Matthews expects test

Longford Town are looking to pick up their first win of the season tonight at Flancare Park where Alan Matthews's side will be without Davey Byrne and Dave Mooney for the visit of Dublin City.

The visitors, are missing a handful of players but, even in the absence of Mark Rooney (knee), Ben Whelehan (heel) and Dave McGill (suspension), Matthews reckons Dermot Keely will ensure that his side are capable of making life difficult for their hosts.

"I saw them against Derry and was very impressed, they were well worth their win," says Matthews. "But you always know with Dermot that he's going to put out a team that is ready to battle and play. They'll be competitive and well organised, but we're coming into the game having played well and created a lot of chances against Sligo and hopefully we can score a goal or two this time out."

Sligo will be without Chris Turner for their game against St Patrick's Athletic tonight with the midfielder suspended as a result of a challenge on Davy Byrne that left the Longford midfielder nursing a badly injured ankle.

His likely replacement, says manager Seán Connor, is Gary Curran, a youth international who Connor regards highly. It will be the teenager's first start in the league after a couple of impressive cameos.

The Dubliners will be without long-term injury victims Chris Armstrong and Colm Foley while Paul Keegan is suspended after being singled out for punishment following the scuffle that marred the second half of last week's 2-2 draw with Shelbourne.

Shelbourne chief executive Ollie Byrne said yesterday that a bank draft for €290,687.18 would be lodged with the Revenue Commissioners by five o'clock, thereby averting the threat of the club being wound up in the High Court on Monday.

"I'm sitting here with the money as well as €4,000 in costs for their solicitors," said Byrne, "but I find it amazing that the Revenue can treat us in this way and one of our competitors (Shamrock Rovers) so completely differently."

When Rovers went into examinership last year they owed the Revenue around €1.5 million but as part of the package that resulted in the club being saved they agreed to pay just 4.25 cent in the euro to settle their tax liabilities.

"I'm public enemy number one with the Revenue because I stood up to them," said Byrne, "and I'm very annoyed by the way we have been singled out by the Revenue in recent times."

He went on to criticise some of those who, he felt, had written the club's hopes of survival off since the issue of the tax debt emerged a couple of weeks ago.

"Everybody was writing Shelbourne's epitaph but they won't be dancing on my grave yet," he said. "I was never worried about this because I knew all along that the money was there. This club will be around for a long time to come."

Shelbourne, whose league game against Derry City was put back to early June because of last night's under-17 international qualifier at Tolka Park, will play Derry in the Setanta Cup on Monday evening.