2022 Season Preview: Galway United

Head Coach: John Caulfield

Stadium: Eamonn Deacy Park

Players in: Charlie Lyons (Cobh Ramblers), Evan O’Connor (Regional United), Oisin O’Reilly (unattached), Diego Portilla (Atletico Paso), Edward McCarthy (Treaty United), Jordan Adeyemo (Drogheda United), Manu Dimas (Union Viera).

Players out: Colin Kelly (Mervue United), Padraic Cunningham, Mikey Place (Ballymena), Ruairí Keating (Cork City), Carlton Ubaezuonu, Christopher Horgan, Maurice Nugent (Hendon), Joe Gorman (Treaty United).

extratime.com Key Man: Wilson Waweru

Waweru was a key player as Galway United finished in second place in the First Division last season. The striker scored eight times in the First Division last year and he was voted Galway United’s Player of the Season.

The striker didn’t begin the season as John Caulfield’s first choice striker with stiff competition coming from Ruairí Keating and Padraic Cunningham but with opportunities for Waweru initially coming from the bench, he scored twice in April having started games as a substitute. One of those goals was an injury time equaliser against Treaty United.

With the style of play the Tribesmen employ, being the lead man up front was certainly no easy ride for Waweru but the forward earned the role during 2021 and his selection each week was clearly deserved as he went on to score six more times in the First Division.

At 21, the striker is still improving and it’s staggering to think that he’s entering his fifth season with Galway United’s first team having made his debut in 2018 under Alan Murphy.

extratime.com One to Watch: Ronan Manning

The younger brother of Republic of Ireland international Ryan, Manning returned to his hometown club last year after a great 2020 spent with Athlone.

I’m repeating myself for a third season in a row (see my Athlone Town season preview in 2020 and last year’s Galway United season preview) naming Manning as one to watch this coming League of Ireland season at Eamonn Deacy Park.

The midfielder was highly rated by Shane Keegan during his first stint with Galway United and made his debut against the then John Caulfield managed Cork City during the 2017 Premier Division season.

Manning’s progress was halted the following season after Galway United were relegated. A season where presumably the youngster might have gotten even more game time never materialised and he departed at the end of 2018 to sign for Athlone Town— for the first time.

After stepping away from football in 2019 after appearing in just one game for Athlone’s Under 19 side, he returned to the Midlands club for the 2020 season scoring 8 goals and assisting 5 as the Town finished bottom of the First Division.

With his League of Ireland career looking like it was back on track last season on his return to Galway United, it was derailed early on when the midfielder picked up a serious knee injury which would rule him out for the rest of 2021 and the start of the 2022 season.

He is expected to return to full fitness early this season however, and at 21 he still has time on his side to fulfil his potential.

How they did last season:

League: 2^nd

Despite finishing as runners up in the First Division, United never really looked like they were one of the top teams in the division, bar a purple patch after the mid-season break, as they huffed and puffed to secure that finish last season.

A poor start to the season haunted the Tribesmen with the side winning just three games from their opening nine games, a stretch that included losses to Athlone Town and Bray Wanderers.

Their trip to Tolka Park just before the midseason break set off alarm bells when they lost 4-0 to title rivals and eventual First Division champions at the end of May.

They came back from the break and went on an impressive run, winning five games in a row without conceding a goal which helped bring them back into contention.

A 3-1 win over Shelbourne during the final meeting between the sides in August definitely caused the Reds to sweat a bit heading into the final eight games of the season.

Good form from Ian Morris’ men and slip ups in losses to Athlone Town and Cork City, and a draw with Treaty United meant the Reds would go on to win promotion to the Premier Division.

The difference between first and second was only six points in the end however, so Galway’s slow start was definitely a huge regret on the Dyke Road last year.

Bray Wanderers were Galway’s playoff opponents and two uninspired performances by the Tribesmen over two legs ended in defeat thanks to one moment of magic from Brandon Kavanagh in the second leg which gave the Seagulls a 1-0 win on aggregate and sent them to the next round.

FAI Cup: First round

United were dumped out of the Cup by eventual finalists Shamrock Rovers in July. Dylan Watts and Galway native Rory Gaffney gave Rovers a 2-0 win over John Caulfield’s men in Tallaght with the Hoops completely outclassing the Tribesmen on the day.

What to expect this season:

John Caulfield is coming into his second full season as Galway United manager and promotion has to be the aim once again.

They haven’t added any massive marquee name in the offseason, but they have managed to retain much of last season’s squad which will give them the benefit of consistency in 2022.

A big concern for Galway will be goals with no proven goal scorer at this level in the squad, Wilson Waweru nabbed eight last season for the Tribesmen and if his development has continued he could be set to beat his record this season which would be a major positive for Galway.

They’ve also captured the promising Jordan Adeyemo from Drogheda United this winter, and with Francely Lomboto back after a season long injury – they could have the paciest forward line in the League of Ireland which will hopefully yield goals.

Ronan Manning is also due to return to fitness from a long-term knee injury, and if he can fulfil his potential this season he could provide goals and a major bit of creativity for the Tribesmen this year.

There are two potential unknowns added to the Galway squad this year with Spanish duo Diego Portilla and Manu Dimas plying their trade on the banks of the Corrib this year. Centre back Portilla looks like he could be a major find, judging by pre-season, while striker Dimas may have to work hard to break into the frontline. Time will tell.

It’s a stacked First Division overall this year, and the first games of the season have shown that it will be a challenging campaign for every team. Whether or not they can win the division is unknown with stiff competition coming from Waterford and Cork City.

Avoiding a slow start will be key, as that plagued the Tribesmen in 2021 but with their first two games Cork City and Waterford, we may get a very interesting insight into how this season could turn out.

First game:

Galway United were the idle team for the first round of fixtures last weekend, as there are only nine teams in the second tier this season. They travel to Turners Cross on Friday, 25^th of February to face a Cork City side that started their campaign with a stunning 6-0 win over Bray Wanderers.

2022 Season Preview: @CorkCityFChttps://t.co/xo3bUO0xi7pic.twitter.com/En2GuynijW

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) February 17, 2022