1. Win or bust for Derry
INCREDIBLY, DERRY HAVEN’T lost a league match since the end of May yet still find themselves in the middle of a rut which could cost them their title ambitions.
Substitute Emmet Friars preserved the Candystripes’ unbeaten run with the equaliser in Friday’s 1-1 draw against Bray, but that result means that Derry have only managed to take a total of six points from their last four games.
They’ve surrendered their advantage at the summit to the two Rovers, and with one final visit to Tallaght Stadium pencilled in for Thursday week, they cannot afford any more slip-ups.
2. Sligo in seventh heaven
If Derry are currently struggling to get out of second gear, Sligo are powering up the home straight in cruise control. They’ve scored 13 and conceded just one in their last three games, capping that fine run with a 7-1 rout of Galway on Saturday evening.
A power failure plunged the Showgrounds into darkness and delayed kick-off by 35 minutes, but once normal service was resumed, it was lights out for Galway within a matter of minutes. They’ve now conceded 99 goals this season; Drogheda have the chance to push them over the tonne mark on Saturday.
3. Rested Rovers move on
Shamrock Rovers showed off the advantages of squad rotation yesterday, making light work of the three-day turnaround following Thursday night’s adventure in White Hart Lane.
Ahead of a tricky derby game against Bohs on Wednesday, Michael O’Neill decided to rest key players like Gary Twigg and Gary McCabe, forcing him into a few unusual choices such as the deployment of Jim Paterson on the left wing. It mattered not as Rovers were comfortably good enough to beat Drogheda 4-0, but Wednesday’s game will be a very different challenge.
4. Winter’s evening in Dalymount
Bohemians and St Pats played out a scoreless draw in Dalymount Park on Friday evening, a result which effectively ends both sides’ fading dreams of a title tilt.
Most of the evening’s talking points centred around referee Richie Winter and his officials who chalked off Anto Flood’s first-half goal for a marginal offside. Winter dished out six bookings, five of which were shown to Bohs players, compounding Pat Fenlon’s frustration as the gap between Bohs and top spot grew to nine points.
5. Mons on the up
Cork City and Limerick both kept their promotion hopes alive with important wins at weekend, but the real drama came at Tolka Park where a goal apiece from the Brennan brothers gave Monaghan a vital 2-1 win over title rivals Shelbourne.
Mons visit Turner’s Cross tomorrow night in a game that now looks likely to define the First Division run-in. A win for Roddy Collins’ men and they will be just one point behind Shels with four games remaining; a win for Cork and they will be prime candidates to snatch one of those two automatic promotion places.
