SOCCER:DESPITE THE hiccups that left his side needing a favour from Galway United last week, Michael O'Neill insists he is confident about his side's prospect of wrapping up Shamrock Rovers' 16th league title at the Carlisle grounds this evening.
The Dubliners would be expected to beat a weakened Bray side with one, perhaps both eyes on Tuesday’s relegation play-off against Galway United but even a point would leave Bohemians having to beat Dundalk by five in order to snatch top spot back at the death.
“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” said O’Neill, who is hopeful that James Chambers can shake off an ankle injury to be fit but who will be without the suspended Robert Bayly as well as long-term injury absentees Dan Murray, Pat Sullivan and Seán O’Connor.
“The players will be prepared, they’ve come through big games this season and I’m confident that they’ll come through this one.
“You never expect, you hope but we recovered well in the (cup) semi-final and deserved to win in the league last week against Drogheda. We just focused on ourselves and did the job we required. Galway got the result against Bohs and nobody expected that with the players they were missing. But that shows the nature of this league and it should serve as a warning to our players in terms of not taking anything for granted against Bray.”
The home side’s form has been decent of late with just two defeats in their last nine games, a run that includes a win over St Patrick’s Athletic and a draw with Bohemians but Derek Prendergast (ankle), Seán Houston (thigh), John Mulroy (hamstring) and Danny O’Connor (suspension) are all out while for all the talk of his players doing their best for the league, Pat Devlin seems unlikely to risk players like Jake Kelly, Dane Massey and Chris Shields, who are said to be doubtful given the stakes next week.
Even O’Neill concedes the position is less than ideal but the northerner admits that he is not complaining as his club closes in on the title as well as a place in the Champions League qualifiers and the €200,000 in prize-money (as opposed to €100,000 for finishing second) that comes with it.
Bohemians have not given up the chase but their chances of staging a last-gasp upset after last week’s blunder are not helped by the loss to injury of Mark Rossiter and Jason McGuinness as well long-term absentees Anto Murphy and Steven Gray, in addition to suspended duo Chris O’Connor and Mark Quigley.
Elsewhere there are three teams chasing a place in Europe with St Patrick’s Athletic needing to win in Sligo if they are to have any chance of salvaging a place in the Europa League.
Pete Mahon brings a full squad with him for the game with the cup finalists who themselves will be sure of European football next season if they win. Paul Cook will again be without Richard Brush and Mauro Almeida but Jim Lauchlan is available again after serving a one-match suspension.
Sporting Fingal can book their place in the Europa League by beating UCD at Santry where Ger O’Brien is suspended and Colm James is out injured, but Shaun Maher could feature if he passes a late test on a hamstring problem.
“Given that the club is only in existence three years, it would be great to make into Europe for a second successive season,” said manager Liam Buckley.
