League of Ireland Talking Points: Keating latest to join Cork City's growing injury list

INJURY LIST: Cork City's Ruairí Keating is stretchered off during the match against Derry City. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Cork City’s untimely striker injury crisis:

Bad enough was Seáni Maguire already a month sidelined but the sight of Ruairi Keating being stretchered off on Friday was ominous seven games into City’s return to the Premier Division.

Maguire’s return from a hamstring injury could be towards the end of a five-match blitz in 15 days from this Friday’s visit of title contenders St Patrick’s Athletic, while the knee injury sustained by Keating on Derry City’s artificial surface is serious enough for his season to be in jeopardy.

Hopes of City avoiding the disastrous season of 2023 rested on the presence of two experienced strikers. They were recruited midway through last season’s First Division title charge for the Premier but Tim Clancy is now relying on teenager Harvey Skieters to lead the line.

Waterford feeling the Blues:

Similar to Clancy, Blues manager Keith Long cut deep in his post-match briefing about the absence of fundamental fight and defensive basics in his team. They’d sunk to their fourth successive defeat, a 2-0 loss at leaders Drogheda United, a far cry from three wins of the opening four lifting them to the summit.

Pádraig Amond and James Olayinka spurned chances to level before the break but Long admitted the visitors deserved nothing from the game.

“If you don’t win headers and tackles, as well as track runs, you don’t win matches,” he said, bemoaning the lack of a clean sheet this term.

“The fans rightly gave us stick at the end because they’ve travelled in numbers and we need to have a good look at ourselves, a rethink in terms of what we’re about.” Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght await next on Friday.

Galway’s unbeaten run curbed by local:

Tuam native Rory Gaffney wasn’t sure if he’d be retained by Shamrock Rovers this season but popped up with his first goal of the season to secure victory at Eamonn Deacy Park.

A bumper crowd of 4,232 packed in to see a match which transpired to hinge on the two goalkeepers.

Ed McGinty’s red card against Derry City paved the way for Leon Pohls to deputise for the Hoops and he produced a brilliant save to deny man of the moment Moses Dyer from a free-kick. Into the second half and Galway’s 20-year-old loanee from Swansea City, Evan Watts, was caught out for a corner, gifting poacher Gaffney an easy finish. Justifiably branded 'soft' by Galway manager John Caulfield, that concession ends the only unbeaten record of the season.

Pressure eases on Bohemians boss Reynolds after winning basement battle:

Defeat to bottom team Sligo Rovers, a team decimated by suspensions and injuries, would probably have culled the reign of Alan Reynolds to 12 months.

Dalymount Park has been fraught since the latter part of last season and a week after losing to Galway United, Bohs squandering a two-goal lead by the half hour mark had a section of the home fanbase shouting for the manager’s sacking.

Ross Tierney and Dawson Devoy were brought back to Bohs last summer to produce moments and they grabbed a second-half goal apiece against a tired and ragged Sligo to see out a 4-2 win. They’re at champions Shelbourne on Friday.

Clouds surround Cobh, on and off the pitch:

Thirteen points from their opening five games, on the back of beating Cork City in the Munster Senior Cup, fuelled optimism of Cobh’s ascent but Friday’s 3-1 loss to Wexford was their second on the bounce. More concerning is the ownership uncertainty. Multi-club holding company FC32 took the club out of fan ownership but last week withdrew from their Austrian outfit SKN St Polten and there’s question marks surrounding the recent stake invested in Italians Spezia. A Cob statement on Friday attempted to put clear blue water between the club and FC32 but suspicions about their stability linger. Early leaders Dundalk at Oriel Park on Friday is their most immediate task.