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Greyfriars Bobby · 08-12-2019, 05:21 PM

24 September 2017

There have been four matches involving Galway United Football Club over the course of the past week, and each was interesting in its own way.

The first was a Premier Division fixture at home to Shelbourne. Our performance was delightfully typical of our play in the league this year: a 3-0 victory, behind goals by Barry Asher, Colin Fearn, and Roy Murphy. Other typical elements included a clean sheet for Darcy Bradford, his 16th in league competition; 60% possession, which was just over our season's rate of 59.13%; and a pass completion rate of 80%. We put 9 shots on target, while our defense was so tight that Bradford was only called upon twice.

Gareth Kearney set up Fearn's goal, and that allowed him to break his own team record for assists. He's got quite a few more chances to increase that total before the end of the season, too.

The next day, I watched our youth candidates play our Under 19s. The U19 side is a strong one. Through 18 matches, they are 13-2-3 (W-D-L), eight points clear at the top of the Irish Under 19s Group 1 table. The team that turned out to face the Youth Candidates included four U19 internationals: goalkeeper Michael Gill, defender Mike Devaney, and midfielder Gareth Hutton for Ireland and Mikael Riseth for Norway. I wasn't surprised to see the Youthers struggle against a side this strong. Hutton bossed the midfield, and his perfectly-weighted through ball played in Riseth for a goal. The 3-0 scoreline actually flattered the Youthers. After the match, I offered contracts to six of the lads, and I'm still thinking about giving an offer to a couple more.

On the 21st, we traveled to Denmark for our first EURO Cup group match. FC København pay their star man, Kent Stensgaard, €22,000 per week. Our entire weekly wage bill is just over €24,000. It's safe to say they are a much bigger club.

Before a crowd of over 20,000 at their Telia Parken grounds, we pulled off a surprising 2-1 victory! Kevin O'Shea took a pass from Gareth Kearney and fired across Anette Kjærgaard's goal to give us a lead on 36 minutes. Just after the interval, København's South Korean international, Kim Byung-ki, took David White down inside the penalty area. DW did the honors from the penalty spot, and we went up by two. The Danes pulled one back, but we headed back to Galway with our first-ever victory in the EURO Cup.

Today was the final of the League Cup, against Sligo Rovers at Oriel Park in Dundalk. I rotated the team completely, since there's another Premier Division fixture in TWO DAYS...

Veteran goalkeeper Kieran Forde got to captain the team today. He was delighted to wear the armband, and I think it's a fitting reward for a true professional.

Rovers had a player sent off for two yellow cards in the first eight minutes of the match. Ten minutes later, Kieron Russell scored, and before the half, their goalkeeper pushed a Mikael Riseth shot into his own goal. We held on for a 2-0 victory. Young center back Conor Quinn was Man of the Match, winning 12 of 13 aerial duels and making 20 interceptions. Quinn has worked very diligently in training--I've complimented his work ethic on several occasions--and he's earned himself a promotion to the first team.

We're still playing in the Challenge Cup, with a Semi Final date with Dundalk on 8 October. And, we're still top of the league.

Could we end the season with five trophies?

Let's do it.

08-12-2019, 05:21 PM	#89
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	24 September 2017 There have been four matches involving Galway United Football Club over the course of the past week, and each was interesting in its own way. The first was a Premier Division fixture at home to Shelbourne. Our performance was delightfully typical of our play in the league this year: a 3-0 victory, behind goals by Barry Asher, Colin Fearn, and Roy Murphy. Other typical elements included a clean sheet for Darcy Bradford, his 16th in league competition; 60% possession, which was just over our season's rate of 59.13%; and a pass completion rate of 80%. We put 9 shots on target, while our defense was so tight that Bradford was only called upon twice. Gareth Kearney set up Fearn's goal, and that allowed him to break his own team record for assists. He's got quite a few more chances to increase that total before the end of the season, too. The next day, I watched our youth candidates play our Under 19s. The U19 side is a strong one. Through 18 matches, they are 13-2-3 (W-D-L), eight points clear at the top of the Irish Under 19s Group 1 table. The team that turned out to face the Youth Candidates included four U19 internationals: goalkeeper Michael Gill, defender Mike Devaney, and midfielder Gareth Hutton for Ireland and Mikael Riseth for Norway. I wasn't surprised to see the Youthers struggle against a side this strong. Hutton bossed the midfield, and his perfectly-weighted through ball played in Riseth for a goal. The 3-0 scoreline actually flattered the Youthers. After the match, I offered contracts to six of the lads, and I'm still thinking about giving an offer to a couple more. On the 21st, we traveled to Denmark for our first EURO Cup group match. FC København pay their star man, Kent Stensgaard, €22,000 per week. Our entire weekly wage bill is just over €24,000. It's safe to say they are a much bigger club. Before a crowd of over 20,000 at their Telia Parken grounds, we pulled off a surprising 2-1 victory! Kevin O'Shea took a pass from Gareth Kearney and fired across Anette Kjærgaard's goal to give us a lead on 36 minutes. Just after the interval, København's South Korean international, Kim Byung-ki, took David White down inside the penalty area. DW did the honors from the penalty spot, and we went up by two. The Danes pulled one back, but we headed back to Galway with our first-ever victory in the EURO Cup. Today was the final of the League Cup, against Sligo Rovers at Oriel Park in Dundalk. I rotated the team completely, since there's another Premier Division fixture in TWO DAYS... Veteran goalkeeper Kieran Forde got to captain the team today. He was delighted to wear the armband, and I think it's a fitting reward for a true professional. Rovers had a player sent off for two yellow cards in the first eight minutes of the match. Ten minutes later, Kieron Russell scored, and before the half, their goalkeeper pushed a Mikael Riseth shot into his own goal. We held on for a 2-0 victory. Young center back Conor Quinn was Man of the Match, winning 12 of 13 aerial duels and making 20 interceptions. Quinn has worked very diligently in training--I've complimented his work ethic on several occasions--and he's earned himself a promotion to the first team. We're still playing in the Challenge Cup, with a Semi Final date with Dundalk on 8 October. And, we're still top of the league. Could we end the season with five trophies? Let's do it.