Fixtures issued amid concern for future of clubs

AIRTRICITY LEAGUE:THE FIXTURE list for next year's Airtricity-sponsored League of Ireland campaign was issued with the now traditional health warning which reads something along the lines of: the following 378 games will go ahead according to the schedule outlined unless, of course, some of the clubs involved fail to secure licences prior to the start of the season, in which case there'll be a bit of a hasty rethink.

Chief amongst the candidates liable to prompt some overtime out in Abbotstown during January and February are Bohemians, whose failure to conclude a deal with their players over the last few weeks has cast renewed uncertainty over their ability to sort out their finances sufficiently to retain their place in the top flight.

Solicitors acting for two of the players have this week threatened to bring proceedings aimed at having the club wound up early in the new year over unpaid wages and club officials admit the action, at a time they felt they were close to an agreement that would have allowed them to buy out the contracts of last year’s squad members, has made it a little more difficult.

“It certainly makes the process more difficult, not least because this has come so close to the Christmas period,” says club PRO Brian Trench. “Nevertheless we are working hard to address the situation, we’re hopeful we can do everything that needs to be done and we have revised the terms of the loan scheme so as to make it more attractive for our supporters to help the club out.”

The reality, however, is there remains genuine uncertainty about whether Bohemians will be allowed to compete at the top level next season and each week that passes without a deal being struck with squad members is another for which wages must be paid, a situation that ultimately undermines the club’s ability to stump up the lump sums required to clear the decks.

Bohemians still have until at least the end of January to come up with a viable solution but there is some doubt with regard to what their final deadline is as licensing appears to involve a succession of deadlines, all of which are, if the case of Cork City last year is anything to go by, up for negotiation if there is sufficient desire to see the club come through.

Sporting Fingal’s finances have also been talked about a good deal over the last few weeks, with some of their most prominent backers set to cut back the extent of their funding of the club for next year.

Liam Buckley insists, however, he and the rest of the Sporting hierarchy are planning for another season in the top flight and their first at Dalymount Park where they have moved, in part to make compliance with the association’s various licensing requirements easier to achieve.

“We’re comfortable that we’re going to be playing in the Premier Division and excited by the prospect of facing UCD, Bohemians and Derry City in our opening three games, all at Dalymount,” he says.

Assuming all actually does go well and the fixtures issued yesterday go to plan then Shamrock Rovers will kick off the defence of their title against Dundalk in Tallaght on Friday March 4th, before heading to Sligo Rovers eight days later for a meeting with the team many consider to be the biggest threat to their hopes of coming out on top again.

Derry City return to the Premier Division with a home game against Sligo.

In the First Division, Cork City host Finn Harps, but the game of the night is most likely at Tolka Park where Waterford United will visit fellow promotion hopefuls Shelbourne.

The full list of fixtures can be found at irishtimes.com/sports/ fixtures_2011_soccer.pdf