‘He gives us space' – Caulfield backs Galway Utd star and FAI Cup joy to give ‘confidence' for League of Ireland run-in
BIG CAUL 'He gives us space' – Caulfield backs Galway Utd star and FAI Cup joy to give 'confidence' for League of Ireland run-in
GALWAY UNITED are believing again as they prepare for a massive final round of fixtures.
United train in Salthill Devon's Drom complex and managed to put four past their landlords on Friday in the FAI Cup.
It was the perfect preparation for next week's visit of Derry City.
Tribes boss John Caulfield said: 'We respect Salthill.
Advertisement
'They are the top junior side in Galway for the last number of years.
'A lot of their players have played with Galway United.
'We could have had a few more but their keeper made some great saves.
'In fairness to Salthill, they worked and battled hard but it was a very dominant performance from us.
Advertisement
'We haven't been scoring many goals lately so that will give the lads confidence. Jeremy Sivi comes in. You can see he gives us pace and impact.
'In tiring games in the league, he might make an impact and open things up. Greg Cunningham had a knock during the week so we have to monitor him. Conor McCormack is back in training and will be in contention for Derry.
'We have a strong squad back. Fellas are battling hard. We need that for the last quarter of the season to make sure we stay out of the relegation area.
'Derry were going for the league until they got beaten by Rovers.
Advertisement
League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas
'Europe is massive for them. They have invested heavily — a new manager and lots of new players.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
37 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Composure key as Drogheda United's Owen Lambe ensures Derry City are slaughtered in shootout
Derry themselves knocked out the Boynesiders on spot kicks in a first-round FAI Cup tie at United Park in 2021 - but Saturday's finale at The Brandywell could hardly have gone any better.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Derry boss questions referee decisions after FAI Cup penalty shoot-out defeat
Derry City boss Tiernan Lynch admits he was left in disbelief when Mark Connolly's late goal was disallowed for a foul as his side crashed out of the FAI Cup last night after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Drogheda.
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Kevin Doherty delighted with 'deserved' Drogheda United performance
Kevin Doherty pulled off another Drogheda United win at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium that saw both extra time and penalties. The Dublin-born manager feels the win, secured by three successful penalties, was well earned by the Louth outfit. "I thought it was well deserved," he told RTÉ Sport after Owen Lambe fired home the winning penalty. Referencing the small amount of raucous travelling Drogs fans behind him, Doherty says they were a key factor in the performance. "You're doing it for this. I said that before the game, if we had that coming up here, that would give us a right chance." The ex-Shels player said he felt there was an element of surprise in the performance, grabbing a goal from a smartly played free-kick three minutes in. "Probably surprised them a little bit with the two little lads, if you want to call it, up front. "Considering what everyone thinks about how we play and then even with the set piece. So it was great. But then I thought we were absolutely excellent." Doherty is insistent there was no luck involved, Derry may feel hard done by in some of the decisions that didn't go their way made but it was Drogs who maintained composure in the shoot-out, which Doherty revealed was rehearsed in training this week. "Even the penalties, no luck involved there. We practised them and practised them and practised them all week, all week, just in case. And to be fair, the lads stood up and just slotted them away." FT AET: Derry City 1-1 Drogheda United (0-3 pens) The defending champs return to the quarters in dramatic fashion 📺 📱 — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 16, 2025 Doherty feels the draw for his side in the cup has been among the most difficult but he is delighted to have come though it and get over Derry for the second year running in the cup. "The lads were out on their feet. And this is one of the, probably with Shamrock Rovers away, this away is by far the hardest draw and we've come through it and we're in the quarter-final of the cup. "And again, we knocked Derry out of it again, which is great. "We certainly haven't had an easy path so far. A lot of people last year would have thought that, despite the fact that we were the only team that had another Premier Division team in the first round." A few from Doherty's side were among the fortunate who bagged tickets to Oasis this weekend, and he says they will maybe enjoy that before refocusing. "We'll enjoy the trip home. A lot of us are going to Croke Park tomorrow so we'll enjoy that and then we'll get ready and we'll train again." It was a dire end to the FAI Cup for The Candystripes, with two saved and one missed penalty int he shoot-out but Tiernan Lynch isn't going to analyse those moments. "The game is 120 minutes and I'm not going to pick three penalties. It's difficult for pressure and all goes with it," Lynch told RTÉ Sport. The Foylesiders boss says he is still figuring out the decisions made in the game, including Michael Duffy's upending deep into stoppage time and Mark Connolly's disallowed goal, but admits he couldn't ask for more. "Obviously we had a penalty shout at the end. "We scored, which I'm still trying to understand where the infringement was in that. People may find this strange, but I couldn't ask any more of my players tonight. I thought they ran themselves into the ground." 113': Derry 1-1 Drogheda Mark Connolly thought he had the breakthrough but Derry are denied by the referee's whistle #RTESoccer 📺 📱 — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 16, 2025 Lynch takes issues with the lateness of the decision on the Connolly header in the 114th minute as well as the decisions on fouls in the box. "Also the fact that it took as long as it did to actually give the decision. "As I say, there's that decision and we thought we had two other penalty shouts. Hugely disappointing. "If there weren't penalties, there weren't penalties. From where I was standing, they looked like penalties. Maybe that's a bias on my side... I still don't understand why that goal wasn't given." Lynch made four changes in the 58th minutes which he felt reduced the first-half passivity of his side and ultimately made hero of the day, Luke Dennison work. "I thought the first half was just a wee bit too passive. We moved it and moved it and didn't ask enough questions. "I thought the second half then, we just looked like a totally different team. I thought we made their back three work. We made their goalkeeper work.
