INTERVIEW: Gary Shaw on why he felt that something big would happen on Friday night

While the rest of us wondered if a first win of the season was coming on Friday night, it seems that Gary Shaw knew all along. The striker came on in the second half to seal a 2-1 victory over Galway United with an injury time header and as he explained after the game, it’s not the first time he’s nicked the points for his side at Eamonn Deacy Park.

“I like it up in Galway, I’ve scored a few up here,” Shaw said. “I scored a last minute winner here in 2017 with Shamrock Rovers. It’s always in the back of my mind, I always feel like I have a bit of luck when I’m here so when I was put on, I just wanted to get one chance and that chance came in the last minute.”

The Seagulls’ maiden victory of the 2021 campaign arrived later than we would have hoped and nobody could argue that we didn’t deserve it after some good performances. Shaw, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Monday, goes along with that, saying: “We needed that win badly. We’ve been playing well and just not getting a bit of luck. We got a bit of luck tonight, they hit the post twice and had a few decent chances but you just need to take your chance when it comes and I’m glad I did that.”

It’s been tough for Shaw, watching on from the sidelines and he credits his manager for allowing him the time and space to regain fitness. “I got an injury against Shels and I’m trying to get back as quickly as I can, I’m probably rushing it a small bit,” he said.

“Gary (Cronin) has been really good, he’s been patient with me and understands that I have to be careful. He’s been getting me on bit by bit. Tonight I told him, and he felt, that I had enough in me for half an hour or 40 minutes. It was good for my head and confidence to get that under my belt and to score as well is just a bonus.”

A injury time winner will always lead to jubilant scenes in the dressing room and Friday night was no different. The long wait made the win all the sweeter and now, with five draws and just one defeat, Gary feels that the the next job is to kick on.

“We came in there as if we won a cup final but it’s just that weight off our shoulders. We’ve felt that we’ve been playing well and we’ve been unlucky, like in the Shels game when we were done with the peno, but we just weren’t taking our chances. We were getting balls into the box but just had no one there to finish it. Luckily when the ball came into the box tonight, I was there to put it away. It’s a big relief but we need to keep this going now.”

Next up for The Seagulls, an East Coast derby against Cabinteely at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night.