Galway FC's last SSE Airtricity League first division game before the mid-season break takes place at Eamonn Deacy Park tomorrow when Tommy Dunne's side host Wexford Youths.
Just two and a half weeks ago Galway exited the EA Sports Cup following an unfortunate penalty shoot-out loss to Wexford in a match Galway dominated. However Galway's failure to convert proved decisive.
Since then Galway outfoxed table-toppers Shelbourne with a smart display before cruising to a surprisingly emphatic win over UCD in the FAI Ford Cup, providing another dollop of confidence.
Dunne is delighted. “They are a group that I would say are capable of anything and, from what I’m seeing from them, whether in training or in matches, they have an integrity, a hunger and desire to do well. They want to play and they want to learn.
" For me it’s a dream and to be honest, I’m just delighted because that performance against UCD shows people who are prepared to do the work and train properly. "
Dunne now wants to enter the mid-season break by taking three more points in the first division.
“The mid-season break has to come, but we’d prefer if we could keep going. But in saying that, the boys can’t go at that pace all the time. We’ll have to address the rest and make sure they come back in good health and good shape for the second phase, but we’ve a match against Wexford Youths at home first.
“They’re a tough team and they are well capable of getting a result anywhere, so we need to be tuned in. If we can pick up three points, then it keeps us in the hunt.”
Reducing the amount of errors is one of the main reasons Galway have thundered into the title race and advanced to the last 16 of the FAI Cup, says Dunne.
“I think we’ve eradicated silly little things. We’ve become more of a team that looks like it is going to win matches and not be silly on the defensive side.
“We had one slip against UCD and we got punished by it with the free kick, but apart from that, I thought we looked solid and we never panicked. We played from start to finish and that’s how we got the third great goal. Every one of them, I thought they were fantastic.”
However improving the home record is vital for the development of this squad, who should have posted more than eight points from their six League outings at the Dyke Road venue. Galway has reasons to be optimistic, especially with the decent central midfield partnership of skipper Paul Sinnott and Ryan Connolly.
Skipper Sinnott is adamant the future is bright for Galway.
"Ryan is a superb player, he's probably one of the best I've played with and I can only see big things for him. Things are going brilliant. We've built up a bit of momentum from the league and carried it into the cup which is brilliant. If we win against Wexford, who knows how close we could be, and I think in the second half of the season we can really push on, there's more in us still.”
