Tommy Dunne’s Galway United return to SSE Airtricity League premier division action tomorrow evening with a "difficult" away trip to Ballybofey for a clash with Finn Harps.
Ollie Horgan’s gutsy Harps team have been in good form recently and Dunne is expecting a tough match at the Donegal venue.
“They are doing well, they have put a series of fine results together,” Dunne says. “We knew before the season started this would be a tough game for every team in the league.
“The reason it will be tough is that they’ve a decent squad of players. You have guys who competed for league titles in the Harps squad and they’ve experience to go alongside the guys who were mainstays for them in the first division.
“Harps have some really good players, Richard Brush, Ryan Curran, Barry Molloy, guys who have played with the top clubs in the league.
“Ollie did well to get these guys in and fair play to them, they are having a good season, so we know it will be a tough game, but we will prepare as well as we possibly can.”
In recent weeks the schedule of the SSE Airtricity League has been disrupted hugely due to the involvement of Cork City, Dundalk, St Patrick’s Athletic, and Shamrock Rovers in European competitions.
“That is just the way it was going to be. We haven’t been told officially, but there is a good chance our games with Cork and Dundalk will be moved,” Dunne says.
“It isn’t ideal. You don’t mind going week to week, but the problem is that we will end up playing three times inside a week and guys will be over extended.
“That is the main problem with it and the fact that we don’t have a home game for seven weeks or so isn’t right. That is very tough on us, I suppose others are in a similar situation, but you can only really try to fend for yourself.
“These are the cards we have been dealt. We will not make excuses, it is up to us to get the best out of what we can.”
John Sullivan and Eric Foley have both left the club, while Ruairi Keating is also expected to sign for Finn Harps next week.
New signings will be announced soon by United with Dunne confirming that players are being monitored by the club.
“There are a few guys that we are having a look at,” Dunne says. “With a bit of luck we will get something over the line soon.
“Overall we are happy enough with the group we have, and the guys we have certainly can do a job for us. Eric came down, it was great to have him, but the one we are really looking as a big loss is John Sullivan.
“With work commitments and the way it was going, it was just the way it went. Ruairi is looking for more game time and it looks as if he will go to Harps.
“If we can keep the players we have fully fit, we can do well for the rest of the season. That is what we will be trying to do starting against Harps on Friday.”
*Galway United Supporters' Trust will be running a bus to Friday's match in Ballybofey, leaving The Dail Bar at 3pm and picking up along the route to Donegal. Seats can be booked by contacting Dominick Walsh 087-9163438 or Ronan Coleman 087-6972823.
