A weekend that had all the hallmarks of being a taxing experience for Galway United took on a more agreeable hue on Tuesday when their Bank Holiday Monday game at home to Shamrock Rovers was postponed.

A number of players from the Hoops have been called up to various squads for next week’s international window. Under league guidelines, any club that has two or more players from their senior squad called up for international action can apply to have an affected league game postponed, and the Dublin club sought – and was granted – a postponement of Monday’s game.

No new date for the refixture has been announced, but the only date on United minds is tonight, when they head to Richmond Park to take on St Patrick’s Athletic (7.45pm) as the first game of the scheduled weekend double-header does go ahead.

United go into the game in incredible form, a nine-game unbeaten stretch being the club’s best run in the top-flight since the club-record 16-match unbeaten run at the start of a 1985/86 season which ended with the club’s best-ever top-flight finish as runners-up to Shamrock Rovers.

Their last game in that unbeaten run was a scoreless draw away to St Pat’s, and up to a couple of weeks ago, you’d have put good money on a similar scoreline this Friday given United’s shyness in front of goal.

That has changed in the past two weeks, the side scoring five goals in two games – before that they had just eight goals in 15 games – but they are coming up against a dangerous Inchicore side tonight.

The reigning FAI Cup champions might be on a five-game winless run in the league, but Stephen Kenny has now had a few weeks to work with the squad since being appointed as manager after swapping the dugout at Lansdowne Road for those at Emmet Road, and the new-manager boost is surely set to arrive sooner rather than later.

“We have a massive game away against Pats up in Inchicore, we need to be fully right physically and mentally, we need to recover and get ourselves right for Friday night,” United assistant manager, Ollie Horgan, said after last Friday night’s win over Dundalk.

Pictured: Galway United goalkeeper Brendan Clarke launching a kick-out against Dundalk during the Premier Division encounter at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.