Advertisement
Dundalk's Chris Shields chases down Barry McNamee. ©INPHO/Presseye/Lorcan Doherty
Supporting LOI

5 things to look out for in this weekend's Airtricity League games

Are you going to a League of Ireland game this weekend? Here’s what we’ll be keeping our eyes on.

1. Can Derry join Pat’s at the top?

The pick of this evening’s Premier Division games comes at Tallaght Stadium where Shamrock Rovers host Derry City. With league leaders St Patrick’s Athletic not in action until Sunday, the Candystripes can go level on points at the top of the table — for 36 hours at least.

Last week’s defeat against Dundalk was a bad blip in Derry’s challenge and with the title race becoming increasingly crowded, they can ill afford to follow that up with more dropped points tonight. Tallaght is always a tough place to go though and Rovers haven’t lost at home yet this season (five wins and four draws in the league).

To add a bit of extra spice Eamon Zayed, who was the Premier Division’s top scorer and PFAI Player of the Year with Derry in 2011, could make his competitive debut for Rovers against his former employers. Zayed played in Monday night’s friendly defeat against Birmingham and has since received international clearance for his move to the Hoops.

2. Can Dundalk maintain their challenge?

By going to the Brandywell and winning last Friday night, Dundalk showed once again that they are more than capable of turning any team over this season. Stephen Kenny has his young side playing with confidence and ambition and all of a sudden they are only six points off the leaders.

For a club which finished bottome of the league and nearly went under last season, it would be a remarkable achievement if Dundalk can sustain their title challenge. They’ve won the hard games — beating Pat’s, Derry and Sligo — but can they be as ruthless in picking off the comparatively weaker teams like Bohemians? They play in Oriel Park tonight.

Kenny was on the MNS couch on Monday night and if his confidence spreads throughout the dressing room, Dundalk should have no problems:

YouTube Credit: rte

3. Can Cork build some momentum?

The struggles and strife round Turner’s Cross in recent weeks have been no secret but Cork City finally gave their fans something to smile about last weekend when they took a big scalp against champions Sligo.

That 3-1 win was only Cork’s third victory in their last nine league games, a run which has seen them slip down to seventh. Tonight they visit Tolka Park where they face a very beatable Shelbourne side. Cork’s next two games are against Pat’s and Dundalk and if they are to have any hope of putting together a positive run, they will want to go into those games on a winning note.

4. The battle of first and third

Sunday afternoon’s clash between Sligo Rovers and St Pat’s at the Showgrounds is intriguing to say the least. Before they were beaten in Inchicore on 19 April, Sligo’s title defence looked like a procession rather than a contest; in the 10 games since that 2-0 defeat, the Bit O’Red have only picked up a total of 14 points.

On Sunday they will meet a Pat’s side playing under the cloud of last night’s Europa League defeat against Zalgiris. If there are any positives to be taken from losing, it’s that the Saints’ schedule will be a little bit less congested as they look to consolidate their title bid.

Although there are still plenty of twists and turns to be played out, Sunday’s game is a genuine six-pointer: win and — despite their brutal form — Sligo close the gap to a point; lose and suddenly they are seven points adrift once more.

5. First Division

Longford got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over promotion rivals Waterford last weekend but with Athlone winning as well, there’s still little to choose between the top two teams in the First Division.

Tonight Longford travel to Finn Harps while Athlone host Cobh — games they will both expect to win — and so the most interesting game of the weekend might be the meeting of third and fourth as Waterford host Mervue in the RSC.

Airtricity League fixtures (all kick-offs Friday, 7.45pm unless stated)

Premier Division

  • Dundalk v Bohemians
  • Shamrock Rovers v Derry City (Friday, 8pm)
  • Shelbourne v Cork City (Friday, 8pm)
  • UCD v Drogheda United (Sunday, 3pm)
  • Sligo Rovers v St Patrick’s Athletic (Sunday, 3pm)

First Division

  • Athlone Town v Cobh Ramblers
  • Salthill Devon v Wexford Youths
  • Waterford United v Mervue United
  • Finn Harps v Longford Town (Friday, 8pm)

Malmö end Drogheda’s European adventure

Pat’s crash out against Zalgiris

Your Voice
Readers Comments
18
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.