With a first title in 35 years glimmering like a beacon before them, Sligo Rovers boss Ian Baraclough is unperturbed his players are feeling a little nervous tension ahead of this afternoon’s potential title decider with St. Patrick’s Athletic.

Shamrock Rovers 7 Dundalk 0

Colin Hawkins yesterday admitted the Shamrock Rovers players were the reason manager Stephen Kenny was sacked.

Sligo Rovers are still six points clear at the top of the Airtricity league after a 3-0 win at the Showgrounds last night.

Shelbourne put their poor display in losing at home to Derry City last week behind them as they frustrated champions Shamrock Rovers to earn a 2-2 draw at Tallaght Stadium.

Twins featured strongly at yesterday’s Woodie’s DIY National Junior & Under 23 Track & Field Championships in Tullamore, with the Monaghans and Nevilles sharing four medals between them.

It’s a busy weekend for young Irish athletes with the annual AVIVA Tailteann Irish Schools Interprovincial Track & Field meeting taking place at the Morton Stadium, Santry today, followed tomorrow by the Irish Junior & U23 Championships in Tullamore.

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.

Two of the Premier Division’s newly-promoted clubs clash at Tolka Park with Shelbourne looking to get back to winning ways after defeats in their last two games.

Mick Cooke will make his first return to Gortakeegan since stepping down to take over at Drogheda United at the beginning of the 2011 season as his side face Monaghan United tonight (kick off: 8pm)..

UCD will bid to pick up their second win of the campaign this evening after a disappointing run of three straight defeats following an opening-day victory over Cork City.

Unbeaten Sligo Rovers travel to Gortakeegan expecting a tricky assignment against newly promoted Monaghan, who have got off to a solid start to life in the top flight.

O2 Ireland’s total customer base dipped from 1.7m to 1.65m people last year, according to figures from the mobile communications provider.

WE see them almost everywhere we look, every day, but don’t give them a second glance.

FIRST DIVISION Monaghan United produced the classier football to take command of this Airtiricity League promotion/relegation playoff at Gortakeegan, goals from Michael Isichei and Sean Brennan giving Galway United a mountain to scale in Friday’s second leg at Terryland Park.

VODAFONE and O2 have close to four million mobile phone customers in Ireland despite the population being just 4.58 million.

O2’s postpay customer base increased by 12,000, it was announced today.

SHELBOURNE moved seven points clear in the First Division but it took a controversial Philly Hughes penalty to separate them from nearest rivals Monaghan in a tense duel at Gortakeegan.

FABIO O’BRIEN hit a hat-trick as confident Monaghan United turned on the class to brush aside the challenge of Munster Senior League side Everton at Gortakeegan.

Tommy Barker visits a gem in a gentle curving terrace in Cobh which boasts a sweep of scenic harbour views.

O2 IRELAND saw its total mobile phone customer base dip slightly during the first quarter of 2011, but still managed to boost its share in the billpay market.

Shelbourne 1 Finn Harps 0

FAI President Paddy McCaul and 1992 cup-winning captain Paul Whelan this evening made the draw for the 2011 FAI Ford Senior Cup first and second rounds at FAI headquarters in Abbotstown.

O2 IRELAND’s customer base dipped by about 18,000 last year, although its post pay/billed customer numbers increased by nearly 7,000.

IN 1992 my father fired myself, my brother and two cousins into a car as a long, wet Sunday yawned in front of us.

DEFENDING champion, Patrick Maher (Leevale AC) will be among the stars in action at the Woodies DIY AAI national junior indoor championships in Nenagh tomorrow.

O2 made less money on each customer in the last quarter but it managed to increase its customer base by 5,400 to 1.7 million.

Bray Wanderers 1 Monaghan United 1

Sligo Rovers and Monaghan United go head-to-head in the quarter-final of the FAI Ford Cup at the Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45pm.

O2 IRELAND attracted 5,200 new customers during the second quarter of this year, to bring its total subscriber base to 1.711 million people as of the end of June.

St Patrick’s Athletic travel to the northwest to take on Sligo Rovers in tomorrow’s Airtricity League Premier Division clash (kick-off 7.45pm).

O2 saw its Irish customer base fall slightly in the year to the end of March as service revenue dropped 6% to €196 million.

Sligo Rovers are still waiting on clearance for Joseph N'do to make his debut for the club ahead of the match with Bray Wanderers on Friday night at the Carlisle Grounds, kick-off 7.45pm.

Sligo Rovers may be without both Iarfhlaith Davoren and Paul Whelan for tonight’s clash with Dundalk at The Showgrounds (kick-off: 7.45pm).

Sligo Rovers defender Gavin Peers will miss the match with Drogheda United tonight at Hunky Dorys Park, kick-off 7.45pm.

Sligo Rovers will be looking to build on their impressive unbeaten start to the season when they take on Bohemians at Dalymount Park, kick-off 7.45pm.

O2 IRELAND’S total customer numbers dipped slightly, last year, but the company maintained its market leading position in the lucrative post-pay/bill pay sector.

IRISH customers of O2 and Vodafone sent almost two billion text messages in the three months to the end of September representing a 25% increase on the same period last year.

O2 HAS made further dents in Vodafone’s market leader position in the Irish mobile communications provider market, by becoming — for the first time — the leader in the post-pay/bill pay mobile phone market and increasing its overall customer base.

A RECORD two billion text messages were sent by Irish mobile phone users in the final three months of last year.

THE Irish division of mobile communications provider, O2 saw its customer numbers reach record levels during the second quarter of this year, but saw its revenues for the same period fall.

ATHLETICS action at the weekend centred on the 46th running of the KitKat Tailteann Schools’ Interprovincial Championships in Santry on Saturday and the Woodie’s DIY Junior and U23 Track and Field Championships yesterday in Tullamore.

FIRST-quarter profits at mobile phone operator O2 Ireland fell as average customer revenues declined.

MOBILE phone service provider O2, a subsidiary of Telefonica of Spain, has reported modest third-quarter growth in sales and profits yesterday.