GALWAY UNITED v DERRY CITY:IF RECENT league form were a reliable guide then Galway United would start tomorrow's FAI Cup tie at Terryland Park as firm favourites to beat Derry City and make it to the competition's final for the first time since 1991, writes Emmet Malone
Jeff Kenna's players have shown dramatic improvement as the side's growing fluency finally started to be reflected in their results. Tuesday's win at Richmond Park made it four victories and four draws in eight games in all competitions and, having struggled to attract crowds, there will surely be a good one tomorrow to see if they maintain the run.
The home side may well be encouraged by the way in which City have lost their way in the league as cup games became a greater priority, for the huge momentum they had a month ago appears lost. Last week's win over Bohemians was a first in five championship outings for Stephen Kenny's side, and they've had mixed fortunes on other fronts.
It's hard to know how much to read into their hammering of Wexford Youths in the League Cup final, but the game they won in Cork to reach this stage of this competition provided firm evidence of both the team's quality and resilience.
Kenny is without Peter Hutton again, while Eddie McCallion (calf), Thomas Stewart (shin) and Barry Molloy (hamstring) are doubts. Molloy is expected to start but McCallion is more likely to miss out, and Stewart, if he does pass a fitness test, may have to settle for a place on the bench.
City have already won twice at Terryland this season, and when the sides met in July the game was all but over after half an hour after the visitors went on a four-goal rampage. It was much the same story in Wexford, where Niall McGinn was instrumental in dismantling the First Division outfit's defence, and Kenna will know the winger will have to be contained.
Most of City's goals of late have come courtesy of Mark Farren, but Galway have a couple of in-form strikers, with one, Jay O'Shea, returning after missing the midweek game in Inchicore due to his involvement with the Irish under-23s.
O'Shea has been one of the young stars of the season, but Vinny Flaherty has also hit form in front of goal with three in three outings. O'Shea is likely to start just behind Flaherty and Kenna will be hoping that the pair's movement will test City's defence.
Kenna, who describes the game as a "lovely distraction" from the relegation battle that has been raging since before he arrived, will need his front men at their best because he will be without capable players in other areas.
John Fitzgerald, John Russell and Mark McCullough are suspended, while Alan Murphy and Iarlaith Daveron are cup-tied. In the circumstances the manager, who didn't even put himself on the bench for the league game on Monday, could well return to the home side's starting line-up.
Given the choice, the former Ireland international and his employers would probably take keeping United up over winning the cup and the place in Europe that would come with the victory, but as they head into the game they're still happily dreaming of a double that, from their point of view, would be every bit as fantastic as the one Bohemians pursued at Richmond Park last night.
