Shamrock Rovers Tantang Galway United Demi Pertahankan Puncak Klasemen

Shamrock Rovers bersiap menjamu Galway United di Stadion Tallaght pada laga lanjutan Liga Utama Irlandia hari Jumat mendatang demi mempertahankan keunggulan mereka di puncak klasemen.

Dilansir dari Sportsmole dan Connacht Tribune, Shamrock Rovers saat ini memimpin klasemen dengan 44 poin, unggul enam angka dari St Patrick's Athletic, sementara Galway United berada di peringkat ketujuh dengan raihan 24 poin.

Manajer Galway United, John Caulfield, merasa sangat puas setelah timnya meraih kemenangan kandang berturut-turut atas Derry City dengan skor 2-1 di Pearse Stadium sebelum mengalihkan fokus ke laga tandang melawan juara bertahan.

"We are really happy" ujar John Caulfield, Manajer Galway United.

Pelatih asal Irlandia tersebut kemudian memuji fasilitas latihan serta dukungan yang diberikan oleh staf lapangan dan petugas dari Galway GAA.

"We trained here during the week and the Galway GAA have been fantastic and so accommodating and helped us so much through their officers and ground staff. We got a feel for the place and knew there would be a lovely atmosphere at the match with loads of families and kids." kata John Caulfield, Manajer Galway United.

Ia juga menambahkan bahwa timnya tetap waspada terhadap Derry City yang datang dengan kepercayaan diri tinggi setelah meraih kemenangan besar pada pekan sebelumnya.

"However, we were wary of Derry. They had a big win last week and knew they would be full of confidence. We knew we had to do the basics well and it was fitting that Stephen Walsh got the two goals. Indeed, it was an occasion when he could have had a few more as we had chances." tutur John Caulfield, Manajer Galway United.

Caulfield mengapresiasi kerja keras para pemainnya, termasuk performa Conor McCormack dan Matty Wolfe, meskipun penalti di menit-menit akhir pertandingan sempat memberikan tekanan bagi tim.

"Derry had a lot of possession, but we played well. Conor McCormack was outstanding and kept Michael Duffy quiet, while Matty Wolfe did well in midfield. The players worked really hard, but the late penalty put some pressure on us, but overall, the lads will sleep well tonight" ucap John Caulfield, Manajer Galway United.

Di kubu lawan, Shamrock Rovers asuhan Stephen Bradley sedang berusaha kembali ke jalur kemenangan setelah sebelumnya ditahan imbang 1-1 oleh Derry City melalui gol penyama kedudukan dari Aaron Greene.

Tuan rumah dipastikan tampil tanpa beberapa penyerang andalan seperti Rory Gaffney yang mengalami cedera pergelangan kaki, serta Maleace Asamoah dan Daniel Mandroiu yang diragukan karena masalah otot dan lutut.