United cannot afford to lose more ground on leaders

By Keith Kelly

Galway United will look to end the only unbeaten record in either division this evening when they head to Tolka Park to face First Division leaders, Shelbourne (7.45pm).

With Shamrock Rovers’ impressive 33-match unbeaten run in the Premier Division ending last Friday, Shelbourne’s 3-1 win over the previously unbeaten UCD in a top-of-the-table clash in the lower division on the same night means the Reds are the only side in the country yet to taste defeat this season.

United could do with being the team to end that run, as they are eight points behind Friday night’s hosts after just one third of the season, but John Caulfield is not ready to push the panic button just yet.

“We go to Shelbourne and we have to be ready for another tough game. We have played everyone now, we are midtable, but there is a long way to go yet.

“You can see the lads are beginning to gel, and they are starting to get that belief now, I have to work with them to make sure they continue to believe,” the United manager said ahead of this Friday’s trip to Dublin.

The opening weekend’s meeting between the two sides in Eamonn Deacy Park back in March was a tasty affair, the two sides playing out a scoreless draw in a game in which the visitors were reduced to 10 men five minutes before the break after a disgraceful two-footed lunge by Glen McAuley on Maurice Nugent.

In the kerfuffle that followed, David Hurley was floored by a punch, so there will be no love lost between the sides this Friday for a game in which United simply cannot afford to lose if they want to remain in the conversation about potential league champions..

United were the better side in that March meeting – a shot count of 15-5 in their favour shows that – but as has been the case more than once this season, they just couldn’t put the ball in the net.

There continues to be something of a lack of creativity to their play this season – the continued absence of Stephen Christopher is baffling – but even in saying that, there has to be a recognition that the side are creating chances, and maybe it is taking those opportunities that has been the biggest impediment this season.

One thing that cannot be questioned is the effort of the squad, and while there have been snarky comments about how a full-time squad can be so far off the pace, you only have to look at the final stages of the last two games to see that full-time training is paying off.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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