Utd on a roll but Caulfield cautious for visit of Cobh

THEY may have played them off the pitch in the first meeting between the sides this season, but if there is one team which Galway United will not underestimate it is the Cobh Ramblers outfit that they host at Eamonn Deacy Park this Friday (7.45pm).

United were riding the crest of a wave last season under new manager John Caulfield, and headed into a home game with the Cork outfit on the back of a five-game winning run.

A sixth on the bounce seemed a formality, but the visitors went way off script and claimed a deserved win thanks to an early Ian Turner right-footed shot which delivered the only goal of a game as United finished with 10 men after Mikey Place’s late dismissal.

“People assume Cobh is one of those teams you can beat, but that’s not the case. They beat us at our place last season, and it will be a very difficult game,” warns Caulfield ahead of this Friday’s encounter.

“It is a massive game, I say it every week that every game is massive, but it is true. You can never be complacent in this game, every week brings a new challenge and you have to be ready for it.

“The biggest game for us is the next game, and this week that means the game at home to Cobh. They beat us at home last year, it is a dangerous game for us, but we have built up a bit of confidence in the team, there is competition for places with fellas coming back from injury and a couple of new lads coming in, and that should up the tempo a bit,” he said.

The two new faces he speaks of are Joe Gorman, a defender signed from Longford Town; and Thomas Oluwa, a speedy front player who has joined on loan from Bohemians until the end of the season.

Gorman was on the bench for last week’s win at UCD, while Oluwa had to content himself with a seat in the stands alongside Carlton Ubaezuonu and Caoilfhionn O’Dea, after the trio had been put through a rigorous pre-match fitness session by United’s performance coach, Danny Broderick.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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