Waterford put Rudden in at the deep end
Rudden was signed this week from St Mirren and although he is just 22 he has gained a lot of experience in Scotland after playing in 150 league matches in Premier and First Divisions.
Waterford manager Jimmy McGeough will be looking to Rudden to act as the central cog in his young team, controlling the area just in front of the two centre-backs and bringing players into the game.
“He comes highly recommended” said McGeough, “and he looked sharp in training. I’ll be expecting him to win the ball for us and to distribute it accurately.”
Waterford have slid down the table a little in recent weeks and the loss of two points at home to UCD last week was expensive. It needed a late strike by Wayne Fitzgerald to rescue a point but the scoreline told a false story.
“It was a bit like Custer’s last stand in the second half for them,” said McGeough. “We had ten attacking players near the end and threw everything at them. Our goalkeeper was on the half-way line knocking balls into their box and we created chances, but in fairness to them goalkeeper Pat Jennings was outstanding, he was like an octopus and we couldn’t get the ball past him.”
Waterford will be given a tough test by Bohs who are themselves 11 points behind leaders Shelbourne, even though they have a match in hand. They must start to break their sequence of drawn games and start winning consistently if they are to retain their title.
Waterford will again be weakened by injuries for David Mulcahy and Kevin O’Brien will be missing but Bohs also have their problems. And with a match next Wednesday in the first round qualifier of the Champions’ League in Belarus it is a bad time for them to be missing players.
Manager Stephen Kenny will have to find a new pairing at centre-back for Colin Hawkins will again be kept out by an achilles tendon problem and Derek Coughlan is ruled out by a knee injury. Hawkins will not be fit to travel to Belarus.
Kenney is likely to pair Ken Oman Jason McGuinness, but even that is a gamble for McGuinness has not played since Bohs lost to Longford Town in the quarter-final of the League Cup.
The big game of the night will be at Richmond Park where St Patrick’s Athletic will be attempting to do everybody in the League a good turn by checking Shelbourne’s run at the head of the table.
Shels are six points ahead of the second places Cork City and as St Pats are a further one point behind in third place and it is obvious that a win for Shels will dramatically shorten the odds on them winning the title.
Shels beat Longford Town and Drogheda United in the past week and they have a full panel of players available with the possible exception of winger Richie Baker. He will have a fitness test shortly before the game.
Said manager Pat Fenlon: “We played well to beat Longford and Drogheda and I do not expect to have to make changes. Hopefully the fans will turn out for what should be a great game.”
St Pats were feeling bullish after beating Cork City in the semi-final of the League Cup, especially as they started the game with nine of their second team players on the pitch. Truth was they out-fought Cork and smothered their attempts to get into the game with a high-energy work-rate. Manager Eamonn Collins will have to plan again without influential midfielder Paul Osam who may have to undergo minor surgery on a knee injury. He is not expected to return for a month.
Tonight's fixtures: Eircom League, Premier division: Bohemians v Waterford United, Dalymount Park 7.45; St. Patrick's Athletic v Shelbourne, Richmond Park 7.45. UCD v Derry City, Belfield 7.45.
First division: Finn Harps v Athlone Town, Ballybofey 7.45.
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