Tonight (7.45)
St Patrick's Athletic v Finn Harps
Neither of these did too well last week with Saint Patrick's turning in a below-par performance at Dalymount, while Harps were beaten by UCD, suffering what manager Charlie McGeever described as their worst defeat of the campaign to date.
McGeever will make at least one switch in the centre of the park. Fergal Harkin, who has come off the bench in each of the two games played since his arrival at Finn Park, will start. St Patrick's manager Liam Buckley must make one change, too, for Stephen McGuinness, who has been gaining a bit of a reputation for the, well, enthusiasm of his challenges, is suspended. Mick Moody, Willie Burke and Paul Campbell are among the contenders for his spot.
Harps, one of only three sides to beat the title holders so far, will be anxious to continue their reversal of last year's form between the two. Last week's setback makes it all the more important for them to get something out of the trip. "We were saying afterwards at Belfield that maybe it was just the kick up the arse that we needed but we won't know whether we were right until about 10 o'clock tomorrow night," says McGeever.
Last two seasons: 1997/98: Harps 1 St Patrick's 2, St Patrick's 1 Harps 0, Harps 0 St Patrick's 2; 98/99: Harps 2 St Patrick's 1
Recent league form: St Patrick's: WWLWD; Harps: WWWWL
Leading scorers: St Patrick's: Gilzean (10), Molloy (eight)
Harps: Mulligan (eight), Speak (five)
Betting: Home: 4/6, Draw: 12/5, Away: 7/2
Referee: T Tully (Cork)
Shamrock Rovers v Waterford United
The Dubliners are on a nice little run these days. Nobody other than Cork City has beaten them at Tolka Park this season. So Mike Flanagan and his Waterford players could be forgiven for wishing it was somewhere else they were heading in the hope of putting last week's fiasco against Sligo Rovers behind them, when they started with 10 men due to traffic delays. "Well, we'll be looking to start the game with 11 men this week," says Flanagan. Long-term injuries to Barry Wood, Joe Harkin and John Frost and the suspension of Alan Reynolds will not help, but there is plenty of scope for changes, with Joe Keith, Karl Gannon and Tim McGrath just three of the players expected to come back in this week.
For Rovers it will be more a case of as you were. Manager Mick Byrne reckoned his team just about shaded it in Derry, even if they didn't get the win, and he doesn't see any point in messing about too much with a line-up that, with little enough variation, has taken 11 points out of the last five games.
The hosts are likely to have Richie Purdy available for the first time since the 26-year-old broke his collarbone in Cork last month and he is expected to make an appearance on the bench. Tommy Dunne, on the other hand, will probably be kept out by a hamstring problem.
Last two seasons: 1997/98: Did not meet; 98/99: United 1 Rovers 1
Recent league form: Rovers: WWWDD; United: DDLLD
Leading scorers: Rovers: Cousins, Kenny and Sherlock (five apiece); United: Dully, Wood and Gannon (two apiece)
Betting: Home: 4/5, Draw: 9/4, Away: 100/30.
Referee: G Perry (Dublin).
First Division
Galway will give a debut to newly-recruited local striker Ollie Keogh when Athlone come to Terryland Park this evening. Keogh, who has been a central figure in Merview's success over the past couple of years, has shown himself capable of coping at National League level on his several appearances in the FAI and League Cups over the last 12 months and has finally decided that he wants to make the step up.
"We're absolutely delighted," said United manager Don O'Riordan yesterday. "We'd been looking to bring in a player for the last couple of weeks and for one reason or another nobody we were interested in was available. But now a player that I've been impressed with anytime I've seen him has come knocking on our door and to top it off he's a local lad."
The 23-year-old will go straight into the team for tonight's clash with Athlone when Galway will be looking to build on last week's win at Home Farm. That poor run of form has left O'Riordan's side with ground to make up in the first division table, and if Drogheda can beat Home Farm this evening then they'll be the team setting the pace.
United have everybody available for the visit of Liam Brien's side with Shaun Maher, signed from Shelbourne a couple of weeks ago but suspended last weekend, now available. The visitors will be without Val Keenan, who picked up an ankle injury last Saturday. Justin Gleeson will come in for him while team captain Stuart Byrne returns from suspension.
Fixtures: Drogheda United v Home Farm Everton; Galway United v Athlone Town.
