By Kevin Horgan

Galway United manager, John Caulfield, was a relieved man at the full-time whistle at the RSC on Saturday evening, as his side retained Premier Division status for the second year in succession, after a nail-biting 1-1 draw in the south-east.

Despite needing a result last Saturday to ensure Premier Division survival, Caulfield was pleased with the resilience shown by his side in recent weeks.

“To be fair to the lads they responded. They have been absolutely brilliant over the last six or seven weeks. We knew we were in bother. We were in the bottom two there about six or seven weeks ago. We knew we needed to get results and in fairness to these guys they turned it around.

“I thought we were really good tonight. We should have been ahead at the break. Stephen [Walsh] gets a good goal, and we probably should have had more but then we concede, which was disappointing. We really limited to Waterford to efforts from outside the box in the second-half and we defended really well.”

It has been a difficult year off the pitch for the Roscommon native, with his mother, Nora, passing sway in February; while his close friend and assistant manager, Ollie Horgan, died in August.

Back in February, to the surprise of many, Caulfield was on the sideline for the Tribesmen on the evening of his mother’s funeral Mass in a game United defeated St Patrick’s Athletic at Eamonn Deacy Park.

Speaking after last Saturday’s game in Waterford, the Leecarrow man admitted it was a hugely tough season off the pitch.

“It’s been a very difficult time. My mother was a great supporter of mine, but she was old, if I get to her age at 90, I’d be happy, because the pressure here and the results. Obviously with Ollie, he was close to me and incredibly close to the players, that does take its toll.”

Caulfield and Horgan’s relationship in football went back 25 years, to their time in managing in amateur football. During his time at Avondale United in Cork, Caulfield came up against Horgan’s Fanad United on numerous occasions in the FAI Intermediate Cup.

However, it was during their time together on the UEFA PRO Licence course where the pair became good friends over a decade ago.

Pictured: Galway United manager, John Caulfield.