Leading sides set to meet

SATURDAY should see some alteration to the top three places in the third division - they have been unchanged for the last three weeks - after the top four teams meet.

Leaders Monkstown will have former UCD wing Dapo Odumeru in their full-strength side for the visit to Highfield, while UCC face the long trek north to take on City of Derry.

The students will make that journey in the aircraft vacated by Ballymena, who arrive in Cork to face Constitution but, while the journey will be short enough, UCC are not due to arrive in Derry until lunchtime on Saturday. Given that scenario, they can expect the home side - who are hitting good form at the right time - to look for early points before their visitors have adjusted. UCC have delayed selecting, while Derry will be at full strength.

Below that quartet Bohemians face a difficult trip to Waterpark at a time when they needed an easier game to reestablish their promotion credentials. With both Gordon Ross and Joe Sweeney on the injured list, Bohemians have deferred selection. Waterpark will have Under 20 player Mark McDonald on the wing for Maurice Logue who has emigrated to Australia, but otherwise will be unchanged from the side which drew with Skerries last week.

Skerries will be away at UCD, whose only change sees hooker John Egan returning for John O'Sullivan. Galwegians are still unsure how their fitness problems will work out for the match against Bangor, while Buccaneers will be at full strength for the journey to DLSP, who will certainly be without Niall O'Riordan who has a damaged shoulder.

In the fourth division, Portadown will continue with the same side which has put them top of the table, and expect them to maintain that position against Queen's. Trinity, too, will rely on the same selection for the visit of Corinthians, who will again have dual status player Henry O'Toole at full back, and former Blackrock flanker Frank Butler - an excellent capture for the club - at open side.

Ards have an opportunity to close the gap on Collegians, who are two places above them, and will have David Nightingale in for Neil Workman, who was concussed in their defeat by Portadown last week.