For Don O'Riordan things just keep getting better of late, for St Patrick's Athletic it is hard to believe they can get much worse.

While Galway United showed remarkable courage and character to win a replay in which they twice trailed the League champions, the hosts left the pitch knowing that it will take the most dramatic of run ins for them to emerge with anything worthwhile from this season.

Having survived the lottery at Terryland the other night Pat Dolan and his players must have thought that they would get the opportunity to kick start their troubled campaign last night back on home soil. Instead, in conditions not dissimilar to Friday's they were hauled back twice by a young and inexperienced Galway side that kept their heads in a wonderful last hour with admirable cool.

And none more so than 17-year-old Sean Malee. Earlier yesterday he had been called up to the Irish youths squad for the first time. After 113 minutes last night he put the champions out of the cup with a shot from seven or eight yards that required a composure which even his manager rarely bettered over his years in the game.

"It was," said an emotional O'Riordan afterwards, "one of the finest nights of my career, either as a player or a manager. They fought so bravely out there tonight and I'm so proud of them, they battled their hearts out and they got exactly what they deserved."

With the wind and rain again causing problems, it was a poor first period but the tempo picked up in the second when the locals finally started to look the stronger. Twice Marcus Hallows gave Eddie Hickey in the Galway goal a scare but the former Sligo Rovers man couldn't quite hit the target either time and United continued to hold their own in most other areas of the pitch.

Both of Hallows' chances had come from quick breaks and that looked to be the home side's most likely source of a breakthrough.

As it turned out, a set piece was to prove far more rewarding, Martin Russell's free from outside on the right catching a Galway defence that had been having a rather good night completely cold.

As it happens the final shot from five yards out or so was Barry Prenderville's but if he hadn't been sharp enough to take the opportunity, there were at least three of his team-mates forming a queue behind him while their markers looked on from a distance.

In better days at Richmond Park it might have been the foundation for a comfortable win but, as Pat Dolan noted in his programme notes, the home side's players are still adapting to the change of system he has brought with him. Far from starting to take a grip on the contest, St Patrick's remained a little hesitant in the aftermath of Prenderville's strike and United, just as their opponents had at the weekend, grabbed the opportunity, Aubrey Dolan driving home the loose ball from the middle of the box after the former Coventry City defender had blocked down Neil Ogden's 25 yard free.

Not long after Trevor Croly restored the Dubliners' lead after good work by Keith Doyle out wide and this time it was all about Don O'Riordan's side. The Galway manager has talked much over the past week or so about the development of his many young players into a unit genuinely capable of competing at this level but there can be few sterner tests of character in the game here than falling behind in the Cup at Richmond Park with seven minutes remaining.

Three were added later for injuries but as it turned O'Riordan's youngsters didn't even need them. With barely 30 seconds of normal time remaining Eric Lavine got to the line and pulled the ball back for Gareth Gorman and from 10 yards out the substitute didn't need to be asked twice. As we were quickly to discover, though, their best was yet to come.

St Patrick's Athletic: Wood; Burke, Prenderville, McGuinness, Doyle; Croly, Broughan, Sheridan, Gormley; Hallows, Molloy. Subs: Kelly for Croly (109 mins), McCarthy and Byrne for Burke and Doyle (114 mins).

Galway United: Hickey; Neary, O'Connor, Clery, Quirke; Sheridan, Dolan, Keane, Ogden; Lavine, Foley. Subs: Malee for Keane (84 mins), Gorman for Ogden (87 mins).

Referee: H Byrne (Dublin).