Galway United 1

 Shelbourne 1

IF you were to pick one word to sum up Galway United, you could do worse than ‘character’, which John Caulfield’s side showed in abundance once again on Monday night to take a point from their meeting with defending league champions, Shelbourne.

There is a temptation to wander down the Monty Python path of the Spanish Inquisition sketch and keep rolling out suggestions: guts, heart, attitude, bravery, determination, and on and on and on, but ‘character’ will do just fine.

Four times this season United have found themselves trailing in a game. Four times they have come back with equalisers, the latest of which was Monday night as United maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

Mind you, it took an incredible change-of-mind by referee  Rob Hennessy to let United’s equaliser stand.

Regan Donelon’s 76th minute corner from the right was headed into his own net by John Martin. Shels players slumped in disappointment as United players wheeled away to celebrate, but the assistant on the Comer Stand side of the ground stayed where he was at the corner flag, and Hennessy went over for a conflab.

As all eyes in the ground bore down on the duo, Hennessy held up his arm to indicate an offside, and the goal was chalked off. Cue utter bedlam as United players surrounded the referee, before Greg Cunningham showed his experience in guiding Henessy away and having a word and encouraging him to return to his assistant referee.

Quite why the United captain had to explain the offside rule to the officials is beyond us, but after another pow-wow in the corner, Hennessy changed his mind and pointed to the centre circle, indicating the goal would stand.

It cancelled out the 52nd minute opener from Shelbourne, when Evan Caffrey scored with the first effort on target from either team, his diving header at the back post beating Brendan Clarke after Shels went route-one with an attack, but while disappointing to concede for the fourth straight game, it did spark United into action, culminating in that bizarre equaliser.

United made three changes from the side which drew 1-1 with Drogheda the previous Friday, with Donelon, Cian Byrne, and Vince Borden coming in for Bobby Burns, Moses Dyer, and Dave Hurley.

Pictured: Galway United’s Regan Donelan in action against  Evan Caffrey of Shelbourne during Monday night’s Premier Division clash at Eamonn Deacy Park. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.