St Colman’s Park will provide the backdrop for Galway United’s next SSE Airtricity League first division encounter against Cobh Ramblers tomorrow (7.45pm ).
It was a splendid Bank Holiday weekend for John Caulfield’s charges, who enjoyed two victories over Treaty United and Longford Town. The stirring win over Treaty at the Markets Field – inspired by a string of substitutions - was achieved with three goals in the last 15 minutes, while United produced a forceful second half display to beat Longford.
“What was very pleasing was we knew we had two games over the four days, that it would test the squad,” Caulfield says.
“It was tough, it is energy sapping. Obviously against Treaty on Friday night we came back from two down, it was a great win, an incredible win with major impact from the lads that came off the bench. Then on Monday you are playing another team challenging at the top.
“Gary Cronin, the manager, has a very good side, they were the only team that have beaten us so far this season - Longford. It was a very even game, but I think in the second half it was one of those games where you just felt whoever made the breakthrough would go on to win it.
“Once we went ahead we looked strong. Obviously getting the second goal then killed the game off. It was a fantastic atmosphere with more than 3,000 people at the match. A great atmosphere, the crowd were really behind the team. Certainly over the four days it was nice to come out with the six points.”
The depth of the United squad was a factor in the triumphs according to Caulfield. “That is what you need, you need a strong squad, and you need people to come in to keep standards high,” Caulfield says.
“If you lose a couple of players - Shane Doherty has been out for a number of weeks, Mikie Rowe has been out for two weeks, he literally had played every match up until now. You need players to come in that can keep that standard up.
“Thankfully, at the moment, the lads coming off the bench and the changes we made on Monday - the players are keeping the standard high, that is what we need.”
Caulfield expects a demanding evening against Darren Murphy’s Cobh. “It is always a huge battle down there. Cork got a 3-2 win when they went down - they were very lucky. Certainly Cobh deserved at least a point. We are under no illusions that when you go to Cobh you have to be ready for the fight and the battle. There is nothing easy in this league, if you go to Cobh you have to be at your best to take a result. If you're not you won't.
“They are a really gutsy team, Darren Murphy is a manager I know well, he has assembled a young team together. They are very hardworking, gutsy team, you have to earn the right in these games. When you go down to their place, a tight pitch, if you are not up for the fight you will leave points behind you. It is another very difficult game for us.”
**Listen to the full interview with Galway United manager John Caulfield on this week’s ‘Cian on Sport’ podcast available on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
