John Caulfield believes League of Ireland run-in will boil down to a 'question of nerve'
The Galway United manager is on level points with Shamrock Rovers and claims the Hoops are still contenders
Galway United boss John Caulfield wants to see if Derry City and Shelbourne can handle the pressure of the title run-in.
And he reckons champions Shamrock Rovers still have a big hand to play in the race, despite his own team hampering their chances on Sunday.
Galway held the Hoops to a 1-1 draw in Tallaght, with Danny Mandroiu scoring a late headed goal to salvage a point for Rovers.
READ MORE:Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins delivers title assessment after going top
READ MORE:Champions Shamrock Rovers miss chance to gain ground on league leaders
Fifth-placed Rovers are level on points with Galway in sixth, and both are 10 points off leaders Derry City with two games and a game in hand respectively.
Caulfield managed Cork City to a league and FAI Cup double in 2017 and finished as league runners-up on four occasions with the Rebels.
And because of those experiences, he insists the title is still up for grabs with Derry and Shels yet to take matters by the scruff of the neck.
Caulfield feels Shamrock Rovers are still in the mix, despite dropping four points at home in their last two games against Galway and Drogheda United before that.
“They are well in it and anything could happen in the run-in. It’s a question of nerve for a lot of teams,” he said.
“The pressure of the run-in, the other teams have dropped points and there was an opportunity to pull away when Rovers were slipping a little bit.
“Rovers have a couple of games in hand and the key is if they beat the top two teams.
“Once you get into the last five or six games, and if they are within five or six points of the top, anything can happen.”
Caulfield continued: “The pressure of winning a league, I know it. It’s a different thing.
“Earlier in the season, everyone is telling you you’re going to win the league. Now, the ball doesn’t go into the back of the net as easily.
“There are too many games to go at the moment.
“Obviously the teams (Derry and Shelbourne) that have the points, if they continue to keep winning then yes (it will be difficult), but there is no guarantee for that to happen.”
While Caulfield was happy to pile the pressure on other teams, he stopped short of making any bold European predictions for Galway.
He added: “We need to score more goals and create more chances and we know that. But you cannot fault the lads’ honesty and effort.
“People are saying it’s top four for Europe, but that only depends on the cup.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground and if we do, we can be hard opponents for every team and we can take points.”
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