SOCCER LEAGUE OF IRELAND:BEATING ARGUABLY the best team in the league at the moment is the mission for St Patrick's Athletic's tonight if they're to get their title charge back on track.
A shock 3-2 defeat at bottom side Bray Wanderers last week saw St Patrick’s lose top spot in the table. In-form Sligo Rovers, who’ve won their last four league games to move up to fourth place, visit Richmond Park so bouncing back will not be easy for the hosts.
“I watched Sligo play Shamrock Rovers midweek and they were very impressive,” said St Patrick’s manager Pete Mahon of Sligo’s reaching the EA Sports League Cup final. “As a team they’ve got better as the season has gone on and they’re probably the best side in the league at the moment.
“Bray was a disappointing result, but we’ve moved on and put last week’s game behind us. We’ve been in the top two for most of the season – we’re still second – but we know we’ll really have to be up for this one.”
Mahon waits on captain Damian Lynch and striker Paul Byrne, both of whom have ankle injuries, though winger Ryan Guy returns from suspension.
Joseph Ndo, an integral reason for Sligo’s good form this year, is a major doubt tonight as the ex-Cameroon international struggles to shake off the calf strain that sidelined him midweek.
Fellow midfielder John Russell is available following a head injury, but respective Achilles tendon and wrist injuries have ruled both defender Mauro Almeida and goalkeeper Richard Brush out for the remainder of the season.
Shamrock Rovers, three points clear at the top, will hope to take advantage of any slip-up by St Patrick’s to extend their lead when they host Bray.
“We were disappointed to get beaten in Sligo, especially as it was a semi-final. But if I’m honest we probably didn’t do enough in the game, and they deserved it on the night,” said Rovers manager Michael O’Neill.
O’Neill must utilise the depth of his squad as suspended midfielder Robert Bayly joins injured defenders Pat Sullivan (knee), Craig Sives (groin), midfielder Chris Turner (foot) and striker Dessie Baker (Achilles) on the sidelines.
Bray captain Daire Doyle remains unavailable while striker Shane O’Neill is a doubt having had to go off early in Tuesday’s defeat to Bohemians with ankle injury. Midfielder Stephen Brennan returns having missed the last two games with a hamstring strain.
Elsewhere, Tiarnan Mulvenna has left Dundalk by mutual consent as the striker pursues regular first-team football.
Manager Ian Foster has goalkeeper Paul Murphy, cup-tied for Tuesday’s disappointing League Cup semi-final defeat at Monaghan, available for the visit of Bohemians.
Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon may name an unchanged side from that which beat Bray 2-0 on Tuesday night, pending Raffaele Cretaro, who scored both goals, and defenders Brian Shelley and Ken Oman shaking off slight knocks. Steven Gray and Anthony Murphy remain sidelined with long-term Achilles injuries.
UCD remain without their suspended playmaker Greg Bolger, while fellow midfielder Paul Corry is injured for the visit of Sporting Fingal to the UCD Bowl.
Stephen Roche is indisposed while David McMillan and Seán Harding are out injured long-term for a struggling college side.
Midfielder Shane McFaul returns from a groin injury to face his old club. Striker Eamon Zayed comes back into contention having sat out last week’s win over Dundalk due to flu, though left-back Lorcan Fitzgerald, who has a hamstring problem, needs to pass a fitness test.
Galway United have a double incentive to beat Drogheda United at Terryland Park. Victory would move Seán Connor’s side 14 points clear of second-bottom Drogheda while, should UCD not beat Sporting, they could move out of the relegation places.
Manager Seán Connor is without suspended defenders Rhys Meynell and Paul Sinnott while winger Brendan McGill remains out injured for Drogheda.
