Rovers have other issues to address

While everyone connected with Shelbourne looks forward to another party this evening regardless of the result in their game against Shamrock Rovers, the Hoops' manager, Liam Buckley, and his players could be forgiven for simply wanting to see the back of what has been a long and difficult season for their club.

Neither manager has any injury problems and both will want to wrap things up with a victory, but while Shelbourne's players will be looking forward to picking up their trophy and medals at the final whistle, their counterparts' main concern will be to ensure that commitments relating to the payment of wages from this evening's gate receipts are honoured.

Pat Fenlon said yesterday that while it would be tempting to reward the contribution of the squad's slightly more peripheral players with places in the starting line-up tonight, he intends to field his strongest side.

"We've prepared properly for every game this season," he said yesterday, "and Friday won't be any different. We'll go out with the right attitude and hopefully there's a big crowd and a good atmosphere and it will be a special night for everybody connected to Shelbourne."

Buckley, meanwhile, may look to make changes to the side beaten 5-3 by St Patrick's Athletic on Monday, with his starting line-up perhaps providing some pointers to his attitude towards the nine players whose contracts expire over the weekend and who he has said he will talk to during the week ahead.