Dublin derby should be special

St Patrick's Athletic take on Shamrock Rovers tonight in what is arguably the biggest game of the season thus far.

The champions remain unbeaten but are well aware of the calibre of football Liam Buckley’s side are capable of producing.

St Pat’s have conceded just two goals in their opening five fixtures but have drawn their previous three games. Rovers are the top scorers in the league with 12 goals to their credit.

The Saints welcome former Hoops attacker Dean Kelly back from suspension but defender Aidan Price remains out through injury.

For the Hoops, Ciaran Kilduff (broken metatarsal), Conor Winn (back) and Stephen O’Donnell (knee cartilage) remain out through injury, as is Kerrea Gilbert (hamstring). Gary McCabe and Conor Powell return to the squad after their recent suspensions

St Pat’s boss Liam Buckley said: “Rovers and Sligo will be the top two to beat this year. If you mix it in with them, you have a chance.

“It’ll be interesting to see where we are in our development. We need to turn our performances into results, so if we can start on Friday it’ll be great.”

Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Kenny was upbeat despite the challenge of the task ahead.

“We’ve shown we have a tremendous capacity to win games, especially late on, and that gives us confidence ahead of the game,” he said.

“Inchicore is a difficult place to go, but we hold no fear of anyone. Pat’s will take the game to us, and I expect them to attack from the off, but we will do likewise. It has all the makings of a very good game.”