Latest news with #SWIPlayeroftheMonth
Irish Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Galway Utd boss on the secret to competing with richer clubs in transfer market
Galway United boss John Caulfield reckons provincial club managers have to 'box clever' in the transfer market to compete with some of the richer League of Ireland sides. Caulfield pulled off one of the finds of the season when he brought striker Moses Dyer to Eamonn Deacy Park from Canadian side Vancouver FC. He has been rewarded with Dyer's eight goals so far propelling him to the top of the Premier Division scoring charts. The 11-time capped New Zealand international was this week named the SSE Airtricity/SWI Player of the Month for April. But he wasn't on anyone's radar here before Caulfield swooped. He was reacting to the departure of Tim Clancy from his former club Cork City, and the difficulties with competing against sides that could splash the cash, when he gave an insight into Galway's success so far this season. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'The investment in the league nationwide has grown dramatically,' he said. 'If you look at the period when I was previously manager in Cork to now, the investment in clubs has been massive. And the stakes have been upped. 'And I suppose the challenges for the provincial clubs, particularly probably Sligo, Galway, Cork and possibly Waterford is competing because you're on a much lesser budget than the four Dublin clubs and Derry. 'But that's the challenge. That's why you have to work so hard. That's why you have to try and see if you can find the likes of Moses and these guys who are maybe not in the public eye. 'And there are ways somewhere that you can find these guys that will come in and make a difference. 'Ollie (Horgan) and myself put a lot of work into that, trying to find players that maybe are outside the eye of the clubs in Dublin. 'Because we know we don't have the money that's there, we have to box clever. 'I suppose the gap in that side has got bigger, but you have to try and find other ways and other solutions of how to stay in there, how to get results, how to sign players outside the box that will keep you competitive. 'And I suppose that's the challenge. And no matter if you're a manager of any club, it's really, really difficult. 'But you have to work incredibly hard and you have to have people with you who work hard and have good knowledge. 'You're not going to have any of those provincial clubs competing to sign a player that, with all due respect, Stephen (Bradley) or Duffer or Stephen Kenny come in for because financially you're not going to be there. 'So you have to go elsewhere. And that's the challenge for us.' Sligo Rovers boss John Russell, meanwhile, is another who is working off a small budget - and his Bit O' Red side is rooted to the bottom of the Premier Division. He is eager to turn things around quickly. 'The squad and staff all know results have not been good enough for a club like ours,' said Russell. 'But again, there's a huge determination within us to turn things around and there's no better way of beginning to do that than with a good result in a derby.'
Irish Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
‘Could've been worse' - St Patrick's Athletic striker on Golden Boot race blow
Aidan Keena fancies his chances of winning this season's Golden Boot - because his rivals failed to take advantage of his six-week injury absence. Considering he missed so many games with a hamstring injury, the St Patrick's Athletic striker reckons he is doing well to be just three goals behind leading scorer Moses Dyer. The Galway United man is on eight goals for the campaign and his heroics have earned him the SSE Airtricity/SWI Player of the Month award for March. But having scored his five goals to date in just his first four appearances of the campaign, Keena says he is still very much in the mix for the personal honour. He was asked if he had his eye on the top scorer prize and replied: 'Kind of yeah, but at the same time if you're giving them six weeks, you're going to have to catch up, know what I mean, I have to get myself going again. 'I know if I can get myself going, I can be top scorer, it's not really a pressure on myself. A couple of boys are flying at the moment, Moses Dyer is flying, everyone has their turn. 'I'm three behind, I'm drawing with a few. It's going alright. Could have been worse.' Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. While team glory trumps individual honours, Keena says a successful pursuit of the Golden Boot will be a win-win. 'Yeah, because I hit my personal goals we're going to be close as a team. That's the way I look at it,' he said. 'Other boys might be different. But if I'm top scorer, that means I've scored a lot of goals and hopefully we've won a lot of games, know what I mean? That's the way I look at it.' Keena missed almost two months as he recovered from a hamstring injury that he picked up in training shortly after a 3-0 win against Bohemians in mid-March. He returned to action earlier this month against Galway United and provided an assist for Kian Leavy's opener. He acknowledged that his absence could have been much longer. 'Basically the way the t-junction is you either need an op or you don't,' he said. 'If you need an op, you're out for months - three or four months - but if you don't, you get lucky enough and you can be back in six weeks. 'It happened in training, a cross came in and I took a shot and the pain just shot straight up it. I was feeling good and then just blew up out of nowhere.' While Pat's have lost their last two games, Keena is confident that they can return to winning ways and close the four-point gap to the top of the table. 'If you start winning a few games, you get that confidence and everyone gelling and then you can go on a little run,' he said. 'I think it's fair to say (that Pat's haven't hit the levels of late last year). We haven't. But I don't think any team has. 'I think because it's so tight and every team is close enough standard wise and ability wise that it is going to just that sort of league. 'One team is top one week and two weeks later, they're fourth. It's just the way it is at the moment.'
Irish Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
‘Best job in the world' - well travelled Galway United star celebrates award win
Galway United striker Moses Dyer has played in his home country of New Zealand, Norway, Canada and the USA, but the 'mad' League of Ireland is by far his favourite destination so far. The 11-time capped forward has made quite the impression in his time at Eamonn Deacy Park so far. His eight goals in 14 appearances have helped earn him the SSE Airtricity/SWI Player of the Month award for March - ahead of Drogheda United's Warren Davis and Jack Byrne of Shamrock Rovers. Asked about his travels, he said: 'Yeah, I started out in Norway. I did a year and a half there and then I spent about five years in North America between Canada and the US, and a lot of different clubs, so yeah, it's been different. 'It's been a long journey, but Ireland is definitely my favourite place so far.' Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. As well as the jet-lag, Dyer found it difficult adjusting to grass pitches, especially when the early-season downpours turned many of the League of Ireland surfaces into quagmires. 'It was definitely tough, yeah. I've been playing on turf and I hate turf, but it took me a while to get used to the grass,' he said. 'The games are mad. The fans are mad in this league. So it was tough to get used to. And different style of play. 'You're coming to a new country, everything is different. But I just kept training, kept my head down and I believed that I could, even the first few games, I think it took me five games to score. 'And every game I'd be disappointed, but I knew I could score in this league. And now it's come off, so it's rewarding.' According to Dyer, one of the perks of his profession is the opportunity to travel the world and see so many new places. 'I've had the best job in the world. There's nothing more to say really, it's the best thing ever. That's why I've come to Ireland. 'I never thought I'd ever come to Ireland and now I'm playing here, living in Galway. 'The landscape is very similar (to New Zealand). Galway is a beach town so every time the sun is out I'm there.' As for his first Player of the Month award, he said: 'I'm feeling good, yeah. It's good to get nominated twice. Last month, April, was probably my best month so yeah, it was good.'
