Galway WFC travel to Dublin this Sunday to take on Shamrock Rovers in the second group game in this year’s Bus Éireann WNL Cup.
Galway will be confident of putting some points on the board, before hosting neighbours Castlebar in Eamonn Deacy Park on Sunday week in the final game.
If league form can be taken into the cup, Galway will be favourites this weekend.
“We’ve done quite well against them this year so we’d be hopeful we can get through this Sunday, ” says manager Nigel Keady.
Last weekend Galway WFC came close to upsetting the odds against champions Raheny United.
In their first Women’s National League cup fixture, Galway went into the final couple of minutes leading RahenyUnited by 1- 0.
However in the dying minutes Raheny’s Clare Shine struck twice in three minutes to claim victory for the Dubliners.
Galway had taken the lead with a Lynsey McKey 20 yard strike on the half hour mark. It was just reward for Galway WFC who started the brighter and for McKey, who only moments earlier had another strike cleared off the line.
Galway WFC continued to press in the second half and had the ball in the net again through Elenor Stafford, only for it to be harshly ruled out for offside.
Manager Nigel Keady said it was disappointing.
“To concede two goals on the last three or four minutes was very disappointing. We need to learn how to see out games. It's a learning curve for everyone.
“From what people are telling me it [the goal] looked onside. Grainne had a shot that hit the crossbar – it came down and it was a great finish from Elenor. I suppose you could say we had no hometown luck.”
Galway WFC had set themselves up with a different formation in the hopes of catching out the league leaders. Sacrificing wingers, GWFC crowded the midfield in a tactic that almost paid off.
“We changed the formation because I’ve watched them on video a couple of times and we were confident that our full backs would match up to their wide players. It showed up to be the right thing to do.”
