United begin life without O’Shea

Date Published: 11-Aug-2009

IF you have a spare five minutes on your hands – well, a spare 3 minutes 16 seconds to be precise – get to a computer, log on to YouTube and type in the words ‘Pats fans Russia’ into the search engine.

The first video that pops up was shot using a mobile phone and shows a group of around 50 St Patrick’s Athletic fans in McDowell’s pub just down the road from Pats’ home ground of Richmond Park, watching a big screen and screaming at the referee to blow the full-time whistle.

The game in question was Pats’ Europa League qualifier against Russian side Krylya Sovetov Samara last week, and the thing is, the Pats fans are not actually watching the game, but watching a live text update. The language is a little colourful, the footage of poor quality, but it is a perfect snapshot of life as a League of Ireland fan, forced to ‘watch’ a crucial game through the medium of teletext.

Of course, if you want to experience the real thing, then Terryland Park is the place to be tonight when Galway United host Drogheda United (kick-off 7.45pm) as they bid to make it four wins out of five and cement their mid-table position.

United have put a run of poor form behind them to record wins over St Pats, Bray and Sligo Rovers, and a win tonight will see them move 11 points clear of Drogheda and virtually assure their place in the Premier Division next season.

The game sees United start life without Jay O’Shea, who is completing a move to Birmingham City, while United manager Ian Foster will also have to plan without O’Shea’s replacement as captain, John Russell, who serves a one game ban after being sent off in the Connacht derby win over Sligo Rovers 10 days ago.

That was United’s last game, as their scheduled game with Derry City last Friday was postponed due to the Candystripes’ own Europa League qualifier on Thursday, but with confidence high in the camp, Foster is…