Plenty at stake as Shamrock Rovers resume pursuit of early pacesetters Derry

No game lacks substance this Friday in the SSE Airtricity League. From top to bottom, every result strengthens or damages each club’s position.

Take Shelbourne, who are sitting perilously close to the relegation conversation despite Damien Duff’s much-heralded arrival as a manager in “big boys football” and while the Ireland centurion has them operating off the modern 3-4-2-1 script, the 43-year-old’s high-octane coaching methods are being overshadowed by a suspect recruitment drive in the offseason.

This was clear to see as Shamrock Rovers took them apart in Tolka Park last Friday.

Well, for an hour anyway. It so easily could have ended up being a snatch-and -grab draw for Shels thanks to Shane Farrell’s goal but Rovers steadied themselves with Aaron Greene’s 89th minute winner to revisit the habit of taking all three points in the dying embers of a game, a trait that proved so important when Stephen Bradley’s men killed off St Patrick’s Athletic last season.

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It still took all of Bradley’s resources to secure the three points from a team they had on the rack for most of this Dublin derby reborn.

The Rovers think tank tends to gather their thoughts post match in a coaching huddle before Bradley relays the party line. The wonder is whether they can settle on their most effective starting XI come Champions League qualification in July.

Plenty of time still, but Rovers lacked the quality to reach the Europa Conference League group stages last year, and while Jack Byrne and Andy Lyons have strengthened the squad, it remains to be seen who gels best with who.

As much as Lyons is excelling at left wing back – and scoring goals for fun – Byrne has struggled of late. Currently, the Ireland international only looks like all the other creative midfielders in the Premier Division, rather than effortlessly being the most gifted footballer on the island.

It’s a conundrum. Richie Towell appears to have hit form as much as Danny Mandroiu cannot summon the fleeting brilliance that prompted Stephen Kenny to include the 23-year-old in the Irish training camp last summer.

If Lyons, Towell, Byrne and the mercurial Mandroiu hit stride at the same time, and Bradley can accommodate all four in the same line-up, Derry City’s early running will be reeled in and surpassed.

In the meantime, Duff brings Shels to the Brandywell where Ruaidhri Higgins, another former Kenny disciple now out on his own, looks to put nine points between Derry and the champions (elect). So long as St Pat’s take a chunk out of Rovers in Tallaght.

Shamrock Rovers v St Patrick's Athletic
Tallaght Stadium, 8pm

Andy Lyons’s effectiveness up and down the left wing will eventually make it impossible for Rovers to keep the Ireland under-21 away from the English scouts. Graham Burke is injured but Cape Verde international Pico Lopes returns to contain Eoin Doyle and push the champions six points clear of their Dublin rivals.

Derry City v Shelbourne
Brandywell, 7.45pm

Similar to the Ireland women’s heroic result in Sweden, this battle of superior quality versus Damien Duff’s well-drilled outfit (who are bolstered by Jack Moylan’s return from injury) makes for a fascinating duel. Still, odds on that Will Patching’s sixth goal of the season will secure all three points.

UCD v Drogheda United
UCD Bowl, 7.45pm

Already a must-win tie for both clubs. At least Colm Whelan is back doing what he does best – scoring lethal goals rather than studying City Planning and Environmental Policy (a vital degree in the current climate) – after the Ireland under -21 striker finally broke his Premier Division duck to help UCD to a valuable away point against Sligo Rovers.

Dundalk v Sligo Rovers
Oriel Park, 7.45

Huge game for both teams. Sligo are a point clear of Dundalk, who need to turn their habit of drawing with everyone into some wins, otherwise the European spots will slip from view. Then again, last Friday’s 0-0 at Richmond Park was the Louth club’s fifth clean sheet in nine matches, something that took them 30 games to achieve last season.

Bohemians v Finn Harps
Dalymount Park, 7.45pm

The time has arrived for one of these clubs to make a statement. Harps manager Ollie Horgan knows the score: “We’ve played all the teams now and it’s every bit as difficult as we had envisioned before the season started. This is as big a challenge as I’ve faced in nine years here but we’re certainly not done for yet.”