Galway hoping Rovers visit will inspire

SOCCER:THE EXPERIENCED Shaun Maher and Alan Murphy having being passed fit to bolster his defence and midfield respectively, Galway United manager Seán Connor hopes the visit of Shamrock Rovers, and a live television audience, can help elicit a much improved display at Terryland Park tonight.

Galway are second bottom of the table having lost five of their opening eight games, while just one goal and a solitary point from their four home games doesn’t augur well ahead of a meeting with the champions and league leaders.

“I’m really looking forward to the game and seeing how my players react to this challenge,” said Connor, who remains without injured midfielder Gary Curran and striker Joseph Yoffe.

“With the game being on television, it gives us a chance to show people what were capable of. We are on a poor run of form at the moment, but that can be turned around with a big performance.”

Leading scorer Gary Twigg, defender Craig Sives and ex-Galway midfielder Stephen O’Donnell, all of whom have hamstring injuries, will be missing again for Rovers. Midfielders Ronan Finn (knee) and Chris Turner (calf) face fitness tests.

“It will be another game where we’ll have to set the tempo, which is something we expect to have to do a lot this season,” explained Rovers manager Michael O’Neill. “But the more we do that, the better we will get at it.”

Should Rovers slip up in Galway, a record-equalling fourth successive win for Bray Wanderers at Dundalk – whom they’ve beaten in their last three meetings – would see them go top of the Premier Division table outright for the first time ever. Long-term injury victims Gary Shaw (foot) and Stephen Brennan (calf) are manager Pat Devlin’s only absentees.

“We found it very difficult against Bray last season and I’m sure this Friday will be exactly the same,” said Dundalk manager Ian Foster. “We won’t underestimate their quality. Obviously, they’ve had a fantastic start to the season. But we always fancy ourselves at home.”

Central defender Shane Guthrie is unlikely to feature for Dundalk as he recovers from concussion. Midfielder Dean Bennett must pass a fitness check on a hamstring, while left back Eoghan Osbourne and midfielders Greg Bolger and Stephen Maher remain out injured.

Gareth McGlynn and Ruadhrí Higgins, who spent last season with Bohemians, will relish their return to Dalymount Park with home town club Derry City as both sides hope to continue their positive starts to the season.

Derry manager Stephen Kenny is again without midfielders Barry Molloy and Ruairi Harkin, due to respective ankle and knee injuries, while striker Patrick McEleney (dead leg) and defender Emmet Friars (hip) have been unable to train since being injured in Monday’s EA Sports Cup win over Mervue United.

Bohemians remain without midfielder Glenn Cronin and striker Christy Fagan, while the versatile Mark Rossiter is also out injured. Veteran wide player Ollie Cahill hopes to be fit following a hamstring strain.

With strikers Matthew Blinkhorn and Raffaele Cretaro back from injuries and captain Richie Ryan returning from suspension, Sligo Rovers bring a fully fit squad to UCD eager to maintained their unbeaten away run after losing at home to Bohemians last week.

“We’ve watched the Bohemians game once or twice on DVD and to be fair, we were terrific in the first half,” said Sligo manager Paul Cook. “But we gave away two sloppy goals and paid for not putting teams away. We have to learn to do that and that’s what we will try to do.”

UCD, who haven’t managed a goal in three home defeats to date, are again without striker Cillian Morrison (ankle) while manager Martin Russell waits on defender David O’Connor (hamstring), midfielder Mark Langtry (calf) and striker Samir Belhout (groin).

Though St Patrick’s Athletic captain Conor Kenna misses a fifth consecutive game as he recovers from a knee injury, midfielders Anthony Murphy and Dave Mulcahy return ahead of the visit of bottom club Drogheda United.

Tonight's Games

(7.45 unless stated)

Premier Division

Bohemians v Derry City

Home: 11/8, Draw: 11/5, Away: 13/8.

Dundalk v Bray Wanderers

Home: 4/5, Draw: 9/4, Away: 3/1.

Galway United v Shamrock Rovers

(7.35 - Live on RTÉ2)

Home: 13/2, Draw: 11/4, Away: 4/9.

St Patrick’s Athletic v Drogheda United

Home: 1/3, Draw: 3/1, Away: 15/2.

UCD v Sligo Rovers

Home: 9/2, Draw: 12/5, Away: 4/7.

First Division

Limerick FC v Athlone Town

Home: 4/11, Draw: 10/3, Away: 11/2.

Mervue United v Monaghan United

Home: 9/2, Draw: 12/5, Away: 4/7.

Shelbourne v Finn Harps (8pm)

Home: 1/4, Draw: 4/1, Away: 15/2.

Wexford Youths v Waterford United (8pm)

Home: 11/4, Draw: 9/4, Away: 5/6