United boss Caulfield to make changes for away clash with St Patrick’s Athletic

The Tribesmen go into the game on the back of an opening night defeat to a fairly average Drogheda United side last Friday, with the manager making just three substitutions during the game, two of which were in the 86th and 90th minute, and both of a defensive nature, but judging by what he said after the game, Caulfield is going to shake things up before kick-off at the Stadium of Light.

“A few of the guys on the bench, probably, you know, will come into it next week,” he said, with the smart money on the likes of Ed McCarthy, Mattie Wolfe, and Nicholas Chateau being the ones in the running to make the starting XI in Inchicore.

Those three started on the bench last Friday, while Academy graduate Cillian Tollett and the returning Al-Amin Kazeem didn’t even make the match-day 20, and while United were relatively solid defensively, there is scope to shake things up up front.

Stephen Walsh and Francely Lomboto were the starting front two in a 5-3-2 formation: Lomboto worked hard on his return to the club following a bounce-around season at Sligo Rovera and NIFL basement side, Glenavon, but there was a bluntness to the attack.

Dave Hurley missed a penalty, but United’s two other glorious chances to score both came from defenders, with Wasiri William hitting the crossbar with a header, while Arthur Parker seeing a shot destined for the bottom corner of the net being deflected away for the corner of the pitch.

It is highly unlikely anyway that United will go with a front two at a ground where they have lost on each of their five visits to since returning to the top-flight – four times in the league, as well as last season’s defeats in extra-time in the FAI Cup – so changes were always on the cards for Friday.

“I thought there were lots of positives,” he said of last Friday’s display. “I thought there were areas that we didn’t do as well as we thought we would, but overall, in the opening game of the season, you know, you’re coming away, frustrated and disappointed, because certainly it was a nightmare to concede in injury-time.

“We had a few opportunities to score, the crowd were magnificent, they were right behind the team, and I think, it was that kind of night that if we had scored and gone ahead 1-0, I think we’d have won the game, but unfortunately we didn’t.”

He handed a starting debut to four players last Friday, with two more making their club bow from off the bench, and he was happy with what he saw from those players.

“I think we were nervous at the start. I thought what we settled down, you know, we sort of nullified [Mark] Doyle and [Thomas] Uluwa up top, we had nullified [Brandon] Kavanagh, you know, the creative players. So I thought, once we had settled down, we had done well.

“I just felt in the second-half onwards, while we were never totally in control, I felt that we dominated lots of the play and played quite well, and I felt that when we went forward, we caused some problems.

“It will be a different game against Pat’s up there, but at the same time, you know, for the new lads, probably they can see exactly the way League of Ireland is, as a high-intensity game, and if you switch off and make any slight mistake, you are done, and that’s why we were done,” he says.

One thing going for United is that they have had an extra 48 hours to prepare for the game compared to their hosts: while United kicked-off proceedings last Friday night, Pats were involved in a Dublin derby with Bohemians on Lansdowne Road on Sunday.

The Saints have also lost the likes of Kavanagh, as well as Jake Mulraney (Shamrock Rovers) and Mason Melia (Spurs) since last season, so United won’t travel without hope on Friday.

Pictured: Galway United's Lee Devitt getting the better of Edwin Agbaje of Drogheda Utd during Friday’s Premier Division tie at Eamonn Decay Park. Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy.