Doolin ready for slicker City

THEIR role as Grand Marshals at yesterday’s St Patrick’s Day Parade in Cork will have once again reminded Cork City of the significance of their eircom League triumph last season.

But manager Damien Richardson knows that you can’t live on memories alone, and tonight they get back to the reality of trying to defend that title when they travel to United Park (7.45pm) to meet Drogheda United, the club which prevented Cork from doing the double last year when they beat them in the FAI Cup Final.

The two sides have already met this season, with Cork coming out on top 2-0 in the Setanta Cup. But Drogheda manager Paul Doolin still found reasons to be positive about his side’s display at Turner’s Cross.

“I hope it’s a similar sort of game tonight, though obviously with a different result,” says Doolin. “Some people thought I was being funny, but I thought we played well down there. It was a bit like the cup final actually, where they didn’t create too much, but when you go a goal down and have two players sent off, it’s not very easy.”

Doolin has other reasons to be optimistic, as his side go into this evening’s game with three points on the board in the league and fresh from thumping Glentoran 4-0 in the Setanta Cup.

“It’s good but we’re not going to get too carried away,” he says. “A lot of people say that eircom League clubs are at a disadvantage in the Setanta Cup because it comes so early in our season but you can also argue that, for the likes of Glentoran, they’re nearing the end of a hard season and are going to have a couple of players missing through injury and so on. But, yes, we played well and it was good to score goals, concede none and pick up no new injuries.”

Keith Fahy and Paul Bernard remain out for Drogheda, but otherwise Doolin has a full squad to choose from.

“We will need to concentrate and defend well,” he says.

“We’re at home and I feel this year that we’ve already tightened up a bit more.”

Cork City also go into the game on three points, following a 1-0 win over Dublin City in their opening game, and they too have the boost of success this week in the Setanta Cup, their 1-0 victory over Dungannon Swifts having already secured Richardson’s men a place in the semi-finals.

Joe Gamble and Roy O’ Donovan, who missed out on that game through suspension, return for Cork tonight.

Meanwhile, in the Premier Division’s other game, Sligo Rovers’ long-awaited return to the top flight should ensure a full house at The Showgrounds for the visit of Bohemians (7.30pm). It’s a belated start to the league season for Sligo, whose scheduled opening game against Longford Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. The visitors will be looking to kick-start their season, having lost 1-0 to Drogheda in their opener at Dalymount Park. In the First Division, Kildare County play Finn Harps (Station Road, 7.30pm), and Kilkenny City entertain Monaghan United (Buckley Park, 7.30pm).