SOCCER LEAGUE OF IRELAND:A FOURTH defeat in five games and rumours of some disquiet in the St Patrick's Athletic camp makes this evening's game at Terryland Park a big one for Jeff Kenna and the Dublin side as they aim to leapfrog their hosts in the table and avenge an embarrassing defeat on the opening night of the season.
“We sort of owe them one for that alright,” says Kenna, whose players shouldn’t be short of motivation when they take the field this evening.
The visitors may be a little short of quality, however, with Jason Gavin’s suspension coming on top of injuries to the likes of Gary Dempey, John Lester, Mark Leech, Bobby Ryan, Gints Freimanis and Glen Fitzpatrick.
Kenna’s former assistant at Terryland Park, Ian Foster, has problems of his own, but should be better off than for the trip to Cork last week when Seán Kelly, Ger Hanley and Cian McBrien were all unavailable for one reason or another.
All three are likely to return for this evening’s match, but Alan Murphy faces a fitness test on an ankle problem while Shane Fitzgerald, Mark O’Toole and Paul Synnott look to be definitely out again.
“We’ll get a team out,” jokes Foster, who says he was only able to bring 13 players with him to Cork in the wake of an A Championship game in which four players picked up knocks.
Even with so many missing, though, the United manager believes his side is in with a shout of bouncing from the two defeats suffered in recent weeks and he reckons the 3-0 win in Richmond Park will help to provide confidence as his players prepare to welcome their former manager back.
“To be fair,” says Foster, “we lost to two good teams (Shamrock Rovers and Cork City) in the last two weeks and I’ve no problem with that as long as we lose in the right way, which we did.
“The win up there, though, has helped the lads to believe that they can compete with anyone in this league and it will certainly have left them in no doubt about the fact that if they apply themselves and match the St Pats’ players mentally and physically then it’s not beyond them at all to beat them on the night.”
Dundalk are another of the teams travelling today in the hope of reversing results from the opening round of games although they might find it a tough trick to pull off against champions Bohemians at Dalymount Park.
Jason McGuinness, who issued a statement yesterday through the PFAI, publicly apologising for the racist abuse of Romauld Boco in Sligo a couple of weeks back, returns to the squad, but Glen Cronin, Joseph Ndo and Gary Deegan are all rated as doubtful for the league leaders while Mark Rossiter (hamstring) is out.
For Dundalk, fresh from a fine win at the Brandywell last weekend, Liam Burns and Simon Kelly will be out with hamstring and ankle problems respectively while Michael Collins is still unavailable.
Derry look to get back to winning ways at Drogheda but must do so without Clive Delaney (hip) or Gareth McGlynn (hamstring). United, though, have a somewhat longer list of absentees with Robbie Martin, Robbie Farrell amongst John Paul Kelly amongst those set to miss out.
Shamrock Rovers will be aiming to maintain their recent improvement when Bray make the short trip to Tallaght for the night’s only 8pm kick off. Pat Flynn is back from injury for Michael O’Neill’s side while Stephen Brennan misses out for Bray having limped out of last week’s defeat at Dalymount with a hamstring problem and Derek Pender is still out with an ankle injury.
In the night’s other game, Sligo have a string of problems as they head for Cork. Rovers are unbeaten in four but head for Turner’s Cross with Mauro Almeida and Stephen Parkhouse definitely out while Rafael Cretaro, Brian Cash and Seán Doherty (calf, hamstring and hamstring respectively) are struggling and Danny Ventre and Owen Morrison are both suspended.
City, meanwhile, will look to continue their strong recent run of form without Davin O’Neill, Robert Mezeckis, Neal Horgan or Stephen O’Donnell.
Tonight
(matches 7.45pm unless stated)
Premier Division –Cork City v Sligo Rovers, Turners Cross; Galway United v St Patrick's Athletic, Terryland Park; Bohemians v Dundalk, Dalymount Park; Drogheda United - Derry City, United Park; Shamrock Rovers v Bray Wanderers, 8pm, Tallaght Stadium. First Division – Sporting Fingal v Limerick FC, Morton Stadium; UCD v Longford Town, UCD Bowl; Finn Harps v Shelbourne, 8pm, Finn Park.
Tomorrow
First Division –Waterford United v Mervue United, 3pm, Waterford RSC; Kildare County v Wexford Youths, 7.30pm, Station Road; Athlone Town v Monaghan United, 8pm, Athlone Town.
