League Preview: Galway FC -v- Shelbourne

GALWAY FC

All of a sudden, the dark clouds that had begun to gather over Eamonn Deacy Park following an uninspired opening four First Division league matches have disappeared without much of a trace.

Following their massive 4-0 thumping of struggling Cobh Ramblers at home only a week ago which lifted them to fifth in the table, Galway have been presented with a fantastic opportunity to get into a new, winning, rhythm.

They've adopted a new sense of self and another home fixture could help to cement their mentality; Tommy Dunne's charges will be out to chalk up their second three-point scalp. And if other results go their way, they could shoot themselves back into contention in no time.

They looked in charge for the most part against the Rams as well as putting up a good fight against Finn Harps despite being a man down, so the signs have been present that the Connacht side possess the technical skills necessary to challenge for the title.

A lack of consistency as well as a tendency to give away possession easily with misplaced passes shows their biggest weakness when leading or when trailing and is something that is sure to get punished against better opponents.

If the Tribesmen haven't tackled that shortcoming before Friday's big First Division showdown, expect Shelbourne to probe that possession problem to good effect.

Speaking ahead of their sixth league clash, Galway head honcho Dunne had this to say: “With Shelbourne coming to town, it's going to be a tougher test, naturally. Shelbourne are one of the favourites for the Division, it will give us a good indication of where we are at.”

He continued: “We are looking forward to it, we will approach the game like any other home game, and we want to win. The boys are working hard and we're hopeful that our players can give a performance on Friday that will allow us to go and win the match.”

SHELBOURNE

Unrivalled in the fact that they remain unbeaten in the league so far, Shelbourne enter into Friday's clash at the top of the table looking for their fourth league win of the season.

The Drumcondra club go into the match on the back of a 2-0 victory over Finn Harps. The fact that they netted twice against the best defence in the league suggests that Shels have the fire-power to take down any side around them.

Yet with both teams carrying some momentum, it could be the case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and it's tough to see what the outcome will be.

Interestingly, along with Finn Harps, Johnny McDonnell's side have netted the most goals in the League of Ireland's second tier with nine, and look good value to put at least one past Connor Glesson or Ger Hanley in the Galway goals.

Addressing the visit to Galway, McDonnell spoke about how pleased he was with the squad's performance to date: “A lot of the players in the league are new to us, including some of the Galway players, and we'll just have to see how it goes on Friday. We're happy with our own squad and the way we are trying to play, so we'll go into Friday's game the same as the other games so far”.

Unafraid to take stock of things in the cold light of day, McDonnell is adamant that we are nowhere nearer to finding out who the rightful champions will be – after all the season is still in the nascent stages, and there are plenty of matches to come between now and October.

Clarifying his thoughts, the Shels boss said: “We'll see how we're fixed after the first seven games. We'll then have seen all the other teams in the division and we'll have a better idea - but we're happy with how things have gone so far”.

Referee: Anthony Buttimer

MATCH STATS

Friday evening's match-up will be the first-ever meeting between the sides.

Shels midfielder, William McDonagh has a good history of scoring against Galway teams. On his debut with Longford Town, he netted against Mervue United.

Galway's Player of the Month for March, Martin Conneely is likely to start from the bench with a hamstring strain; something the hosts could have done without.

BETTING

Galway 6/4; Draw 11/5; Shelbourne 8/5

PREDICTION

If the men from the West can reproduce the form that culminated in a heartening triumph over the league's basement-dwellers, they'll stand a much better chance of getting something out of Friday's game.

Shelbourne will be firm favourites for the win. After all, Galway have yet to prove themselves against some of the better sides. Their 2-0 win over the Mayo League in the EA Sports Cup aside, their 4-0 trouncing of Ramblers was the most convincing they've been.

It's expected there will be a larger crowd at Eamonn Deacy Park for the visit of the league's top side after only 853 bore witness to their first league triumph. That should help them, but their opponents will be ready. A 1-1 draw.

Galway FC

Injury news: Alan Murphy (ankle)
Doubtful: Martin Conneelly (hamstring) and Ryan Connolly (back)
Suspensions: Derek O' Brien

Shelbourne

Injury news: John Sullivan (leg)
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None