Cork won’t be complacent
Cliftonville (0)-(4) Cork City, 7.45pm
CORK CAUGHT THE eye last week with a comprehensive 4-0 win at home to Cliftonville, and though the tie is firmly within their grasp, manager Tommy Dunne insists that they can’t be complacent.
“We have given ourselves an opportunity with our performance in Turner’s Cross,” Dunne said, “but we will be going into the game knowing we need to be at it from the start.”
Cliftonville’s derby clash against Crusaders last weekend was postponed due to loyalist protests outside the ground, and if there is any silver lining for manager Tommy Breslin, it is that his players will be well-rested as they bid to turn the tide.
Injury news: Cork’s Brian Lenihan, John Dunleavy, Darren Dennehy and Stephen Kenny are all ruled out.
Brennans still Drogs’ main men
Portadown (2)-(3) Drogheda United, 7.45pm
PAUL O’CONOR MARKED his Drogheda debut with a goal against Portadown last week but it was the familiar faces of Ryan and Gavin Brennan who made their presence felt once again.
With brother Sean at Shelbourne this season, the remaining Brennans continued their family affair with a goal apiece in an entertaining 3-2 win. After opening the scoring in the eighth minute, Ryan turned provider for Gavin to give Mick Cooke’s men a slender advantage ahead of tonight’s second leg.
Portadown come into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Dungannon Swifts on Saturday, their third straight defeat in all competitions.
Pat’s need to make pressure pay
Glentoran (0)-(0) St Patrick’s Athletic, 7.45pm
ST PAT’S HAD the better of last week’s 0-0 draw against Glentoran but couldn’t make a breakthrough in Inchicore. Liam Buckley tried a few new faces with debuts for Killian Brennan, Conan Byrne, Conor Murphy and Sean Gannon, and the Pat’s boss has hinted at another reshuffle for tonight’s trip to the Oval:
“We’ll have to juggle of few things around for Monday. We’ve 20 in our squad and with the greatest respect to them all, I think they expect to be in the starting eleven so we will use everyone from that end.”
Glentoran needed a late Jay Magee penalty to give them a 1-1 draw at home to Linfield on Saturday.
Injury news: For Pat’s, Jake Kelly is ruled out while Kenny Browne (ankle) is a doubt. John Russell is suspended.
Early test of Hoops’ resolve
Coleraine (1)-(0) Shamrock Rovers, 7.30pm, live on Setanta Ireland
SHAMROCK ROVERS ARE the only Airtricity League team to go into tonight’s second leg behind after Trevor Croly’s first competitive game in charge ended in 1-0 defeat to Coleraine.
After the riches of the previous two years, the Leinster Senior Cup was Rovers’ only silverware last season and the Hoops will be reluctant to surrender their All-Ireland challenge at the first hurdle.
Curtis Allen scored his 13th league goal of the season on Saturday as Coleraine beat Ballymena 1-0.
