GALWAY UNITED COULDN’T but have an eye elsewhere midweek, but their full focus will have remained on today’s showdown against Shelbourne.
Athlone Town moved five points clear at the top of the table after their 2-1 comeback win over Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park on Wednesday. The Midlanders took a big step towards their first league title, but this remains a three-horse title race. For now, at least.
Galway and Shelbourne will be desperate to stay in it. They go head-to-head at Eamonn Deacy Park this evening [KO 4.45pm], while Athlone host Shamrock Rovers afterwards.
A winner at Terryland would separate the chasers and allow one to keep the pressure on Athlone. Should Galway and Shels remain deadlocked, however, a win against Rovers would confirm Ciarán Kilduff’s side as champions with two games to spare.
Anything could happen. Who could forget 2021′s dramatic decider day? Shelbourne snatched the title as Peamount United collapsed against… Galway.
The Tribe will need little reminder about controlling the controllables and focusing on themselves.
“Literally, it’s all about Shels, this one game,” captain Lynsey McKey tells The 42.
“We’re not thinking ahead or what could happen. It’s basically just, ‘How can we get three points against Shels?’
“It’s a big game, Shels are such a quality team, and we’re both fighting for that title as well. Whoever comes away with the three points, it will be massive.”
The game is live on TG4, with a sizeable crowd expected. Galway ran a campaign offering free entry by Friday, and McKey and co. are hoping they can make home advantage count.
These are the good days. The 34-year-old midfielder has seen it all, having played every season in the Women’s Premier Division since its inception.
“This is my 13th season,” Clare native McKey says. “Thankfully the body is still some bit there. I’m enjoying every bit of it, it’s been a breath of fresh air. Hopefully I can enjoy a few more seasons!”
The differences from 2011/12 to now are stark, from standard to profile and everything in between. Strength and conditioning, nutrition and recovery were basically non-existent back then. There’s higher standards of coaching and football, more coverage and sponsorship, and simple necessities like consistent kit and gear every year.
“Everything just seems to be getting bigger and better,” McKey, who works as a personal trainer in Limerick, says.
“Me and Julie [Ann Russell] would be slagging the younger girls, saying, ‘You probably think this is the norm, televised games every third or fourth week and the exposure we get…’
“It’s come such a long way, and we just hope it gets better and better, that we can keep pushing the standards, because it’s unbelievable.”
Galway is a team full of young talent. McKey and Russell are the experienced leaders, while there are several underage internationals in Phil Trill’s ranks: Jenna Slattery, Eve Dossen, Therese Kinneavy and Kate Thompson, to name a few. They have grown exponentially of late, and helped establish Galway as a consistent force in the league.
All-Island Cup glory last summer was seminal for the Tribe. A first piece of national silverware instilled confidence and belief, and provided a springboard for them to finish the season strongly and pick back up again on the restart.
Retaining that title against Shamrock Rovers last month was also indispensable, as they recovered from a mid-season slump — including an early FAI Cup exit — and pushed on to win all but one of their games since and score the most goals in the league.
It has been a continuous learning process for this young squad too, with a previous defeat to Shelbourne sticking out in the memory.
“We were played off the park on the day, we just didn’t really show up,” McKey recalls.
“I just kept saying, ‘You need to learn off this experience — you’re going to get punished when you make mistakes against the good teams,’ so to see them turn it around, it’s great. You have to learn from the mistakes that you make to become a better player.”
@Juuulie_Ann celebrates with the most famous baby in Ireland, her one year old Rosie and a number of United Senior Women's players after her player of the match performance 💚
— Gaillimh Aontaithe 🇱🇻 (@GalwayUnitedFC) July 16, 2024
What a week for Galway United and Irish women's football 💫#ItsATribalThing | #UnitedAsOne | #GUFC pic.twitter.com/NsMYV658Yc
McKey and Russell are two brilliant examples for their younger team-mates. The skipper has a lovely word for her fellow stalwart, who reignited her international career earlier this summer.
The 33-year-old mother scored in the Euro 2025 qualifiers against England and France — her Galway team-mates watched on at Páirc Uí Chaoimh — as she returned to the Ireland squad after four years away.
“Julie-Anne is a joke! What a player for the girls to watch. It’s unbelievable. She’s achieved so much, but to see her hunger and her work-rate, it’s unreal. I’m just glad she’s on my team.
“To think she’s there scoring against France, and three or four days later, she’s coming down to train with us in Galway, it was unreal.”
McKey also lauds another figurehead at the club, manager Trill. Before taking charge, Trill enjoyed a deal of success at underage level, and that has translated as they continue to strive.
“It’s Phil’s second year at senior level, and he has two cups already and has us competing at the top,” McKey concludes. “It just shows how much he’s achieved in such a short space of time.
“Even off the pitch, he’s such a such a passionate guy. He just wants the girls to have access to everything, to become the best they can be. And he wants to play football the way it should be played — possession-based, getting forward, and we all love that. We all want to be able to play the ball and score as many goals as we can.
“At the minute, it’s going well, and fingers crossed, it lasts.”
Women’s Premier Division fixtures
Live on LOI TV
- Sligo Rovers v Peamount United, 2pm, The Showgrounds
- Cork City v DLR Waves, 2pm, Turner’s Cross
- Bohemians v Wexford, 3pm, Dalymount Park
- Galway United v Shelbourne 4.45pm, Eamonn Deacy Park — TG4
- Athlone Town v Shamrock Rovers, 7.30pm, Athlone Town Stadium.
