Molloy grapples with his new role

While all over the country managers talk about their search for a striker, down at Richmond Park they're waiting patiently for one of the best in the league to rediscover the form that helped St Patrick's Athletic successfully defend their title last year. Tonight wouldn't be a bad time to do it.

During last season's campaign Trevor Molloy confirmed his emergence as one of the brightest stars in the domestic game with the regularity with which he found the net.

A lot has changed for the young Dubliner since the summer, though. All around him in the St Patrick's side there are new faces. Some have been thrown unexpectedly into the first team due to the remarkable run of injuries that Liam Buckley has been forced to put up with over the last few months.

Crucially, one of those to have departed has been Molloy's striking partner Ian Gilzean with whom he had established a rewarding relationship. Last season they were first and second in the goalscoring charts respectively, while Marcus Hallows, one of the new faces at the club then at Sligo, was number three.

"The big fella is gone all right and I'm sorry about that because we always got on well," says Molloy. "But that's football and the fact is that I'm still a St Patrick's Athletic player so I just have to get on with it without him."

Hallows is clearly a capable replacement, although he brings different qualities to the side and as a result Molloy's role has changed considerably since the start of this season.

"I do a lot more holding the ball up now, less getting in and looking for a chance to get a goal myself, more attempting to lay it off for others, trying to bring rest of the team into the attack," he says before adding that he is enjoying the new challenge.

While the champions have coped well at the back so far this season in spite of a seemingly endless run of injuries, their strike rate up front has been disappointing. So much so that, as the two teams go into this evening televised clash, City's goal difference is more than three times as good as that of the Dublin club.

The visitors' success in this department, of course, in no small way down to the astonishing form of Pat Morley whose 11 goals in 14 games puts him comfortably clear at the top of the striker's ladder.

"Pat's been on fire," says Molloy of his rival. "I think a lot of people would have said he was finished when he got that injury at Shelbourne, but it's amazing the way he has come back."

Molloy would understandably appreciate if the Corkman had a bit of an off-night tonight, not least because he realises only too well how important it is that St Patrick's don't lose any more ground on their rivals at this stage in the season.

This evening Buckley will be looking to Molloy to lead his search for the three points. And the 22-year-old, who insists that he still has a lot of goals in him this season, will be looking to prove that his goalscoring touch hasn't deserted him.

Around Richmond Park they'll be hoping he's right.