St Pat's close on summit as Dundalk eye Europe

St Patrick's Athletic manager Stephen Kenny. Pic©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Title, European qualification and relegation battles in the Premier Division will all intensify with tonight’s set of four top-flight fixtures.

Top spot – with just five games left – is available to St Patrick’s Athletic if they can follow up Friday’s victory over leaders Shamrock Rovers with another at Dundalk.

Bohemians are also within three points of the Hoops but their Dublin derby against Rovers hasn’t been refixed until October 12.

Behind that front three sit Dundalk. While big-spenders Derry City and Shelbourne have disappointed this term, the newly-promoted Lilywhites are in with a chance of participating in next year’s Uefa Conference League for the first time since 2023.

They stalled Waterford’s gallop up the table on Friday by drawing 1-1 at the RSC but their exertions have extended the depth of their squad. Losing midfield anchor Keith Buckley to suspension also hinders them on Stephen Kenny’s return to Oriel Park.

“St Pat's have plenty to play for and they'll come here knowing a win could take them to the top of the table but our focus is on our own objectives,” said Dundalk boss Ciarán Kilduff, a former player during Kenny’s glory years at the club.

"Taking four points from our last two games is something we're pleased with, particularly as both matches were away from home.

“The challenge now is to bring that momentum back to Oriel and start putting together a run of results on our own pitch.

"We're looking forward to being back in front of our supporters and hopefully we can give them a result to get the week off to a positive start.

"We're coming into a really important stage of the season and that's something the players are fully aware of.

“Every game carries a bit more significance now and we're determined to make the most of the opportunities ahead of us.

"The schedule has been demanding. Going from Friday to Monday and then straight into another game on Friday takes a lot out of the group, and we've picked up a few knocks that will need to be assessed.” Saints can pile the pressure on Rovers with their second win in four days. Rovers are on a seven-match winless run ahead of Waterford’s visit on Friday.

“At the start of the season, you set out to be top in the business end of the season,” admitted Jay McClelland, whose first league goal set the Saints on their way to scalping the Hoops.

“You want people to be chasing you rather than chasing them.

“Obviously it's Rovers' league. They've won titles before, and it's probably their league to lose this year but we'll just keep fighting.

“All we can do is win games. Even if we win all our games, we still won't win the league. It's not up to us, it's up to them to drop points and hopefully, we're there to capitalise on it.” At the opposite end of the table, nothing less than three points against Galway United will do for marooned Sligo Rovers to harbour hopes of avoiding relegation.

“We need a miracle because there’s not been a win since May,” Sligo manager Darren Purse said as they target victory to reduce the seven point gap.

“I’ll keep going until it's mathematically impossible to stay up but we’ve got to cut out the mistakes and show more quality in the final third.”