Champs keen to get back on title track

AFTER suffering two consecutive league defeats, Bohemians travel to Oriel Park this evening boosted by their Setanta Cup semi-final victory over Linfield.

“We defended really well against Linfield and that is what we haven't been doing as a team over the last number of weeks,” says manager Pat Fenlon. “This was exactly what was required. It showed what we can do as a team. Dundalk have had a great start to the season and have been playing well but after Monday’s win we’re looking forward to taking them on.”

For the Linfield game, Jason McGuinness and Mark Rossiter returned from spells out of the team to perform strongly and the squad is now injury-free. Owen Heary returns this evening following a bereavement but central defender Ken Oman and striker Raffaele Cretaro are missing due to the red cards received in the dramatic 3-2 loss to Galway United.

Gareth McGlynn will be available to the champions and his club have confirmed that they will be supporting the player in his bid to overturn the two-month FAI ban imposed on him for betting on League of Ireland games while playing for Derry City, a ban which is due to take effect on April 30.

Lilywhites boss Ian Foster has no suspensions to contend with but he remains without midfielder Alan Cawley (cheekbone) who has been absent since mid-March. However, young striker Tiarnán Mulvenna is edging closer to a return to first-team action for the first time in six months and is likely to again take his place on the bench having played the full 90 minutes in last Saturday’s A Championship Cup draw with Drogheda United at Oriel Park. Tonight’s game at Oriel Park kicks off at 7.45pm.

Elsewhere in the Airtricity Premier Division, St Patrick’s Athletic host Sligo Rovers in the televised game at Richmond Park (kick off 7.35pm, live on RTE Two), Shamrock Rovers are at home to Bray Wanderers (8pm) and Galway United welcome Drogheda United to Terryland Park (7.45pm).

The First Division sees an intriguing clash between two in-form teams as Cork City Foras Co-op take on Monaghan United at Turner’s Cross (7.45pm). Last week’s results left both sides in joint fourth on 12 points. Cork took a point from their game away to Shelbourne and Monaghan shocked leaders Waterford United with a 1-0 win.

Cork manager Tommy Dunne was almost as pleased to leave Tolka Park with his players intact as he was with the point, after both sides had been forced to compete on a surface he describes as “absolutely disgraceful”.

“The way we play, we try and open up the game but we need a good pitch to do that,” says Dunne. “The pitch the other night was bordering on dangerous. In any of the two divisions, there’s no excuse for hard pitches and there’s no excuse for divots. There will be wear and tear – we’ll have it with Turner’s Cross, possibly towards the end of May – but at least it will always be generally in good condition whereas the pitch at Tolka Park was absolutely disgraceful.”

Dunne says he wasn’t “too surprised” by tonight’s opposition ending Waterford’s 100% record.

“Monaghan are a strong team,” he says. “I saw them in pre-season and I thought they were quite decent with some good players around the pitch. It’s going to be a tough game for us again, and we need to be on top of our game and firing on all cylinders. We also need to be a little more diligent defensively. Home games are important are far as picking up wins is concerned – anything on the road is a bonus for us.”

Monaghan will be without Shane Grimes and Darragh Hanaphy for a game which should tell a lot about the legitimacy of both clubs’ aspirations this season.

In other First Division games tonight, Waterford will be keen to get back to winning ways at the RSC against Finn Harps, Limerick are at home to Wexford Youths, and second-placed Derry City welcome third-placed Shels to the Brandywell, all these ties kicking off at 7.45pm.