Gallagher focused on Cup victory
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In a perfect world James Gallagher would love to give his fringe players a run against Mervue United in the EA Sports Cup on Monday night but injuries and suspensions have forced the hand of the Finn Harps manager.
Gallagher was disappointed on the long trek home from Waterford on Friday night having seen his team lose out to a single goal scored by Willie John Kiely with 13 minutes to go and immediately his thoughts turned to the fixture at Fahy’s Field.
With Mark Forker due to serve the last of his three-match suspension and Tommy Bonner the final game of his two, Gallagher’s options have become more limited than he might have hoped. As well as that, Paddy McLaughlin, who carried a slight groin complaint into the game, was forced off before half-time with a hamstring complaint and Marc Brolly was an absentee having picked up a knock on his ankle against Monaghan United, so Gallagher will reassess his situation at training this morning before opting for a gameplan for Galway.
“I’m not sure how I will approach things to be honest, but I will sit down and have a think about it and we will have something put together by Sunday morning’s training,” he said on the way home from the RSC. “Mervue United in the cup is a game that we are taking seriously and if we are not at our best it could be a very tough game for us.
“But as I said before we have options and we will be going to Galway to win the tie. For example, Raymond Foy did very well against Monaghan United and was unlucky not to start against Waterford, but I spoke to him and it’s good that someone at his young age has got a bit of first-team experience under his belt this early in the season.”
With no league game this coming weekend, due to the league’s uneven balance with 11 teams, Gallagher is content enough that he will have a near fully fit squad to choose from by the time Salthill Devon roll into town on Friday week.
“That’s the plan,” he remarked. “Hopefully by Friday week we will have almost all the lads fit and available and rearing to go. Mark Forker and Tommy Bonner will be back from suspension and all going well, Paddy McLaughlin, Marc Brolly and Christy Connaghan will hopefully be available for selection.”
Gallagher on Friday saw his side continue their miserable run at the RSC, with the 1-0 defeat making the long trip home even lengthier. Without a win this season to date, following two 2-2 draws on home turf against Limerick FC and Monaghan United, it was a disappointing night for the Harps manager.
“As we went down there missing bodies for one reason or another it was always going to be a difficult task,” he added. “We had to change things about a bit and that meant that we couldn’t play our own game. We were under pressure in the first half and were kept in it thanks to good defending and good goalkeeping. To begin with I was reasonably happy, but when we lost Paddy (McLaughlin), who was in midfield, we lost a big part of what we were doing, and in the end went down to a late goal, which is always disappointing. But we’ll pick ourselves up again for the cup game against Mervue.”
Gallagher was disappointed on the long trek home from Waterford on Friday night having seen his team lose out to a single goal scored by Willie John Kiely with 13 minutes to go and immediately his thoughts turned to the fixture at Fahy’s Field.
With Mark Forker due to serve the last of his three-match suspension and Tommy Bonner the final game of his two, Gallagher’s options have become more limited than he might have hoped. As well as that, Paddy McLaughlin, who carried a slight groin complaint into the game, was forced off before half-time with a hamstring complaint and Marc Brolly was an absentee having picked up a knock on his ankle against Monaghan United, so Gallagher will reassess his situation at training this morning before opting for a gameplan for Galway.
“I’m not sure how I will approach things to be honest, but I will sit down and have a think about it and we will have something put together by Sunday morning’s training,” he said on the way home from the RSC. “Mervue United in the cup is a game that we are taking seriously and if we are not at our best it could be a very tough game for us.
“But as I said before we have options and we will be going to Galway to win the tie. For example, Raymond Foy did very well against Monaghan United and was unlucky not to start against Waterford, but I spoke to him and it’s good that someone at his young age has got a bit of first-team experience under his belt this early in the season.”
With no league game this coming weekend, due to the league’s uneven balance with 11 teams, Gallagher is content enough that he will have a near fully fit squad to choose from by the time Salthill Devon roll into town on Friday week.
“That’s the plan,” he remarked. “Hopefully by Friday week we will have almost all the lads fit and available and rearing to go. Mark Forker and Tommy Bonner will be back from suspension and all going well, Paddy McLaughlin, Marc Brolly and Christy Connaghan will hopefully be available for selection.”
Gallagher on Friday saw his side continue their miserable run at the RSC, with the 1-0 defeat making the long trip home even lengthier. Without a win this season to date, following two 2-2 draws on home turf against Limerick FC and Monaghan United, it was a disappointing night for the Harps manager.
“As we went down there missing bodies for one reason or another it was always going to be a difficult task,” he added. “We had to change things about a bit and that meant that we couldn’t play our own game. We were under pressure in the first half and were kept in it thanks to good defending and good goalkeeping. To begin with I was reasonably happy, but when we lost Paddy (McLaughlin), who was in midfield, we lost a big part of what we were doing, and in the end went down to a late goal, which is always disappointing. But we’ll pick ourselves up again for the cup game against Mervue.”
