Dundalk 0

Galway United 2

THIS was as enjoyable as it was surprising, and that’s not to say it wasn’t thoroughly deserved: if anything, it could have been an even more emphatic win for the visitors, who showed they very much belong in the top-flight with a brilliantly-managed game plan that tactically flummoxed their hosts.

Over in Kennedy’s pub, just on the other side of the railway tracks about a three-minute walk from the ground, Dundalk and United fans mingled happily before the game. The home fans mentioned still being haunted by United’s 4-0 win in the FAI Cup clash between the sides last season, but there was a tentative air of confidence, especially having impressed in a 1-1 draw away to Shamrock Rovers the previous weekend.

The United fans had travelled more in hope than expectation, and arra, sure that cup game was a freak result anyway and it is different playing a cup game on your own patch as opposed to travelling to a ground where you hadn’t won in 20 years.

When the team sheets were announced it didn’t do much to change the tone in the away end: United’s starting XI featured a goalkeeper, four defenders and six midfielders. No striker.

‘A false nine’, someone suggested. ‘No feckin’ nine at all, false or otherwise’, was the reply. It looked like United were setting-up for a defensive smother, damage limitation, not really parking the bus, but not exactly driving it either. Boy were we wrong.

Rather than a blanket defence, United went with two up front, David Hurley and Karl O’Sullivan deployed as frontmen in a 4-4-2 formation, and by God did it work. United scored twice, hit the woodwork on two other times, also hit the side-netting, and O’Sullivan was twice played clean through on goal, but was unable to capitalise on either occasion. It could have been an utter rout.

Pictured: Karl O’Sullivan twice went close to scoring for Galway United from one-on-one situations, and also flashed another effort across goal.