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Galway United v Derry City: Opposition Overview (April 2026)

Pol O’Hare

Following the international break, Derry City face Galway United in the first of two Easter weekend away games in Connacht. With a point separating the sides in the table, I take a look at the Tribesmen ahead of tonight’s game.

In:

• Wasiri Williams (Daugavpils)
• Kris Twardek (Valour)
• Gianfranco Facchineri (Valour)
• Nicolas Chateau (Vancouver Whitecaps)
• Hugo Cunha (Famalicao)
• Matty Wolfe (Sligo Rovers)
• Francely Lomboto (Glenavon)
• Al-Amin Kazeem (St Patrick’s Athletic)
• Lee Devitt (Treaty United)
• Frantz Pierrot (Bnei Yehuda)
• Evan Watts (Swansea City – loan)
• Arthur Parker (Swansea City – loan)
• Conor Barratt (Barnsley – loan)

Out:

• Rob Slevin (Derry City)
• Patrick Hickey (Bohemians)
• Garry Buckley (Cobh Ramblers)
• Jeannot Esua (Sligo Rovers)
• Bobby Burns (Dundalk)
• Vincent Borden (Kerry)
• Brendan Clarke (Athlone Town)
• Steven Healy (Treaty United)
• Jeremy Sivi (FK Loznica)
• Greg Cunningham (retired)
• Malcolm Shaw (released)
• Regan Donelon (released)
• Cillian Tollett (Athlone Town – loan)
• Junior Thiam (Athlone Town – loan)

Following last year’s eighth placed finish, Galway United lost key players with former Ireland international Greg Cunningham retiring and Rob Slevin, Garry Buckley and Vincent Borden all leaving for other clubs in the League of Ireland.

Both starting fullbacks Jeannot Esua and Bobby Burns joined Premier Division rivals Sligo Rovers and Dundalk, while veteran goalkeeper Brendan Clarke departed for Athlone Town. The loss of Patrick Hickey to Bohemians may prove to be the biggest – the Chicagoan has been Galway’s standout player in the past couple of seasons.

Manager John Caulfield brought former Bohemians and Sligo Rovers forward Kris Twardek back to Ireland from his native Canada, alongside former Valour teammate Gianfranco Facchineri and Vancouver Whitecaps striker Nicolas Chateau. Youth academy graduate Francely Lomboto has returned following stints at Sligo Rovers and Glenavon, but the arrival of Haitian striker Frantz Pierrot looks like shrewd business. The 26 year old stood out at Athlone Town in 2023 and Drogheda United in 2024 before moving to Velez Mostar. Lee Devitt was one of the First Division’s standout players with Treaty United last year,
scoring fifteen times in the league from midfield. He adds to the attacking prowess of David Hurley and Ed McCarthy in the middle, while Matthew Wolfe comes into the midfield following a season with Sligo Rovers.

Al-Amin Kazeem replaces Jeannot Esua at wingback and returns to the club he spent the first half of the 2024 campaign on loan at. Former Dundalk centre back Wasiri Williams has been joined in defence by Ireland U21 international Connor Barratt, who arrives on loan from Barnsley. Gianfranco Facchineri has played every minute for the Tribesmen this year but
converted an own goal in the 4-3 win over Waterford. Evan Watts received a Wales U21 callup while on loan at Galway last year and returns to the club for 2026, with Portuguese 24 year old Hugo Cunha coming in to challenge him.

Galway United have won two, drawn two and lost four of their opening eight fixtures. Those two wins may prove to be crucial, coming against the two teams below them in the table in Sligo Rovers and Waterford.

The draws came against Dundalk and Shelbourne, but Galway haven’t scored in any of the four matches they’ve lost. Three of those four were 1-0 defeats and, to rub salt into their wounds, those three winners all came in the 87 th minute or later.

The main man for Galway United this year has been Kris Twardek, who has bagged four times for the Tribesmen on his to return to Ireland. Pierrot has since opened his account in Connacht, while stalwarts David Hurley, Jimmy Keohane and Stephen Walsh have found the other four goals for Caulfield’s side.

Derry City travelled to Galway on Good Friday last year, coming away 3-2 winners. That win was City’s first in Eamonn Deacy Park since August 2015. The Candystripes didn’t need to wait long for their next victory in Terryland as Adam O’Reilly found a 93 rd minute winner in a 2-1 win in Galway four months later. The other two fixtures last year ended in 1-1 draws, while two red cards were flashed across the four meetings in 2025.