EA Sports Cup Quarter-Final

Eamon Zayed came off the bench to send Shamrock Rovers to the top of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division after a 1-0 win over bottom club Athlone Town at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday.

It isn’t quite a top of the table clash – since joint leaders St Pat’s are not in action until they travel to Sligo tomorrow – but Oriel Park is the venue for a big SSE Airtricity League game this evening, as third hosts first with the meeting of Dundalk and Cork City.

Shamrock Rovers striker Eamon Zayed is ready to formalise his long-standing opposition to racism in football by becoming a director on the board of Show Racism The Red Card.

Limerick FC 2 Shamrock Rovers 0

Shamrock Rovers 2 Drogheda United 0

Shamrock Rovers blew a chance to gain further ground on the Premier Division leaders as they slumped to an eleventh stalemate of the season as UCD came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Tallaght Stadium.

Cork City manager Tommy Dunne will be hoping to build on last week’s 3-1 victory over Airtricity League champions Sligo Rovers when they travel to take on bottom club Shelbourne at Tolka Park tonight (8pm).

Ciaran Kilduff is set to make his debut for Cork City as they host defending champions Sligo Rovers in tonight’s Premier Division clash at Turner’s Cross (7.45pm).

We know that goals can change games.

Having been a late call- up to play in and lose the emotionally charged final of 1997, Declan Devine appreciated all the more his subsequent success in the FAI Cup, albeit in a coaching capacity, when Derry City won the cracking decider with tomorrow’s opponents, St. Patrick’s Athletic, in 2006.

Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne and Keith Andrews have been nominated for the Senior International Player of the Year Award at this Sunday’s 3 FAI International Awards.

“If Liverpool fans verbally attack Patrice Evra on Saturday, does that make them racists?”

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI and Marco Tardelli will tonight attend the Airtricity/Soccer Writers of Ireland Awards banquet in Dublin.

SIMON MADDEN, who captained Dundalk last season, has offered a glimpse of the uncertainty facing virtually every League of Ireland footballer as their union, the PFAI, yesterday released an initial list of 120 players actively seeking new clubs.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly says everyone going to the Aviva Stadium tomorrow night can expect a performance and a result from Giovanni Trapattoni’s side to seal the deal of qualification for Euro 2012.

THE Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland (PFAI) is to set up a referees’ seminar as calls for more communication between players and match officials arose following Sunday’s FAI Ford Cup final.

DERRY CITY put last week’s defeat by Shamrock Rovers behind them with a convincing victory over basement side, Galway, at the Brandywell last night.

Derry City 4 Galway United 0

ROHAN RICKETTS grabbed an opportunistic winner to leave champions Shamrock Rovers within 90 minutes of retaining their title after they all but ended Derry’s challenge at Tallaght Stadium last night.

Shamrock Rovers 1 Derry City 0

SLIGO ROVERS’ hopes of a first Premier Division title since 1971 received a set-back on Saturday night when they lost 1-0 to St. Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park — only their seventh defeat in 34 outings.

Dundalk 0 Derry City 2

BRAY WANDERERS severely dented Derry City’s title hopes following the northern club’s second successive draw at the Brandywell last night.

Derry City 1 Bray Wanderers 1

CORK CITY and Derry City have a lot in common.

Cork City 0 Derry City 1

DERRY CITY returned to the summit of the Premier Division table last night, but they found UCD a tough nut to crack at the Brandywell.

Derry City 2 UCD 1

A CHEEKY Patrick McEleney goal helped Derry City move three points clear at the summit of the Airtricity League Premier Division following their 1-0 victory over Bohemians at Dalymount Park last night.

Bohemians 0 Derry City 1

Derry City 2 St. Patrick’s Athletic 0

Derry City 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

DERRY CITY and Shamrock Rovers both have the opportunity to move to the top of the Airtricity Premier Division when they host St Patrick’s Athletic and UCD respectively in tonight’s clashes.

DERRY CITY went top in Terryland Park last night as Galway United set a league record for consecutive defeats, last night’s loss being the 19th league game on the trot in which they have tasted defeat.

Galway United 0 Derry City 3

Derry City 0 Dundalk 0

Bray Wanderers 1 Derry City 2

DERRY City moved to within a point of top spot following a thrilling win against leaders Shamrock Rovers at the Brandywell last night.

Derry City 1 Shamrock Rovers 0

FORMER Northern Ireland international Jim Magilton will join Michael O’Neill in the Rovers dugout for the first time since being appointed assistant manager on a temporary basis when Shamrock Rovers visit Derry tonight in the Airtricity League Premier Division (RTÉ 2, 7.35pm).

REPUBLIC of Ireland U19 head coach Paul Doolin has named an 18-man squad for the UEFA Championship finals which take place in Bucharest, Romania from July 20 to August 1.

DERRY eased past a disappointing Drogheda side in this totally one-sided Premier Division contest at Hunky Dorys Park last night.

Drogheda United 0 Derry City 3