It was not the result Ollie Horgan would have wanted - but the former Galway United assistant manager would have revelled in the drama as Shelbourne prevailed in Drumcondra.
A Harry Wood penalty on 77 minutes decided the points as United began life without a man who will never be equalled. Shels were much the better team, yet United gave their all on an emotional day for the club, marked by a beautiful tribute from Shelbourne in the form of the placing of a wreath on the halfway line pre-match.
If Tallaght can be pretty tame for Sunday kick-offs, this was nothing of the sort, with Richmond Road buzzing for an early-evening start and a tense 90 minutes thereafter. Shels fans are loving life right now and they know they were in a battle here, but they have remarkable squad depth and the road ahead is long – this season alone.
Since Shels last kicked a ball they found out who their Conference League group-stage opponents would be – among them Crystal Palace – and ensured substantial funding from their backers, as life post-Damien Duff takes shape. Qualifying for European combat three years running is now their main aim, whereas Galway's form has been alarming of late, no doubt hindered by Horgan stepping away before his passing.
Relegation is a threat for United and the discrepancy in the sides’ ambition would be the foundation for how this game evolved: while United began brightly, they were soon flooding their own half with bodies. This was a game where nothing but victory would be sufficient for the Reds.
The four outstanding influences for Shels in the opening 45 have all thrived under Joey O’Brien: Milan Mbeng, JJ Lunney, Wood and Mipo Odubeko. Lunney orchestrated the tempo; Wood found space consistently that United were unable to man; if Mbeng's challenge was to burn Bobby Burns on the right he was giving it a fine go; and Odubeko was excellent in his movement and touches. For all of that, they could not score for 76 minutes.
The first quarter featured little of note, save for a tame Wood strike after he was fed by Odubeko, who has looked a different player since the departure of Damien Duff, who will feel he had given the striker ample opportunity. Wood had far too much space on 15 minutes and worked Brendan Clarke, before Mbeng roasted Burns on 28 minutes, finding Wood who played it to Caffrey, but again it came to nothing.
The game was blossoming quite nicely, without ever being a classic. A sweet Odubeko dummy allowed Caffrey another chance on 38 minutes; then Kerr McInroy darted with ambition before finding Odubeko, who cleverly laid off to Wood; the Englishman really should have scored but blazed over.
At the other end, Dara McGuinness had to expend most of his energy defending, though he got in only to fresh-air his effort from a Jeannot Esua punt as half-time approached, Patrick Hickey unable to trouble Wessel Speel at the death from David Hurley’s floated free-kick.
Odubeko’s pace will be key for Shels in Europe but moreover he is playing with confidence. He raced into the clear nine minutes after the break and passed nicely for Wood who looked certain to score but Burns made a critical intervention.
McGuinness, too, is fast and he had Shels stretched again just before the hour-mark but ran out of room, before a madcap couple of minutes that United somehow survived.
If Lansdowne Road last night felt like deja-vu all over again regarding Ireland crosses into the box, we had the remarkable coincidence of Ed McCarthy clearing off the line from an Udubeko header from a Wood corner twice in succession. Then Wood crossed for John Martin, the XG of the chance not far off 1, only for Clarke to block superbly with his feet.
This game was becoming zany. A lovely one-two between Hurley and Keohane saw the latter cross and, under minimal pressure, Sam Bone lashed the ball off Kameron Ledwidge, not long on the pitch in part of a Shels tactical and personnel switch.
Bone at the other end forced a dramatic clearance from Esua, Garry Buckley superbly clearing another Shels attack at the back post with Martin pouncing, prior to coach O’Brien making another double substitution with a quarter of the game to debate.
That it was Wood and Mbeng who opened the door eventually was apt. A one-two saw Mbeng tripped by Rob Slevin, with whistler Neil Doyle making the correct call; Wood’s penalty was pretty much perfect – low into the corner, even if Clarke called the correct side.
United rallied immediately and Hickey again could not put enough power in his header after being teed up by a header from Burns, who was exceptional in the second period.
Speel was finally beaten in injury time as Axel Piesold's cross-turned-shot edged past the back post. Another substitute, Vince Borden, had a decent opening but sliced his effort badly wide with time running out, as he looked up to the sky and the great Ollie Horgan.
Shelbourne: Wessel Speel; Milan Mbeng (Sean Gannon 86), Paddy Barrett, Sam Bone, James Norris (Kameron Ledwidge 58); Kerr McInroy (Ali Coote 58), JJ Lunney, Harry Wood; Evan Caffrey, Mipo Odubeko, John Martin.
Galway United: Brendan Clarke; Jeannot Esua, Garry Buckley, Killian Brouder, Rob Slevin (Vince Borden 83), Bobby Burns; Patrick Hickey, David Hurley (Malcolm Shaw 83), Jimmy Keohane (Axel Piosold 83), Ed McCarthy (Aaron Bolger 64); Dara McGuinness (Stephen Walsh 75).
Referee: Neil Doyle.
