Greener pastures for Cork City after ‘slog in the bog’

After last week’s slog in the bog in Ballybofey yielded a 0-1 win over Finn Harps, Cork City are hardly expecting a walk in the park against Galway United this evening but they will certainly be hoping for less onerous conditions when they host their first home game of the new SSE Airtricity Season at Turner’s Cross.

Although Galway fell to a 1-0 home defeat to Drogheda United on the opening night, City boss John Caulfield reckons Shane Keegan’s side could have been three or four goals to the good before the break but for poor finishing.

“Galway have lots of attacking options and we’re well aware of the threat they pose,” he said.

The manager paid tribute to the character shown by his side in atrocious conditions in Finn Park. “There are days when you have to dig in, battle and play the conditions, and that is where intelligent players and good players understand that you have to pull out a performance and a result,” he says.

“Tonight we will be at home, so it will be a different game on an excellent pitch, but we will not take anyone for granted.”

Steven Beattie and Alan Bennett will be assessed before the game for City but Garry Buckley is out after picking up a red card against Harps.

For Galway, Paul Sinnott will be sidelined for the next two to three weeks after injuring an ankle in an awkward fall in training.

“Cork City is a tasty game,” says manager Keegan. “Not many people outside of ourselves will be expecting us to take anything from it, but we have a quiet confidence that we do have the players and game plan to get a result at Turner’s Cross.”

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley says their meeting with arch-rivals Bohemians in Tallaght tonight (7.30pm) is like “a cup final” for Hoops supporters.

“So we have to beat them,” he says of opponents who went down 4-1 at home to Derry City last Friday. “Their result last week doesn’t matter, they could have won 4-0. It’s Rovers vs Bohs so all form goes out the window here.”

The home side have no injury worries but will be without Graham Burke who got a goal but also a red card in Rovers’ 2-1 defeat to Dundalk at Oriel Park on Friday.

Bohs continue to be without the services of Eoin Wearen (cruciate) and Ismahil Akinade, who underwent surgery on Wednesday to remove his spleen in order to rectify a blood platelets count issue.

The two highest-scoring teams from the opening night, Derry City and Limerick, meet for what will be the Candystripes’ first competitive game at their temporary home of Maginn Park in Buncrana.

Derry will be without striker Rory Patterson and defender Ben Doherty but manager Kenny Shiels has confirmed that injury trio Aaron Barry, Harry Monaghan and Mikhail Kennedy are all on the road to recovery.

Said Limerick boss Martin Russell of their man of the moment, Rodrigo Tosi, the Brazilian striker who bagged a memorable hat-trick in their 5-1 home trouncing of Sligo Rovers: “Rodrigo would be the first to acknowledge the role his team-mates played in the goals. He got two great crosses and we’ll need that service on tap to get the best out of him.”

Tonight’s other Premier Division games see Bray Wanderers at home to Finn Harps and Drogheda United hosting St Patrick’s Athletic while, in the First Division, it’s UCD v Shelbourne, Waterford v Cabinteely and Wexford v Athlone Town (8.00).

Unless otherwise indicated, all fixtures kick off at 7.45pm.