Galway United F.C. (1937–2011)
| Galway United | ||||
| Full name | Galway United Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tribesmen, Tribal Army, Maroon Army | |||
| Founded | 1937 | |||
| Ground | Terryland Park, Galway, County Galway | |||
| Capacity | 5,000 (3,300 seats) | |||
| Chairman | John McCormick | |||
| Manager |  Ian Foster | |||
| League | LOI Premier Division | |||
| 2008 | 9th | |||
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Galway United F.C. (Irish: Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe) was founded as Galway Rovers in 1937. They are a professional football club currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division (the upper of the two tiers in the league).
Galway first joined the League of Ireland in 1977, having been invited to participate in the League Cup in the previous year. The club's CEO is Nick Leeson, who gained notoriety as the rogue trader who brought down Barings, a famous British investment bank. Galway Rovers made its League of Ireland debut in Terryland Park, Galway, against St. Patricks Athletic on the August 28 of that year.[1]
History
"The Tribesmen" as Galway United F.C. are known was founded as Galway Rovers in the Claddagh district of Galway in 1937. The club achieved great success at junior level and had their first shot at senior football when they competed in the League Cup in 1976. In 1977, the club was invited to join the then League of Ireland and made its debut in Terryland Park against St. Patricks Athletic on the 28th August of that year. The club found it difficult to make an impact in the League Of Ireland at first but gradually improved and reached its first major final in 1981, losing the League Cup final on penalties to Dundalk in Oriel Park. It was then decided to change the name of the club to Galway United.
Success was soon to follow. United finished in sixth position in the League in 1985 and, under the stewardship of Tom Lally and Tony Mannion, qualified for the FAI Cup final. Shamrock Rovers F.C. were the victors in Dalymount Park on 28th April 1985 and since they were also League Champions, this enabled Galway United to qualify for a historic first appearance in Europe, in the European Cup Winners Cup. The team distinguished themselves in the National Stadium in Copenhagen, when despite finishing with ten men, held Lyngby to a 1-0 victory. A packed Galway Sportsgrounds on the 2nd October saw the Danes hold on for a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Galway United continued their impressive form in the League and incredibly remained unbeaten until March 1986 - a club Premier Division record of 16 games. At this stage they were leading the table, ahead of the great Shamrock Rovers side of that era who went on to win four league titles in a row. On the 2nd March 1986, the two title contenders went head to head in Terryland in a match which would ultimately decide the title. Three goals in the first 35 minutes handed the game to Rovers, who went on to win the game 3-1 and also won the league. Galway United finished runners up and again qualified for Europe as Ireland's UEFA Cup representatives. Meanwhile, on 15th January 1986, United won their first senior trophy as they beat Dundalk 2-0 in the League Cup final. Denis Bonner (brother of Packie) and Paul McGee (17 times capped for Ireland) scored the goals. Galway United's opponents in the UEFA Cup were FC Groningen, who at the time were one of the top sides in the Netherlands. They went on to win 8-2, with the home tie memorable for the fact that it was held in the Gaeltacht area of Carraroe.
Fast forward five years, Galway United had consolidated their position in the Premier Division under new manager Joey Malone. In the FAI Cup, United again reached the final, this time held in Lansdowne Road. Old rivals, Shamrock Rovers were the opposition and were seeking their 25th victory in the competition. With five minutes to go on the clock, Johnny Glynn tapped home a late goal, which was enough to win Galway United the FAI Cup and also send them back into Europe. United were drawn against Danish side Odense BK in the European Cup Winners Cup. The first leg was held in the Galway village of Ballinderreen in front of a 6,000 crowd. Odense were much too strong for United, who had lost both Keane and Glynn in the summer, and they went on to win the tie 7-0 on aggregate.
The following season proved to be traumatic for the club, as they were relegated to the First Division for the first time in their history. Tony Mannion returned as manager and Galway United returned to the top flight in style, winning the First Division at the first attempt and also winning the First Division shield. Terryland Park was being redeveloped and the club moved to Crowley Park, the home of local rugby side Galwegians, for one season. The side surpassed all expectations by finishing third in the Premier Division behind Shamrock Rovers and Cork City.
Galway United returned to Terryland Park on the 9th October 1994, beating Sligo Rovers. Two weeks later a record Terryland crowd of 7,000 saw United defeat Cork City 2-1, as the floodlit football came to Galway. United remained in the Premier Division until 1996. The cloud of relegation had a silver lining, however, as United won two trophies - the First Division Shield and also the League Cup, both for the second time.
Don O'Riordan was the next manager, and took Galway United out of the First Division in 1999. His reign in Terryland will be remembered for two great FAI Cup campaigns, which saw the club reach the semi-finals in both 1999 and 2000. Unfortunately, the club lost both games, to Finn Harps and Shelbourne respectively. The 1999 semi-final was the first football match to be televised live from Terryland Park on national TV. The talismanic Tony Mannion returned for his third spell as manager in 2001 but Galway United found themselves in the First Division for the third time at the start of the 2002/2003 campaign.
At the start of the 2005 season, club hero Stephen Lally took over as club manager, but he resigned from his position ten games into the 2006 campaign. Tony Cousins was appointed manager of the club on June 14th 2006. Galway United finished 3rd in the 2006 league campaign and were invited to take part in the Premier Division of the new FAI League of Ireland for the 2007 season.
