Tribesmen hope to park woeful league form to pull off cup upset

However, an away game against St Patrick’s Athletic will be a lot more difficult that the home ties against non-league sides Tolka Rovers and Salthill Devon which United safely navigated to book Sunday’s quarter-final in Inchicore (6pm) that is being televised live on RTE.

United’s form has dropped off a cliff in the last three months or so, with the Tribesmen taking just two points from their last nine league games as a side that at one stage sat joint top of the table, is now in a scramble to avid the relegation play-off – and they way they are going, automatic relegation can’t be ruled out at this stage.

The league has to take priority: a return to the First Division would be disastrous, and with United back at Richmond Park on Friday week for a league tie with the Saints, that would appear the more important of the two meetings between the sides.

However, both John Caulfield and Brendan Clarke dismissed such thinking at a club press conference held on Wednesday to preview the game.

“I could never see the logic of someone saying not to be in the cup, it’s all about the cup,” Caulfield replied when asked about the looming back-to-back games with Stephen Kenny’s side.

“It is a chance to get to the semi-final, to get one more step towards the final in the national stadium. We know we are up against it, but the cup is totally different to the league, it is a result on the day, be that after 90 minutes, extra time or even penalties, it is a one-off game,” he said.

He was backed in that line of thinking by Clarke, the veteran goalkeeper who, along with United club captain, Conor McCormack, won the FAI Cup with St Pat’s back in 2014 when beating Derry City 2-0 in the final.

“It is an opportunity to get into a semi-final, that’s the excitement. For me it is not who we play, it is about looking to progress into the next round,” he said when asked about coming up against his former side.

“Pats are a really good side, they are in good form, but I wouldn’t call it an upset if we win on Sunday, the games between the sides have been so close and we have got results against this this season. We are under no illusion of the task ahead of us, but we are ready to go out and get the result,” he said.

United have gone nine league games without a win, with their last success in the Premier Division coming back on June 20 when Ed McCarthy, Dave Hurley, and Rob Slevin got the goals in a 3-1 win at home over Sunday’s opponents.

That was United’s second win of the season over the Inchicore side, with Patrick Hickety scoring twice back in February in a 2-1 win which was also in Eamonn Deacy Park, so taking recent meetings into account, United don’t really have anything to fear on Sunday.

And yet . . .

While Moses Dyer didn’t score in either of those wins, United have not won a league game since the New Zealander packed his bags and headed off to the Cambodian league during the summer transfer window.

Since he left, United have scored just three times in the league, but there are problems at both ends of the pitch, with last year’s impenetrable defence having the constitution of a sieve this year – four clean sheets in 29 league games is worrying, but Caulfield feels that a United win on Sunday won’t be that big of a surprise.

“Pats are well favourites, our run in the last while hasn’t been good, we understand that, but we have a brilliant bunch of players, a brilliant group who have given everything for the club. We know we are up against it, but it is totally different to the league, it is a result on the day, be that after 90 minutes, extra time or even penalties, it is a one-off game.

“We know the strengths of Pats, but we have beaten them twice this season. They are at home and will feel they have a great chance, because our form hasn’t been good people are probably saying it makes Pats stronger favourites. We know that, but we are not a bad team either,” he said.

Pictured: Patrick Hickey celebrates after scoring his second goal in Galway United’s 2-1 win over St Pats in the league back in February. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.