Three losses and a draw against Galway United ensured Bohemians were denied the title last season so Dalymount Park will not be the most welcoming venue for Sean Connor’s team tomorrow night.
A freakish turn of events saw Galway claim 10 points out of a possible 12 from the four contests with the Gypsies as Connor irked his former employers by having the Tribesmen willing and ready for those battles. Once more Connor is being forced to work with limited resources and the Galway boss has unearthed another promising youngster in Karl Moore, who has impressed in his three competitive outings thus far.
Galway did not convert one of the many opportunities created against UCD last Friday, but Connor remains optimistic.
“The positives were the level of performance. It was another 90 minutes under the belts of Shaun Maher, Bobby Ryan, and Alan Murphy, and again Karl Moore showed his class and ability.
“ The people of Galway certainly got behind us and, when you are working off the budget I am working off, we are probably just lacking a top, top striker and some of the chances will be buried.
“It is our first point. Games against UCD, Bray, and Drogheda are the games we want to win. What we will have to do is pick up points other places where we would not be expected to.”
With Maher and Moore, in particular, providing quality in the Galway squad, Connor is eager to lay a solid foundation and hopes that posting a result in Phibsboro will ensure decent crowds continue to flock to Terryland Park.
“Thankfully there were over one thousand people at the UCD game, although there still is a small bit of negativity. I am sick of having to apologise for managing Galway United when I am talking to certain people around Galway, but I am getting encouraged with the quality of players we have and also for the crowd coming through in the first two games. If they keep coming, hopefully we will be able to strengthen the squad in July and I can get this football club where I think it deserves to be.”
Considering Galway’s lack of physicality in the final third, Connor wants Galway to maintain their passing style in the coming weeks and months.
“We don't have a target man so we have to be patient and I thought we mixed it well. When we knocked balls in channels they were good balls and in the first couple of games they weren't as good. We have to play ball into feet.
"We are a work in progress, we are improving. There are still three or four of the boys in Dublin who we do not have all of the time - they might come once a fortnight and that is going to be our problem until we can address the budget and do things with us everyday.
“I think there has been steady progress made and the positives are we have kept a clean sheet, my keeper has shown how good he is, and to be fair, the players have kept plugging away even when they were running on empty.”
Such character will need to be exhibited in the capital if Galway are to continue their improbable run of results against the revenge seeking Gypsies.
