Galway cannot afford to lose at Pearse Stadium on Sunday

By JIM CARNEY IT GETS very serious for Galway footballers next Sunday, at home to Derry in the first round of the National League. This year they open their League campaign at Pearse Stadium, and the least that's expected is the same result as this time last year. On that occasion, an eager, highly motivated Galway team under new management made the long journey north to Celtic Park, Derry city and they returned home delighted with a 1-15 to 1-11 victory. It was a tonic start for the Galway team and for new manager Alan Mulholland and the other two new selectors, Alan Flynn and Donal Ó Fátharta, but sadly there isn't the same buzz in the county twelve months later. Indeed there's hardly any build-up to next Sunday and with Derry expectations also lowered in recent years there's a danger that Galway followers won't realise it's a vitally important game for the team and for the management trio. While Galway's poor Championship record now stretches back twelve years, there's hope in one calendar date: May 19th, Galway vs Mayo at Pearse Stadium, with the winner to play Roscommon in the semi-finals at Pearse Stadium or McHale Park, Castlebar, and the winner of that game into the Connacht final. In the Championship, it takes only 70 minutes for the world to become a spectacularly brighter place but for Galway to make a meaningful challenge to the 2012 All-Ireland runners-up Mayo they will have do something special â€â€ such as promotion to Division 1 â€â€ in this League campaign. It would take a lot to wipe out the bad memories of Galway's two Championship defeats last year, the provincial exit at the hands of Sligo, at Pearse Stadium, and the 'back door' defeat by lowly Antrim at Casement Park, Belfast. That was also a grim reminder that it's now nine years since Galway scored a Championship win over any county outside Connacht. It came on Saturday, July 3rd 2004, at Parnell Park, Dublin â€â€ Galway 2-8 Louth 0-9. If Galway lose next Sunday they'll be quickly thinking about Louth again, for Round 2 on Sunday week, Feb. 10th will take Alan Mulholland's team to the Gaelic Grounds, Drogheda and although Louth were very poor in Leinster's January competition, the O'Byrne Cup, it could be a difficult test for Galway. Up in Derry a year ago, the driving play of Gareth Bradshaw from wing-back gave Galway the edge and the Moycullen man with a warrior spirit even showed his forwards how the blast a goal. But he missed the recent FBD Connacht League and is slowly working his way back from a knee injury. If he's not able to start on Sunday, he'll be a big loss. It's frustrating, too, that such a promising player as U-21 midfielder Thomas Flynn is out injured but on a more positive note his partner in the centre in the 2011 All-Ireland U-21 triumph, Fiontán Ó Curraoin, is fit again; Michael Meehan is also doing quite well in his recovery from injury and young Shane Walsh has come through to senior from minor and colleges football. How Galway will cope with the loss of Padraic Joyce, Joe Bergin, Diarmaid Blake and Damien Burke remains to be seen. It's up to the younger players to show they have what it takes to replace the men now gone into retirement but they won't be able to do that without playing on winning teams â€â€ in either the League or Championship, or both. Galway will be lining out next Sunday in new Supermac's-sponsored jerseys, with a new county crest, but the performance will be much more important. And the result. These are worrying times for the Galway senior football team: short of confidence, short of class, short of quality. We all know that anything can happen when we host the visit of Mayo to Pearse Stadium in the Connacht Championship on May 19th, but will Galway be still alive as a big name in Gaelic football by then? That's a tough question, which can't be answered until we see how the League goes, and how the players react if results go against them. We cannot get away from one thing: the Championship last year was a new low for Galway football. The fightback must start on Sunday. It is, of course, 'a funny old game,' as they say. Win at home to Derry and away to Louth and then we might see why Galway are one of the two favourites, along with Laois, to clinch promotion to Division 1. Before that, let's respect Derry who by all accounts played some very good football in the recent McKenna Cup, especially against Tyrone at Omagh â€â€ before a crowd of 4,000. Their new manager, Brian McIver, formerly at the helm in Donegal, is joined on the sideline by two very experienced Ulster Championship men, Paddy Crozier, a former Derry manager, and Paddy Tally, formerly Tyrone trainer. Interestingly too, brothers Eoin and Paddy Bradley, probably Derry's top two players, came back from injury problems to get game-time in the McKenna Cup, while there's also a spotlight on another leading forward, Mark Lynch, switching to centre half-back although it's not certain he'll play there on Sunday. This is a match that is crucial for Galway; they simply cannot afford to lose it, for the last thing they'd need going to Drogheda is a catch-up chase second day out. It's unlikely there will be a large attendance, but the faithful, the diehards may get to see two stars of the future: Shane Walsh of Galway and young Derry forward Ryan Bell. Galway players with injury problems turning into the new year included Gareth Bradshaw, Ciarán McGrath, Joss Moore, Conor Doherty, Thomas Flynn, Greg Higgins and Eoin Concannon. Club-tied: Keith Kelly (Ballinasloe). Working in England: goalkeeper Adrian Faherty.