Galway United edged past Cockhill Celtic by a single goal in EA Sports Cup action on Bank Holiday Monday to seal the Tribesmen’s passage to the next round, and although Shane Keegan wasn’t too happy with the manner of his players’ performance, he has
Galway United edged past Cockhill Celtic by a single goal in EA Sports Cup action on Bank Holiday Monday to seal the Tribesmen’s passage to the next round, and although Shane Keegan wasn’t too happy with the manner of his players’ performance, he has his sights set on making a statement against Drogheda United in the league this Friday night.
Keegan’s troops sit top of the First Division table, but in Drogheda they will be up against one of their early rivals for automatic promotion and a team in fine goal-scoring form; Tim Clancy’s outfit fired eight past Wexford over the weekend and find themselves in touching distance of top spot early on.
A win would be massive even in these early stages – and Keegan is all too aware that his team will need to improve if they are to earn their first away win in the league.
“I’m feeling positive about it based on our league performances, and even at that I think there are at least two more gears in us,” Keegan told SSE Airtricity League reporter Trevor Murray.
The First Division is widely expected to be one of the most closely-contested campaigns in recent memory, and Keegan feels that is down to the quality of strikers on display across many of the teams’ squads.
“The First Division has never, ever, ever seen the list of centre forwards like it has this year – Chris Lyons for Drogheda, David O’ Sullivan for Shelbourne, Michael O’ Connor for Finn Harps, Danny [Furlong] for ourselves, Chris Mulhall for Longford Town.
“I think there are five, six centre forwards in the First Division this year better than anything in the bottom half of the Premier Division, some unbelievable centre forwards. So, I think clean sheets will be few and far between this year, so I do.”
Galway had struggled to keep a clean sheet under Keegan, and although the overall display against Cockhill wasn’t up to the manager’s standards, the one big positive was that Arek Mamala avoided conceding.
Repeating the same feat against superior opposition will not be easy, but Keegan is aiming high with his objective ahead of the trip to United Park.
“Look, it’s a big test, [Drogheda] have shown an awful lot going forward.
“It’s going to be a big, big ask that’s for sure and these stupid goals that we seem to be coughing up in the last five minutes of games, we have to nail that. I mean, if you can go up there and get a clean sheet, that would be a statement.”
