Galway United -v- Sligo Rovers

• Simon O'Gorman
• Thu, Jul 14 2011


Galway United face west coast neighbours Sligo Rovers in the Airtricity Premier Division on Friday night in a clash which pits the league’s most troubled team against one which is in league winning form. (Kick off, 7.45pm)

Galway enter this game having lost 16 consecutive league games, not the ideal time to be facing the league leaders, and have recently seen several players depart the club. Shane Keogh has left to rejoin Mervue United while defenders Shaun Maher and Shaun Kelly have both decamped to Limerick FC.

It’s no secret that Galway’s financial problems are behind the departures, a situation which has also seen Gary Curran, Karl Moore and Brian Cash leave in the past few days, and manager Sean Connor will also have to plan for Friday’s game without the injured trio of Sean Kelly, Johnny Keane and Enda Curran.

Galway have managed to score in just three of their last 12 league outings but recent performances have shown some signs of improvement. The Tribesmen hit the net three times in their last home game but unfortunately conceded four to go down 4-3 to fellow strugglers UCD.

Scoring goals is not something that Sligo are finding difficult. Paul Cook’s side have failed to score in only two of their last eleven league games, a period in which they have scored three or more on five separate occasions.

Sligo have also kept clean sheets in their last seven league games, a run that has yielded 17 points from a possible 21. If the weight of these statistics were not enough, the Bit o’ Red have one of the league’s top scorers in the shape of Eoin Doyle, who has netted 16 times in all competitions, 14 of which have come in the league.

Paul Cook has no injuries or suspensions to hinder his preparations and also welcomes new signing Conor Powell into his squad. But the Sligo boss is well aware that his players must avoid complacency against the league’s bottom club.

“I’ve always maintained there are no easy games in this league. Galway are on a very poor run but that doesn’t mean we just turn up and win. We struggled at times last week and had to work hard to win the game. We will have work just as hard against Galway to claim the three points. We’ve been on a good run and are top of the league now so we have to keep that going.”

The scale of the task facing Galway is probably best summed up by the odds on offer for a home win. Few punters will be tempted by the 14/1 on offer and it would go down as the biggest shock of the season so far should anyone be able to collect on that come 10pm on Friday evening.

Galway United
Injured: Sean Kelly, Johnny Keane, Enda Curran.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.

Sligo Rovers
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.

Referee: Tom Connolly.
Paddy Power Odds: Galway 14/1; Draw 11/2; Sligo 1/6.
Extratime prediction: A healthy 3-0 win for Sligo.