if all of a sudden now we chop and change now, come to the last couple of games that might be the case, but certainly until we get ourselves in a position where we can pick and choose what games we attack and defend in, I’m more than happy to go with the way we’re going.” The faith isn’t misplaced either. Further delicate assignments are scheduled in the remaining month of the adventure, but United are motoring smoothly.
