Terryland exodus begins

After the raucous celebrations of last weekend, Galway United fans are now about to come back down to earth with a thud when plans for next season are finalised in the coming weeks. With star performer Jay O'Shea off to Derby County, the club have today announced on their website that their only other contracted player, goalkeeper Gary Rogers, has been placed on the transfer list by request as the club reverts to a part-time set up next year.

Most supporters had accepted that cut-backs would have to made following the losses incurred, believed to be in the region of €300,000, this year but they may well be shocked by how far the club will have to go to make it the sustainable entity that is being envisaged. Already John Lester and John Fitzgerald have been told they will not be offered full time deals, while a number of other players have reportedly turned down contract offers over the last few days.

Undoubtedly the process of recruiting players for next season will be a long, drawn out affair as so many players are out of contract and financial situations at many clubs have yet to be resolved. With a drastically reduced budget, United may well have to rely on a youthful, inexperienced squad for next season. Manager Jeff Kenna has long stated his desire to stay at the club, but if he is left with a threadbare squad and no funds to bring in players, he is extremely unlikely to do so.