Cook rallies Sligo for battle with Bohs
The RTÉ cameras will be at the Showgrounds to provide live coverage of Sligo against Bohemians (kick-off 7.35pm), with both teams coming off the back of 1-1 draws in their last league outings, against Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers respectively.
However, since then, the Hoops have knocked Sligo out of the Setanta Cup but for Bit O’Red boss Paul Cook, the league is really where it’s at.
“It’s a big game, I think it will be a big crowd and the lads deserve that,” he says. “We are competing towards the top of the table. The league is our priority this season.”
Having seen his team only denied victory by an injury-time equaliser by Shamrock Rovers last Friday, Bohs boss Pat Fenlon reckons the visitors will be up against potentially superior opponents tonight.
“It’ll be a tough game,” he says. “I think Sligo are probably as good as Rovers, in fact they’re probably a better footballing side than Rovers. I watched them in the Setanta Cup this week and they obviously had an eye on our game, because they didn’t play everyone they would’ve played if they hadn’t a game on Friday.’’
Sligo are without Matthew Blinkhorn with a back injury and Raffaele Cretaro is a major doubt because of illness while John Russell returns from suspension. Bohs continue to miss out on the services of injured pair Glenn Cronin (knee) and Barry Murphy (knee) but Christy Fagan (hamstring) and Ollie Cahill (hamstring) are close to returns.
For Shamrock Rovers, who welcome UCD to Tallaght (8pm), it’s all about getting back to winning ways in the league after a shock defeat to Bray Wanderers and that dramatic draw with Bohs.
Gary Twigg and Chris Turner are both expected to return to action for the Hoops but Stephen O’Donnell and Craig Sives (both hamstring injuries) remain sidelined while Gary McCabe is suspended following his red card at Dalymount Park. UCD have Sean Harding fit again but Cillian Morrison has suffered a reoccurrence of the ankle injury that has kept him out for the last few weeks.
With the Candystripes competing right at the top on their return to the Premier Division ranks, a big crowd will be expected at the Brandywell for the visit of St Patrick’s Athletic (7.45pm). Derry striker Eamon Zayed is closing in on his 100th league goal after finding the net in a 4-1 drubbing of Galway United last Friday, a result which has manager Stephen Kenny in the right frame of mind for the visit of the Dubliners.
“We are certainly looking forward to the game,” he says. “We’ve done well over the last few weeks with the players continuing to perform with great skill and energy.”
Elsewhere in the top flight, surprise packages Bray Wanderers welcome injury-hit Galway United to the Carlisle Grounds and, in the Louth derby, Drogheda United continue to search for their first win of the season, against Dundalk at Hunky Dorys Park (both games, 7.45pm).
In the First Division, there’s a 3pm kick off for high-flying Cork City when they visit Drom to take on Salthill Devon. City boss Tommy Dunne is delighted with his side’s start to the season but, even after that 5-0 hammering of Finn Harps in Turner’s Cross last week, he reckons there’s more to come from his side.
“We’ve looked back at the Harps game at this stage and it’s fair to say we were pretty clinical on the night,” he says. “Of the seven or eight chances we had, we took five of them — so it was a good day in front of goal. We can still play better though. We need to retain the ball a little better and we’ll look to see if we can improve the workrate of the team even more, even though it has been quite good.”
Derek O’Brien is Cork City’s biggest injury worry. The in-form winger picked up a thigh strain in training and is only rated as having a ‘50-50’ chance of being available. Skipper Greg O’Halloran is fit despite going off injured against Finn Harps, while Stephen Mulcahy is in the squad and could feature this evening or in Monday’s League Cup game in Wexford.
In the other First Division fixtures today, Athlone Town host Mervue United (7.30pm), Finn Harps face Longford Town at Finn Park (8pm) and Monaghan United take on Wexford Youths in Gortakeegan (8pm).
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