Another busy Bank Holiday weekend looms for Galway United, who play in two fixtures at Eamonn Deacy Park.
Tomorrow Shane Keegan’s team host Longford Town in a crucial SSE Airtricity League first division clash (7.45pm ), while on Monday Sligo Rovers will provide a stern EA Sports Cup second round test at the Corribside venue, 5pm kick off.
Last Friday United ultimately suffered a disappointing 2-2 draw away to Drogheda United at United Park. Two Eoin McCormack goals edged the visitors ahead, but a determined Drogheda outfit recovered to earn a share of the spoils
Keegan was disappointed with how the match unfolded on the banks of the Boyne. “You are on the bus on the way up, obviously you want to get three points, but in the back of your head you can't get away from saying to yourself that a draw would be decent given how Drogheda have started,” Keegan says.
“Then you are coming home with that decent draw you thought about and you are sitting on the bus slumped over as if you are after losing. That is certainly the way the mindset was. To be perfectly honest it was probably a fair result, we were two nil up at half-time and while I wouldn't say it was against the run of play, it was probably a half in which we created three scoring chances and they created three chances.
“We took two and they took none. I wouldn't say at any stage that we were two goals better than them even though we had the majority of the possession. In terms of chances it was an even game from start to finish, they are effective, they are a right good side and they will be there or thereabouts until the very end.
“From that perspective it isn't a bad point, but you can't be happy when you are two nil up at half-time and you don't take the points. When you are two one up against 10 men and you don't take the points you have got to be looking at yourself. I was certainly that way, the lads were that way and I would be annoyed at them if they weren't.”
Keegan acknowledges that United have not performed to maximum potential in the opening month of the campaign. “One hundred per cent, we keep talking about it,” Keegan admits. “In all honesty we probably haven't got out of third gear. That in itself is a frustration, we seem to be almost playing within ourselves.
“On the plus side you are saying if we can pick up eight points from four games without having got going how good could we be. On the flip side, though, you are thinking how long is it going to take? We had a fall back at the start of the year with the disrupted pre-season, but we can't really say that anymore, we have been training well as a group for quite a while.
“The onus is on us to click sooner rather than later. The way it is the league is ridiculous in the sense that you have six teams who feel they can win the league and two of them aren't even going to make the play-off. If you don't get into your stride fairly quickly you could really be regretting it come the end of the season.”
Robbie Williams and Danny Furlong both missed the Drogheda stalemate due to injury and both are rated 50-50 for the Longford encounter. Despite the setback in Drogheda, Keegan remains optimistic that United can generate belief and momentum in the coming weeks. “Technically we are where I would have thought we would be after the first four games,” Keegan remarks.
“So we aren't behind the curve, but it is getting a win against the likes of Longford or Finn Harps would hopefully kick us on. I wouldn't be worried at this stage, but it is frustrating because there is more in us.”
