Tomorrow night in Eamonn Deacy Park will be a novel occasion, as Salthill Devon will host Galway United in their usual home.
There will also be plenty of familiarity. Some might swap their traditional maroon for light blue for the night. Many players have done so on a more permanent basis.
Of the Devon side that took out a serious junior team, St.Michael’s, in the last 32, five were former first-teamers with United and more were on the books of the academy.
As such, Emlyn Long has plenty of quality to call upon. The threat carried by Timmy Molloy and Enda Curran will carry the utmost respect. On their biggest night of the season, both will be keen to remind the town of their class.
Marc Ludden is likely to marshal the midfield where he will be ably assisted by Shane O’ Rourke. Arek Mamala has League of Ireland experience in goals and has quality in front of him with the likes of Darren Collins and captain Calym Crowe.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Devon’s first-round, in what is effectively their pre-season, was their ability to introduce the likes of Greg Kinneen, Churchill Idemudia and Aidan Halloran. All stood out for United at various grades in the recent past. There might even be more options available on Friday, as Devon had to cope with absentees last time out.
An understanding of the quality of some of Salthill’s players should help guard against complacency for United. They will also understand that Devon will bring a high level of motivation and desire and that will need to be matched.
They should have an advantage as full-time professional players, but also that they are in the middle of their season. The performance and result on Sunday against Shamrock Rovers have lifted the mood around the club, but only a win here will sustain that.
John Caulfield’s selection will be particularly interesting. It will be worth monitoring what impact Jon Daly might have had in his first week with the club.
There might be a temptation to stick with what worked on Sunday versus Shamrock Rovers. They may also wish to opt for a more attacking shape as a different challenge awaits. Due to form and injuries, there have been plenty of adjustments to the side of late. However, the combinations clicked, and many individuals enjoyed their best games in some time.
Brendan Clarke was a bystander for most of it but still exudes calm. Garry Buckley was commanding at the heart of the defence. Greg Cunningham displayed his qualities at left-wing back. Patrick Hickey was crucial in midfield. David Hurley had a fine game there too.
Up top, Dara McGuinness will be pressing hard for inclusion after impressing again off the bench. Stephen Walsh dictated the tempo and aggression once more. New signing Jeremy Sivi comes with a Football League pedigree and provides a fresh option out wide.
League safety is what everyone associated with United would settle for currently, however this challenge feels like it should be embraced. Drogheda’s cup run if anything appeared to assist them in their journey to staying up last season.
Aside from all of that, it is a Galway derby. The shared histories of the players and the clubs adds enough spice for this to be very important in its own right. Devon should be applauded for getting this far but shouldn’t be patronised either, they are as dangerous a junior side as United could have drawn. For different reasons, it is a big opportunity for both.
