In a game of huge significance for both sides, but for very different reasons, Dundalk host Shamrock Rovers in a deferred SSE Airtricity League Premier Division clash at Oriel Park tonight (7.45pm).

Cork City have no fears about skipper Conor McCormack keeping cool in the white-hot atmosphere of Oriel Park on Friday night.

Premier Division top spot going into the mid-season break is what’s at stake in the SSE Airtricity League this evening as leaders Cork City host Bohemians, while Dundalk, just a point behind the defending champions, travel to Derry.

Cork City will begin the defence of their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title with an away game against St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park on Friday, February 16.

FAI Cup quarter-final: Longford Town 1 - Cork City 4: A professional performance that delivered a convincing win brought a spring to the step of Cork City manager John Caulfield as he left City Calling Stadium on Saturday night.

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley has played down his simmering feud with John Caulfield, saying he respects Cork City and that the club will be deserving league champions.

Cork City boss John Caulfield has reignited his war of words with Shamrock Rovers, saying his club are expecting “gamesmanship” in their meeting this week and accusing Hoops players of “hitting the deck for no reason”.

A right Corker of an FAI Cup weekend is in prospect with no less than five clubs from Leeside taking part in first round games between today and tomorrow.

Tributes have been paid to the Longford teen who drowned while swimming in the Shannon on Tuesday.

Longford Town 0 Cork City 3: Mark O’Sullivan was sprung from the bench and duly made a major impact as Cork City produced a seventh straight league win to consolidate second place in the Premier Divison table at City Calling Stadium.

Defeat by Derry City in the EA Sports Cup might have disrupted momentum but Cork City can still make it four wins on the spin in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division if they overcome Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds this evening (7.30pm).

Ronan Finn scored a career first hat-trick as Dundalk trounced bottom-of-the-table Longford Town 4-0 at the City Calling Stadium on Saturday night.

Dundalk have gone top of the Airtricity League Premier Division after their 4-0 win at Longford Town tonight.

Cork City 6 Longford Town 0: A magnificent Steven Beattie hat-trick was the highlight as Cork City warmed up for Friday night’s massive game with champions Dundalk with an emphatic rout of Longford Town at Turner’s Cross last night.

Longford Town 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 1

It’s the final night of the regular season in the SSE Airtricity League and, at the bottom of the Premier Division, Limerick and Drogheda United will hope to turn the last chance saloon into the second last chance saloon — while Galway United and Sligo Rovers, will be cursing the fates should a miraculous swing in goal difference see either of them dragged back into the relegation mire.

Runaway league leaders Dundalk will be hot favourites to keep their double dream alive when they host Longford Town at Oriel Park in the first of this year’s FAI Cup semi-finals this evening (kick off 7.25pm, live on RTÉ 2).

The top two in the league will be hoping to remain on course for the ultimate cup clash at the Aviva Stadium when the FAI Cup quarter-finals take place this evening.

Cork City will be looking to cut Dundalk’s lead at the top to five points when they take on St Patrick’s Athletic at Turner’s Cross this evening in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division (7.45pm).

Shamrock Rovers 4 Limerick 1: Having opened the scoring with a spectacular strike, Brandon Miele completed Shamrock Rovers’ tally with the goal of the game in an easy win at Tallaght Stadium.

Cork City hope they find Dundalk suffering from a European hangover of the ‘what did I do last night?’ kind when they take on the champions and league leaders in a much anticipated top of the table clash at Oriel Park tomorrow (6pm).

Longford Town 1 Cork City 4: Steven Beattie says he couldn’t have planned a better league debut for Cork City.

Ireland manager Martin O’Neill designated it the “tie of the round” yesterday after he helped pair Cork City and St Patrick’s Athletic in the draw for the Third Round of the FAI Cup.

Damien Duff might be an Irish football legend but Shamrock Rovers boss Pat Fenlon has made it clear that the club’s new star signing is not automatically guaranteed a place in his team.

Longford Town 2 Bohemians 1

It’s the cup holders versus the all-time cup record-holders at Richmond Park tonight when St Patrick’s Athletic host Shamrock Rovers in the stand-out tie of a hectic FAI Cup second round weekend.

Paul O’Conor’s late, late equaliser ended Dundalk’s winning start to the season as Limerick held the champions to a 1-1 draw at Jackman Park on Saturday evening.

Longford Town 0, Shamrock Rovers 2:

Resilience was one of the key components in Cork City’s title challenge last season and, to judge by their last-gasp equaliser at the Showgrounds last Saturday, it’s a quality they have retained for the new campaign.

Cork City will be hoping to use their game in hand to cut Dundalk’s lead at the top to three points when they travel to Thomond Park tomorrow to face Limerick in a Premier Division Munster derby.

Airtricity First Division: Nine-man Finn Harps inflicted a fifth straight First Division defeat upon Shamrock Rovers B yesterday with a 1-0 win at Tallaght Stadium.

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.

Kevin O’Connor scored a stunning late winner to secure Bray Wanderers’ place in the Premier Division for a tenth successive season as they beat First Division Longford Town 3-2 at the City Calling Stadium to record a 5-4 aggregate win in the promotion/relegation play-off final.

Bray Wanderers 2 Longford Town 2

Bray Wanderers 2 Longford Town 2

Bray Wanderers skipper Danny O’Connor, who sat out Friday’s defeat by Dundalk with a groin injury, will once again be absent when the seasiders face Longford Town in the first leg of the Airtricity League Premier Division/First Division play-off at the Carlisle Grounds tonight (7.45pm).

Goals from Patrick Hoban and Kurtis Byrne secured a second place finish in the Airtricity League Premier Division for Dundalk as they beat Bray Wanderers 2-0 at the Carlisle Grounds in the final series of matches of the 2013 season.

Bray Wanderers climbed off the bottom of the Airtricity League Premier Division table with their first win in 14 league games when a first half goal by skipper Danny O’Connor gave them victory over Limerick at the Carlisle Grounds yesterday.

A terrific headed goal from Gavin Peers booked Sligo Rovers' passage through to the quarter-finals of the FAI Ford Cup as they beat Cork City 1-0 at the Showgrounds.

Rory Patterson scored a second half hat-trick as holders Derry City won 4-0 at non-league Blarney United to cruise safely into the third round of the FAI Ford Cup.

Shamrock Rovers will play Aston Villa in a friendly at Tallaght Stadium in August.