McGeever waits on strikers

Finn Harps manager Charlie McGeever will wait until his full panel gathers in Ballybofey this morning before deciding on which striker will start in the club's biggest Harp Lager FAI cup game of the 1990s. Jonathan Speak, James Mulligan and Davie Dowling have all been suffering with injury problems in recent weeks and although all three have told the Harps manager that they are fit and ready for action McGeever is anxious to give them one final run out before making a decision.

"We have particular problems with James, Davie and Pascal Vaudequin because they've all been out for a month, more or less. Obviously you need to have your most experienced players out there for a game like this but it would be taking an awful gamble to throw all of them back in there so, up front at least, I'm hoping to have one fit to start from the three."

That means that Speak, the clubs top scorer in the league, who has missed much of the cup campaign so far, is likely to get the nod ahead of his two striking partners. "The fact that he has been playing in the last few games would certainly be a point in his favour," admits McGeever, "even if he has hardly been able to train this week."

Provided the former Derry City man doesn't aggravate his groin strain in training this morning then it is possible that he will start the game alongside Garret Callaghan up front with the others coming into the reckoning later on in the game.

Harps are, however, by no means the only semi-finalists with concerns about who will be playing up front. Their visitors, Shelbourne, look certain to be without Liam Kelly for tonight's game while Cork City will probably have to take on Athlone in St Mel's Park without recent arrival, Johnny Glynn.

The former St Patrick's Athletic striker started the league game at Tolka Park out on the right in place of the injured Colin O'Brien but had to be taken off himself after pulling a hamstring

"He's got about a 50-50 chance of playing," says manager Dave Barry who will probably stick with John Caulfield on the right hand side of midfield if Glynn doesn't make it and two from Noel Hartigan, John Cotter and Jason Kabia up front.

"Whatever happens," he says "we'll be positive about the game. We'd like to have won more games in the league but even if we've drawn too many we've won fairly well when we've got out to win and we won't look to change that now, it's be crazy."

Both games, meanwhile, are expected to be sell-outs on the night with Athlone having sold all but a few hundred tickets for their game with Cork by yesterday and tickets going solidly all week for the televised game in Ballybofey.