Cost-cutting measures aimed at preventing potentially serious financial difficulties developing at Galway United were blamed yesterday by the club's manager for the loss of striker Stephen Grant to league leaders Shelbourne. Don O'Riordan said that while a package had been agreed on Saturday with a local businessman who was willing to pay the striker's wages until the end of the season, the arrangement came too late to prevent Grant completing his move to Tolka Park.
"In the end we got a bit of compensation which is something," said O'Riordan last night, "but obviously if I had the choice I'd have preferred to have the player because he's potentially a 20 goal a season man, I've no doubt about that."
O'Riordan declined to detail the size of the debt which had led to the initial doubts over whether Grant could be afforded but he did say that a round of cutbacks had resulted in most players taking significant reductions in pay with several agreeing to stay on and play for the club without being paid at all.
"One or two lads might still end up leaving because of the changes," said O'Riordan, "but generally the reaction has been fantastic with everybody just looking to get on with things and one or two deciding, after I had offered to release them, that they would rather stay on." Grant's return to Dublin, where he previously played with Shamrock Rovers, was one of a handful of moves involving leading premier division clubs yesterday, the transfer deadline.
Other players to make switches included Paul Byrne, who returned to Bohemians from St Patrick's Athletic, Sean Riordan, who joined Longford Town from Kilkenny City, and Davie Williamson who linked up with Bray Wanderers after struggling to make an impact at Dalymount Park.
Brendan Markey, released by Bohemians last week, joined Newry Town while Brian Morrisroe was released by Dundalk and Paul McAreavy and Stephen Murphy made their loan spells to Kilkenny City from Swindon Town and Glenavon, respectively, permanent.
Bray Wanderers' preparations for their FAI Cup match at Bohemians, meanwhile, have suffered a couple of blows with seven players, including three goalkeepers, affected by flu and striker Paul Keegan ruled out by a knee injury.
Keegan, a key figure in the club's recently ended long unbeaten run, was told yesterday by officials of Major League Soccer that he must return to the United States immediately in order to have the injury he picked up in last weekend's defeat by Shelbourne assessed.
While Keegan is hoping that he might still manage to play for Wanderers again before his loan period officially ends on March 1st, he admits to being concerned that the problem may involved his cruciate ligament in which case he would almost certainly require surgery.
With his contract at the New England Revolution up, Keegan is due to find out next week whether another club has opted to recruit him for the coming American season and so between that and the fact that he will miss tomorrow night's cup match at Dalymount, he admits that the timing of the injury could hardly have been worse.
If the injury turns out to be less serious, then Keegan hopes to return to Ireland as soon as possible.
The loss of the striker, who scored eight goals in 12 league and cup appearances for Wanderers this season, will be a major blow to Bray as they continue to aim for a place in Europe next season. But Devlin's immediate problems are even more severe, with Colm Tresson and Philip Keogh as well as goalkeepers Josh Moran, John Walsh and Eddie Van Boxtel, among the players who are suffering from flu.
