Caulfield warns against taking result for granted in clash with Athlone Town

IF ever two teams went into a game with utterly contrasting fortunes it is Galway United and Athlone Town, who meet at the Athlone Town Stadium this Friday (7.45pm) with a comfortable win for the visitors the seemingly obvious outcome.

United go into the game on the back of a 3-1 win over Shelbourne, a victory which ended the Dublin club’s 20-game unbeaten start to the season and injected just the slightest bit of life back into the title race.

The Midlands club are in a very different place, having suffered a 6-0 hiding at the hands of UCD last Friday, a result which saw the end of Adrian Carberry’s tenure as manager after a run of results which saw them win just once in 10 league games.

That was a far cry from the start of the season, when the Town got off to a flier – including a 3-1 home win over United in the second game of the season – as Carberry’s new-look squad headed the table in the early weeks of the campaign.

That fact is something United manager, John Caulfield, has highlighted this week as he prepares his side for what could be a tricky game, especially if Paul Doolin takes the reins this week, as is widely expected.

“They have the same players that beat us down there early in the season, so they will be a real danger. Look, they have a very good squad, maybe something just didn’t work off the pitch in recent weeks for their results to go the way they did.

“They have quality – Dylan Hand, Killian Cantwell, Adam Wixted, Kurtis Byrne, James Doona, they all caused us problems this season and they are still there and have been joined now by the likes of Conor Barry, who we know all about; and Glen McAuley, who scored against us for Shels in Tolka Park.

“That is a serious squad, and Paul Doolin – if he gets the job – he’ll get the best out of those players. Don’t forget as well, we needed a late goal to beat them at our place in the summer, so I don’t buy the suggestion that we only have to turn up to win, they are a proud bunch of players and it will be a tough game,” he says.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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