Galway United have rarely dined at the top table of Irish football, but they have been in this situation before. Big expectant crowds gathered in Terryland. Even the RTÉ cameras turned up. Ultimately, United came up short against Finn Harps, Derry City and Bohemians in home semi-finals. And so, they still sing about Lansdowne in the sun in 1991.
This side have often struggled since to recapture the magic of Adrian Walsh’s move on that day, when Tommy Keane found Johnny Glynn. This current side, however, are carving out their own history in competing with consistency in a more competitive league.
They have done brilliantly to earn this chance again. John Caulfield, who pointed out he is longer a Galway United manager than he was ever a Cork City manager, takes some satisfaction in what his side has achieved this season after a huge squad turnover.
Caulfield said: “At the start of the season we had a brand new team. We had a turnover of 15 players. Even within them, some of them left and we had to bring in new players. We have 18 new players. To get them to gel and compete is a credit to them. They have been outstanding.”
The team has a couple of principal challenges. Firstly, there is a gulf between the sides, evident in the Brandywell last time out, exacerbated by Derry’s uptick in form and acknowledged by the United manager.
“We are all aware that Derry were one of the title favourites. They have invested massively over the last few seasons. Everyone knows that off the pitch there were a lot of issues and it had a massive effect on the squad. Their form hadn’t been good but things have changed since Mark Connolly went in. They beat us well in the Brandywell. They have top players.”
Secondly, United do not enter this game in the shape they would like to in terms of health. A congested calendar before the break took a toll.
“We had three games in a week. We were unfortunate that we picked up a few nasty injuries. A couple of lads are gone for the season. [Wasiri] Williams got injured. He is due back in training. [Al-Amin] Kazeem looks like he won’t make it. [Matty] Wolfe and Ed McCarthy are due back training. [Leigh] Kavanagh looks like he won’t make it. [Killian] Brouder and Axel Piesold are gone for the season.”
Supporters' significance
It limits his options for starters and impact subs but Caulfield clearly believes he will turn out a side on Saturday that will have every chance. He is banging the drum for not only a big support but a vocal backing. He wants life to be uncomfortable for the opposition. He won’t say it as such, but he will want the officials, who so often felt the comfort of a genteel Galway, to feel the heat of a loud home crowd.
In one of his more interesting comments before the game, he reflected on the experience of the 2023 semi-final.
“We were in a semi-final three years ago but only four of those are still at the club. If you look at our squad other than that, Jimmy [Keohane] has experience of cup finals but other than that our players haven’t been involved at this stage.
“I think on that day (in 2023 ) our crowd didn’t really get behind the team. The noise level wasn’t what we expected. There was a nervousness in the crowd and players. It’s different now that we are in the Premier Division. Our guys are more experienced.”
His willingness to even gently chide his own supporters shows that he is a man with confidence. It is one of his great strengths that he can instil the same in his sides. They will believe that they can win on Saturday. They will, as he put it in his inimitable style, "Run through a wall for Galway United".
Whether that is enough to progress to the Aviva Stadium remains to be seen. It might not be against a side that operates at different levels of the transfer market. The key point is that if United turn up with that energy and passion and give their best, it will be enough for John Caulfield and enough for those that have kept the faith all these years.
