Galway United will be hoping to rediscover the verve which shocked St Patrick's Athletic earlier in the month when they take on Finn Harps in the second of the Harp FAI Cup semi-finals at Terryland Park tomorrow.
In a season devalued to some extent by the domination of St Patrick's and Cork City in the Premier Division, Galway's quarter-final victory over the Dublin club was a rare example of success against the odds. Bray, of course, have now also upset the apple-cart with their semi-final dismissal of Shelbourne. Now, Galway manager Don O'Riordan is hoping that they can again prove that the discrepancy between the Premier grade and those at the top of the First Division is not as great as generally perceived.
"Realistically, people would expect St Pat's to beat us nine times out of 10," he says. "But when a First Division team gets it together as we did that night, the gap is not all that great".
"If Finn Harps are not in the same class as St Pat's just now, they are still a good team and if they're allowed to play, they could turn us over. But the key to our quarter-final win was that we disrupted the opposition from the off. And we'll be hoping to do the same now."
A 2-0 defeat at Monaghan last Sunday dented their hopes of finishing the season as First Division champions but now, with experienced players like Ian Rossiter and Michael Quirke back to stiffen the defence, O'Riordan believes that his youthful team is capable of better things.
Quirke's return at left back will enable Gareth Gorman to push the manager is still undecided about his choice of partner for Ryan Lucas in the front line.
Ollie Keogh is ineligible after assisting Mervue United in the Intermediate Cup and despite the claims of Paul Thornton and Rick O'Flaherty, the likelihood is that Eric Levine, scorer of the winner against St Patrick's, will be given the job of complementing Lucas.
Defeat at the hands of St Patrick's and Sligo Rovers in their last two championship games, hinted at a growing crisis of confidence in a Finn Harps team which had earlier given genuine hope of reclaiming the FAI Cup for the first time since 1974.
Manager Charlie McGeever traces the source of their recent problems to a lack of creativity in midfield, however Fergal Harkin and Paddy McGranaghan are still likely to keep their places in an unchanged middle line.
Jonathan Speke and James Mulligan will again form their attacking speahead and with Gavin Dykes serving the second part of a two-match suspension, Shane Bradley, the Donegal Gaelic footballer, will join Declan Boyle in central defence.
