Derry's UEFA Cup dream looks scuppered

Derry City's chances of securing a place in the UEFA Cup by way of the back door looked to have been scuppered yesterday when the FAI's licensing committee rather neatly granted all four clubs currently in line to compete in Europe this season with the "A" licences they require to take part in the various competitions.

Shelbourne, Bohemians and Cork City were all granted the higher level of licence after, it is reported, making the improvements required of them in the wake of their original application back at the start of the year.

Longford Town have met the required standards in all areas except their ground and so they will, as things stand at present, have to play their European games at another club's stadium.

The news means that Derry, who had threatened legal action unless they were granted a place in the UEFA Cup on the basis that they were the only club with an "A" licence, no longer appear to have quite such a strong basis for their case.

Meanwhile, Longford Town manager Alan Mathews remains convinced his side's peculiar inability to score goals will soon be righted.

Though they've kept five clean sheets in their 12 league games this season, Longford, blessed with five quality strikers in their squad, have scored just eight times. They have not managed to score more than once in any match and have drawn a blank in their last three.

"We were excellent down in Cork last week, created lots of chances, but didn't convert them," said Mathews, who will be hoping for the anomaly to end at home to in-form Shamrock Rovers tonight. "But at least we are making chances. As long as we continue to do that the goals will come."

With double Longford's goals for tally, that's scarcely a problem second-placed Rovers have at the moment as they seek to stretch their unbeaten league run to eight games.

"It's going well, but we're still not getting carried away," said Rovers' manager Liam Buckley.

Buckley is hopeful midfielder Keith O'Halloran will pass a fitness test on a knee injury, but is less confident defender Steven Gough (hamstring) will make his return tonight. Shane Robinson is available again having served a suspension.

Midfielder Dean Fitzgerald, signed from Portadown during the week, comes straight into the Longford squad while Brian McGovern, Stephen Paisley and Brian Byrne return following injury. Defender Graham Gartland is out for up to 10 weeks having had a groin operation.

Derry City's Alan Murphy is set to start for only the fifth time this season at home to Drogheda United as City desperately seek to end their goal drought which now stands at seven and a half hours of league football.