There may have been no more difficult assignment available in the FAI Cup Second Round Draw than away to Shelbourne. Despite this, Galway United will travel to Tolka tomorrow with confidence gained from their performances to date.
There has been little in the games between the sides this season. Results so far have favoured those with home advantage.
Shelbourne will feel they have some unfinished business in the cup after their humbling in the 2022 Final against Derry. Last year, they exited early against near neighbours Bohemians.
Yet, they are on the precipice of an historic achievement in the league. In a wild, unpredictable season they are still top on merit. There will be some hope that their attention might lie still with the league. However, Damien Duff does not give off the demeanour of a manager waiting to roll over.
Nonetheless, their recent outings have offered some encouragement to their opponents. They were underwhelming at home in their 0-0 draw against title rivals Derry, who played for an hour with ten men. Shels then suffered a second successive 2-1 loss against Sligo on Saturday.
Their star turn Will Jarvis has been recalled to his parent club, Hull City. Sean Boyd has also been struggling with a calf injury of late. However, in another show of strength for the league, the Drumcondra side have announced the signing of Irish international Aiden O’ Brien. He will further bolster a squad that have only lost once at home all season.
For their part, United enjoyed a splendid cup run last season and will be keen to recreate this magic. They started this season’s campaign with a routine victory over an insipid Longford Town outfit. Should United overcome this hurdle, the going could get good with St. Pat’s and Shamrock Rovers already eliminated.
Recent results have been mixed but Caulfield’s side have remained hyper-competitive and are still in the shake-up at the top end of the table.
Arguably, their squad has not been in a stronger position all season. On Sunday against St. Pat’s, summer signings Greg Cunningham and Jimmy Keohane both started. Bobby Burns was the only fresh concern in terms of availability, as he was absent from the matchday squad.
On the bench, there was strong and experienced cover for every position. Rob Slevin and Maurice Nugent have both been exceptional this season. Their place among the reserves on Sunday indicates the health and competition in the squad.
The sight of Ronan Manning taking part in the warm-up was heartening as he has endured a torrid time with injury. One hopes that this indicates he may play some part this season.
The options have increased for both managers during the summer and the expectation is that both sides will line out strongly. It will be a big ask for United but they have provided plenty of answers this season for their doubters.