In July 2007, the new 1,500 seater stand at Terryland Park was opened, increasing the seated capacity to 2,900.[2]
That season saw the club involved in a relegation fight for most of the season but avoided the drop and finished 7th.
The following season saw a poor start costing Cousins his job in April 2008. Jeff Kenna took over in a player-manager capacity. Rumours of financial troubles and the selling of the players within the squad, most notably Derek O'Brien, coupled with the club sitting bottom of the League, relegation loomed on the horizon. However, a surge of great form which saw the United reach the FAI Cup semi-finals gave the club a fighting chance of survival. A 3-0 victory over Finn Harps in the penultimate game of the season put survival in United's own hands and their victory the following away to U.C.D week ensured that Galway United will be playing in the top division in 2009.
Following the departure of Jeff Kenna to St Patrick's Athletic on the 14th of January 2009, assistant manager Ian Foster became the new manager, signing a 2 year contract.
Honours
- Runners-up (1): 1985-86
- Winners (1): 1991
- Runners-up (1): 1985
- Winners (2): 1985-86, 1996-97
- Runners-up (1): 1979-80
- Winners (1): 1992-93
- Runners-up (1): 1998-99
- Winners (1): 2008
- Winners (2): 1992-93, 1996-97
Players
Current squad
Nationality given from place of birth Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Noted former players
Some legendary players over the years have graced the famous Maroon Jersey and the turf of Terryland Park. One of Galways most famous footballing sons is Eamon "Chic" Deacy who spent five successful seasons with Aston Villa. During his time with Villa, Eamon won a League Medal during their successful 1980-81 Championship winning season. After his spell with Aston Villa, he returned to Galway United to play on an amateur basis.
- Paul McGee - 16 Rep of Ireland caps. Galway United all time leading scorer.
- Frank Worthington - 8 England caps
- Seamus McDonagh - Former Irish international goalkeeper.
Managers
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
 Amby Fogarty
|
1976-Oct 1978 |
 Tommy Callaghan
|
Oct 1978-Mar 1979 |
| Tommy Lally & Eamonn Deacy (caretakers)
|
1979 |
| John Herrick
|
1979-1981 |
| Mick Cooke
|
Aug 1981 |
| John Herrick
|
Sep 1981-1983 |
| Paddy Mulligan
|
1983-1984 |
| Tommy Lally
|
1984-1985 |
| Tony Mannion
|
1985-1988 |
| John Herrick
|
1988-Nov 1988 |
| Fran Gavin & Denis Bonner (caretakers)
|
Nov 1988-Nov 1988 |
| Seamus McDonagh
|
Dec 1988-1989 |
| Paul McGee
|
1989-1990 |
| Joey Malone
|
1990-Dec 1991 |
| Tommy Lally (caretaker)
|
Dec 1991-Jan 1992 |
| Tony Mannion
|
Jan 1992-Oct 1995 |
| Denis Clarke
|
Nov 1995-1997 |
| Don O'Riordan
|
Jul 1997-2001 |
| Dave Connell
|
2001-Oct 2001 |
| Tony Mannion
|
Oct 2001-2004 |
| Stephen Lally
|
2005-May 2006 |
| Alan Gough & Jim Noone (caretakers)
|
May 2006-June 2006 |
| Tony Cousins
|
June 2006-March 2008 |
| Billy Clery (caretaker)
|
March 2008-April 2008 |
| Jeff Kenna (player-manager)
|
April 2008-January 2009 |
| Ian Foster
|
January 2009- |
Records & milestones
- All-time League Record (All Divisions)
- P 948 W 299 D 267 L 382 F 1166 A 1399 Pts 1046
- All-time League Record (Prem or other Top Division)
- P 671 W 178 D 181 L 312 F 746 A 1080 Pts 613
- All-time League Record (First Division)
- P 277 W 121 D 86 L 70 F 420 A 319 Pts 433
- Record League Victory
- 8-0 v Monaghan United, Home, October 26, 2001
- Record League Defeat
- 1-9 v Derry City, Away, October 8, 1989
- Most Points in a Season
- 64 in 1998-99
- Most League Goals in a Season
- 21, Alan Murphy, 2003
- Most League Goals
- 74, Paul McGee, 1985-90, 1992-93
- Players capped at full international level whilst with club
Galway United have played in UEFA competitions on three occasions, losing their first game on each occasion. Galway United have conceded 19 goals in Europe and scored 4
| Competition | Year | Opponent | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup Winners Cup | 1985-86 | Lyngby | 2-3 | 0-1 |
| Cup Winners Cup | 1991-92 | Odense | 0-3 | 0-4 |
| UEFA Cup | 1986-87 | FC Groningen | 1-3 | 1-5 |
Statistics are correct up to 20/11/2007
Personnel
- President
- Chairman
- John McCormick
- Vice-chairman
- Colm Feeney
- Chief Executive Officer
- Club Promotions Officer
- Neil McNelis
- First team Manager
- First team Assistant Manager
- Tom French
- Goalkeeping Coach
- Adrian Cronin
- 'A' Team Manager
- Tom French
- U20 Manager
- Jimmy Nolan
- Physio
- TBC
- Kit Manager
- John Devlin
- Team Doctor
- Dr Dan Murphy
References
- ^ http://www.galwayunitedfc.ie/menu-items/galway-united-club-history.html Galway United Club History
- ^ "Footie mad Sports Minister opens new Terryland Stand". 2007-08-02. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
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External links
- Official Website
- General fan sites
- News sites