The bookmakers price them a staggering 18/1 to win but Athlone manager Mick Cooke believes his side can cause an upset as they visit reigning champions St Patrick’s Athletic tonight.

Stephen Kenny wants his Dundalk players to maintain their desire to help sustain their impressive start to the season.

SSE AIRTRICITY PREMIER DIVISION

Shamrock Rovers 2 Drogheda United 0

Shamrock Rovers 2 Drogheda United 0

First half goals from Ronan Finn and Shane Robinson earned Shamrock Rovers a 2-0 win at league leaders St. Patrick's Athletic to book their place in the semi-finals of the FAI Ford Cup as both sides finished with ten men at Richmond Park.

St. Patrick's Athletic were the big winners on a night of drama in the Airtricity League Premier Division without having to kick a ball.

Cork City 2 Shamrock Rovers 2 (Shamrock Rovers win 3-3 on away goals)

After another late concession, which manager Tommy Dunne termed ‘stupid’, to let two points slip against Shelbourne on Friday, Cork City will be looking to pick themselves up as Shamrock Rovers come to Turner’s Cross for an evenly poised Setanta Cup semi-final second-leg tonight.

Still holding maximum points in the league, but smarting from defeat by Drogheda United in the Setanta Cup, champions Sligo Rovers travel to Richmond Park to take on third-placed St Patrick’s Athletic in the big game of the night in the Airtricity Premier Division (kick-off 7:05pm, live on RTE 2).

Limerick FC 1 Shamrock Rovers 1

A goalkeeping howler by Brendan Clarke gifted Dundalk a 2-1 victory over St. Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park tonight.

Shamrock Rovers 1 Cork City 1

For the faithful, the dawning of the first day of the new Airtricity League season brings with it a familiar quickening of the pulse and the heady sensation that anything is possible.

Sligo Rovers edged a point closer to clinching their first league title in 35 years as they played out a 0-0 draw with Cork City at Turner's Cross.

Shamrock Rovers 7 Dundalk 0

Without having to kick a ball, league leaders Sligo Rovers were the only winners as Drogheda United and St. Patrick's Athletic played a 0-0 draw at Hunky Dorys Park.

The wisdom of the decision by the board of Shamrock Rovers to sack Stephen Kenny will receive its second big test today when the club takes on Drogheda United in the EA Sports Cup final at Tallaght Stadium (5.45pm).

Shamrock Rovers' bad week continued as the record holders of the FAI Cup were beaten 2-1 at Shelbourne.

The glamour tie of the FAI Ford Cup third round pits Shamrock Rovers against Cork City in front of the RTÉ television cameras in Tallaght this evening, with an early kick off of 7.05pm.

With the top of the table clash between Sligo Rovers and Drogheda United not taking place until tomorrow and St Patrick’s Athletic engaged this week in Europa League action, Shamrock Rovers will be looking to take advantage by narrowing the seven-point gap which separates them from the leaders when they face UCD at the Belfield Bowl this evening.

Derry City and Shamrock Rovers will each be looking to return to winning ways after recent frustrations when they meet at the Brandywell tonight (kick off: 7.45pm).

Cork City will look to extend their 10-game unbeaten Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division run when they host Shelbourne at Turner’s Cross tonight (kick-off 7.45pm).

Given their poor domestic form to date this year in defence of their back-to-back titles, the result at the Aukstaitijos Stadium this evening looks set to define Rovers’ season.

Champions Shamrock Rovers’ hopes of a third successive title took another major knock when held to a scoreless draw by battling Bray Wanderers in an entertaining encounter at Tallaght Stadium last night.

Shamrock Rovers will get some welcome relief from their disappointing league campaign tonight as they take on FK Ekranas in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Kenny is backing striker Gary Twigg to end his scoring drought in Europe against FK Ekranas at Tallaght Stadium tonight.

Premier Division leaders Sligo Rovers will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they travel to improving Bohemians in the Airtricity League at Dalymount Park tonight.

Runaway Premier Division leaders Sligo Rovers will be hoping to open up the gap on the chasing pack when they host Shelbourne at the Showgrounds (7.45pm) tonight.

Shamrock Rovers will bid to get back to winning ways tonight after being held to draws in their previous two games away in Bray and at home to Derry City.

Sligo Rovers, three points clear at the top of the Airtricity Premier Division, will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they travel to take on third-placed Drogheda United at Hunky Dory Park tonight (7.45pm).

St Patrick’s Athletic overwhelmed holders and Dublin rivals Shamrock Rovers in the Airtricity League Premier Division encounter at Inchicore last night.

St. Patrick's Athletic threw down their title credentials in the most emphatic fashion with a rousing 5-1 win over champions Shamrock Rovers at Richmond Park, doubling their goals tally for the season in the process.

Before kick off, you could be pretty sure that Cork City would have taken a draw with reigning Airtricity League champions Shamrock Rovers.

Gary Twigg was once again the goalscoring hero for Shamrock Rovers with a stoppage time equaliser earning them a 1-1 draw at Cork City to put the champions top of the Premier Division table.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 4

NELSON VALDEZ had the quality to clinically punish bad defending as Shamrock Rovers were frozen out in Kazan last night.

Rubin Kazan 4 Shamrock Rovers 1

MICHAEL O’NEILL fears Shamrock Rovers will face their biggest trial yet against classy Rubin Kazan here in the depths of freezing Tatarstan tonight.

HAVING disappointed at home against Rubin Kazan, given Spurs a big scare at White Hart Lane and run PAOK close in Thessalonika, Shamrock Rovers face the Greeks tonight in Tallaght with the consensus being this could be their best chance of getting at least a point on the board in the group stages of the Europa League.

JUST minutes after seeing his Shamrock Rovers side secure back-to-back titles in hugely dramatic fashion at the UCD Bowl, manager Michael O’Neill last night gave his strongest hint yet that he is committed to staying with the club — despite speculation linking him to the vacant Northern Ireland job, amongst other roles.

UCD 1 Shamrock Rovers 2

FOR 15 fleeting minutes last night, the Toumba Stadium in Thessalonika looked it might just prove the place, as suggested when the draw was made, where Shamrock Rovers could pick up a result in Group A.

PAOK 2 Shamrock Rovers 1