Galway United close in on completing sensational turnaround in fortunes

GALWAY United stand 180 minutes away from a return to the top flight of the domestic league as the most bizarre of seasons – for so many different reasons – continues for John Caulfield’s side.

Second from bottom of the First Division table when the Roscommon native took over in August, the rest of the season looked like an opportunity for the former Cork City supremo to run the rule over the squad at his disposal to build for a promotion push next season.

Instead, he has presided over the most dramatic of turnarounds in fortune, so much so that United have gone from league also-rans to firm favourites to advance to the promotion final when they travel to Dublin on Friday to take on Longford Town at the neutral venue of UCD’s Belfield Bowl in the First Division play-offs final (7.45pm).

“When I came into the club, and I looked at it, I could see a group of lads that lacked a bit of belief, a bit of confidence. We called the management team together and tried to put a plan in place for some hard work to see could we turn around the results,” Caulfield says.

“We wanted to see could we develop the lads, we love working with the players to make the group better, and they have been outstanding, they have been brilliant. I suppose, 11 weeks ago they were written off, they were gone – I see this as the tip of the iceberg with this club, there is massive potential, and hopefully we can lock that and bring Galway back to being a real strong forceful club within the league.”

One of the keys to the complete transformation of United under Caulfield has been the simple concept of self-belief. The side couldn’t buy a win under Alan Murphy, and the concession of late goals against the likes of Cobh Ramblers and Longford Town cost them valuable points – and, in respect of the Cobh game, a first win of the season.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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