Brimming with confidence following a remarkable fourth successive League victory against Kildare County last week, Galway United season's enters a critical period tomorrow evening as an under rated Kilkenny City will provide the opposition in Terryland Park.
Though United played sparkling football in the Station Road last Saturday, Kilkenny will arrive in Galway expecting to pilfer a creditable result. In the opening game of the season United outwitted the Cats by a single goal courtesy of a Barry Moran penalty.
United's extraordinary recent run of form has been orchestrated to a great extent by the spellbinding Damien Dupuy. Having netted seven goals in the past four games the gifted French attacker has electrified the Eircom League.
The ardent supporters who travelled for a mundane League Cup clash in Castlebar last May were rewarded with the first glimpse of the player that would emerge as the club’s talisman. While Dupuy’s deft touches illuminated a drab evening in Mayo, it wasn’t until a fortnight later in Buckley Park that the Montpellier born attacker announced his arrival to a national audience.
The continuing deployment of Barry Moran on the bench, however, has baffled sections of the Terryland Park crowd. Moran has netted 11 times in the Eircom League, while a brace in last weekend's U-21 success over Inishowen League brought his account at that level to seven in three games.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Alan Gough has been protected by a back four where the formidable Frawley brothers and the tigerish Nigel Keady continue to impress. Left full Mike Quirke adds a sprinkling of culture to the quartet with his propensity to deliver tasty crosses from deep.
Having struggled for an elongated period in midfield where unreasonable expectations were placed on the shoulders of Colin Fortune and John Russell, a reinvigorated Frannie Carter has been the stabilising influence. The injury ravaged Mark Herrick has been working well with Carter recently, but having departed at the interval last Saturday may be unfit for the Kilkenny match.
An expectant crowd will gather in Terryland park tomorrow evening. If Dupuy and the unsung Moran are allowed to shine then the home supporters should have plenty to cheer about.
