- Josh Dolan
- Fri, Oct 03 2014
Shelbourne will be looking to keep their unlikely title dreams alive when they host Galway at Tolka Park on Friday night (kick off 8pm).
Johnny McDonnell’s side must achieve at least a point at home to Tommy Dunne’s Galway, while Tony Cousin’s Longford Town side must also drop points at home to Shamrock Rovers B if the First Division title is to still be up for grabs when The Reds travel to Cobh on the final day of the season.
While McDonnell knows that the task to achieve automatic promotion is effectively out of his side’s reach, he insists that his team will be doing their utmost to finish their league campaign strongly and push Longford all the way for the SSE Airtricity League First Division title.
“It's still possible to get automatic promotion, even if it is out of our hands. We will push this all the way - to the very end,"the Shels Boss insisted.
The 49 year-old says that he’s enjoyed this season’s respective meetings with Tommy Dunne’s side and is once again looking forward to a battle with the inform Tribesmen on Friday night.
"Galway come to Tolka in great form, winning their last three league games in their push for the playoffs. Our games this season have been very enjoyable with two good football teams getting the ball down to play and entertain the fans - the way football should be played.”
Brian Gannon, Simon Dixon and Willo McDonagh are in contention for the game after recovering from injury. Midfielder Gary Dempsey joins Darren Tinnelly, Keith Quinn, Greg Murray, Ryan Robinson and Robbie Gaul on the absentee list as they are all out through injury.
GALWAY
Friday night’s fixture at Tolka Park also portrays great significance for Tommy Dunne’s Galway side. A win on Friday would book the Connaught side a place in the promotion/relegation play-off, while it would also mean that due to their superior goal difference, they’d leap above Friday evening’s hosts and into second place.
While Galway Boss Tommy Dunne is aware of the importance of
Friday night’s fixture, he shows no sign of nerves and believes that his charges are really looking forward to
Friday’s affair. “We are looking forward to it,
I think everybody is. It’s important for us, if we can get something out of the game, we get a play-off place,” Dunne told
www.galwayfc.ie.
The Tribesmen travel to Dublin on the back of five straight league wins and the Dubliner is confident that his side will continue to kick on and finish the season on a high. “From our point of view, we want to finish the season as strongly as possible. We have five league wins in a row and we are high on confidence,” the former Cork City Boss explained.
Although Dunne is hoping for a tight game at Tolka on Friday night, the 42 year-old insists that his team will be set up to win and not to draw in Drumcondra on Friday night. “We haven’t really changed the way we play throughout the season. We try to win every match, that doesn’t change on Friday. It is important we get a result. We need to be right, to get a result.”
Midfielder Ryan Connolly will miss the trip to Dublin through suspension, while Richard Fahy is also out with a groin problem.
Referee: Sean Grant
MATCH STATS
Galway have lost just one league game this season, a defeat to Wexford Youths back in August.
The Tribesmen are unbeaten in the capital this year, having already beaten Shelbourne, UCD in the FAI Cup, as well as recording a win and a draw away to Shamrock Rovers B.
Shelbourne haven’t lost in the league at Tolka Park since a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Friday’s opponents Galway back in May.
BETTING
Shelbourne 7/5; Draw 11/5; Galway 17/10.
PREDICTION
Shelbourne 2-2 Galway
Shelbourne
Injured: Darren Tinnelly, Keith Quinn, Gregg Murray, Ryan Robinson, Robbie Gaul, Gary Dempsey.
Suspended: None.
Galway FC
Injured: Richard Fahy.
Suspended: Ryan Connolly.
