Cunningham to the rescue with late header as Utd draw again

Galway United 2

UCD 2

GALWAY United had to twice come from behind to secure a draw against UCD at Eamonn Deacy Park last Friday night in a game in which they largely dominated and could – actually, make that should – have won.

Both of the visitors’ goals had more than an element of luck to them, but for the second meeting in succession between the sides, United needed a late goal to salvage a draw, which now extends their run at home without a win to six games.

The final score apart, there were plenty of positives for United, not least the fact that both Ruairi Keating and Padraig Cunningham bagged their first goals of the season, but United need to start turning draws into wins sooner rather than later in order to stay in touch at the top of the table.

The great John Giles was on a national radio programme recently where he said that it takes a manager anything up to 8 or 10 games to know what his strongest side is, and judging by United’s starting XI last Friday, John Caulfield is still unsure of his.

He made four changes to the team that had drawn 1-1 with Treaty United the previous Friday – and that side itself had shown three changes from the side that was beaten by Athlone Town a fortnight earlier.

The UCD game saw the return of Stephen Walsh and David Hurley, who were dropped after the Athlone debacle; as well as Mikey Rowe, who had started in the season opener against Shelbourne, but was on the bench for both the Athlone Town and Treaty United games.

The fourth change saw a first appearance of the season of Chris Horgan, and he had a belter of a game, vying with Keating as United’s best player on the night despite the right-footed player lining out as a left-sided wing back in yet another new United formation, this one being a new 3-4-2-1 effort.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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