League of Ireland clubs could be facing a hefty additional cost if the bid by the Players Football Association of Ireland (PFAI) to pursue holiday pay entitlements for their members comes to fruition.

Derry City must secure at least a share of the spoils against Finn Harps on Friday night if they are to secure Europa League football next season

Drawing opposition as formidable as Legia Warsaw was hardly the dream date Cork City had in mind in the Champions League but, while John Caulfield is not hiding from the difficulty of the challenge thrown up by yesterday’s First Round draw in Nyon – “probably got the toughest that was there” was his initial reaction yesterday – the City manager is still hoping that his side can subject the three-in-a-row Polish champions to something of a “nightmare” in the first leg at home.

Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny believes his side still have work to do to regain the league title this season but knows they can take a huge step towards completing the job tonight by beating Cork City on their own patch for the first time since April 2015.

The World Cup might be heating up in Russia but the biggest game on this side of Europe will take place in Oriel Park tonight when Dundalk host Cork City.

Boosted by his team’s first back-to-back league victories this season, manager Keith Long is calling on Bohemians to “have a go” against league leaders Dundalk at Dalymount tonight.

Waterford FC 2 Dundalk 1: Not even the best of script writers could have written the story as Waterford FC’s dream start to life back in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division continued as they moved to joint top of the table with a deserved 2-1 success over Dundalk in front of a massive 3,508 attendance at the RSC last night.

With Cork City not in action until tomorrow when they play host to Limerick, Dundalk will travel to Waterford this evening looking to convert their superior goal difference into a clear points advantage at the top of the Premier Division table.

Cork City suffered their first defeat of the new league campaign as an early Pat Hoban goal proved enough to secure a significant victory for their great rivals Dundalk at a raucous Oriel Park last night.

A week after the ‘beast from the east’ snowfall wreaked havoc on the SSE Airtricity League programme, champions Cork City will have to cope with Dundalk’s ‘best of the west’ at Oriel Park tonight.

Cork City boss John Caulfield expects rivals Dundalk to restore faith in their old reliables as the champions face a trip to Oriel Park on Friday night (8pm, live on eirSport2).

And so Irish sport’s answer to the Winter Olympics — otherwise known as the League of Ireland summer season — comes around again, the burning passion of the faithful set to go head to head with the piercing February chill on this long-awaited opening night.

Dundalk skipper Stephen O’Donnell doesn’t miss a beat when asked to nominate a dark horse contender for the new SSE Airtricity Premier Division season which kicks off tomorrow night.

The relationship between rival managers John Caulfield and Stephen Kenny has been markedly strained this year, deteriorating rapidly as the season progressed.

Stephen Kenny hasn’t had too many disappointments in his time as Dundalk manager but perhaps top of the list is last year’s FAI Cup final defeat to Cork City.

The FAI Cup final might not be taking place until Sunday afternoon but the tackles are already flying off the field, with Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny, at his pre-match press conference yesterday, accusing Cork City goalkeeper Mark McNulty of a lack of class.

Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers will have to meet again to determine who joins Cork City in this year’s FAI Cup final following a fiesty semi-final clash at Oriel Park yesterday evening.

CORK City will have to wait another few weeks to finally relieve defending champions Dundalk of their league crown and smash their four in-a-row bid after a highly-charged and dramatic night’s football at a sold out Turner’s Cross tonight.

Dundalk 3 Drogheda United 0: Dundalk are refusing to give up on their title.

Rosenborg 2 - 1 Dundalk (a.e.t - Rosenborg win 3-2 on agg.) Matthias Vilhjalmsson’s header in extra-time and the top of the crossbar denied Dundalk a stunning result against Rosenborg at the Lerkendal Stadion last night as their European dreams came to a cruel end in Norway.

Bray Wanderers 0, Dundalk 3: Robbie Benson’s first half double inspired Dundalk to fourth straight Premier Division win.

Drogheda United 0 - Dundalk 6: Dundalk remain on course for a second-place finish behind champions-elect Cork City following this derby rout of 10-man Drogheda at United Park.

Dundalk 0 Cork City 3: Here at Oriel Park, on a balmy evening on the brink of the summer break, was a tantalising meeting between this season’s unstoppable force and the last three seasons’ immovable object.

St Patrick’s Athletic 0

Cork City midfielder Conor McCormack admits he still has a soft spot for Shamrock Rovers but there will be no mood for sentiment from the league leaders at Turner’s Cross tonight.

Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny bemoaned the fact his side hadn’t won a penalty in the league in a year this week then saw his side concede two last night, as Bray Wanderers shocked the champions at Oriel Park.

While first hosts third in the big game at Turner’s Cross this evening, Dundalk will be hoping to do their bit to narrow Cork City’s lead at the top when the champions travel to Ballybofey to take on Finn Harps (8.00).

Cork City v Dundalk: Before a ball was kicked, Cork City had one over their great rivals Dundalk this season.

“He wasn’t just our captain or leader. He was our warrior on the park. But a gentleman off it. Devastated.” The words of Derry City team-mate Nicky Low summed up the loss and pain being felt across football following the death of Candystripes captain Ryan McBride.

Having been plunged into darkness in Maginn Park last week, Limerick face the brightest lights in Irish football when they head to Oriel Park tonight to take on Dundalk.

Stephen Kenny is determined to justify his selection as the Philips Sports Manager of the Year by guiding Dundalk into the last 32 of the Europa League tonight.

Ciaran Kilduff insists Dundalk’s European adventure isn’t over yet and is confident they can put their recent setback against AZ Alkmaar behind them by beating the Dutch side and Maccabi Tel Aviv to the runners-up spot in Group D of the Europa League tomorrow night.

While I wouldn’t imagine that having to engage with the dreaded meeja features high on any football manager’s list of ‘favourite things to do’, victory must make the task a lot more tolerable.

It took almost every one of the 120 minutes played to do it, but Cork City finally have their hands on a major trophy at Dundalk’s expense thanks to Sean Maguire’s deflected effort at the back end of extra-time.

Cork City will give injury concerns Garry Buckley (hamstring) and Mark O’Sullivan (knee) every chance to prove their fitness ahead of tomorrow’s FAI Cup final against Dundalk, but John Caulfield admits that it’s “touch and go” for both players.

Dundalk 2 Bohemians 1: Three, they say, is a magic number — and it certainly felt like it at Oriel Park last night as Dundalk players and fans jubilantly celebrated a hat-trick of league titles.

It probably says everything about what Dundalk are achieving this season that the overriding feeling at the end of this defeat to Zenit was one of acute disappointment.