As he prepares to leave a string of the club's bigger names languishing on the bench once again for tonight's game against Drogheda United, Damien Richardson insists that players like John O'Flynn, Neale Fenn and Joe Gamble understand that they cannot expect to walk into a team that has made such a strong start to the season, writes Emmet Malone.

O'Flynn was injured in the first game of the season and has not started a game since, Fenn has also just started once and Gamble lost his place in the side when suspended for the Setanta Cup game in Portadown. All will, insists Richardson, have ample opportunity to contribute during the months ahead.

"We have a couple of slight injuries ahead of the Drogheda game," he says, "but it's very hard to even contemplate making changes when we've been playing the way we have in the last few weeks.

"Denis (Behan) has come in and done particularly well but we've been strong in every department really and players know that they have to wait their turn in those sort of circumstances, I've talked to all of the lads and nobody's nose is out of joint."

The striking partnership forged between Behan and Kevin Doyle has certainly made an immediate impact with the pair managing seven goals between them to date but Richardson believes that those waiting behind them in the queue will get their chance, not least because of the number of games Cork will have to play over the coming months.

"The Setanta Cup has added to the schedule and we would hope to do better in the cup than last year so there should be no shortage of opportunities. The important thing for the moment is for everybody to keep their heads down and work hard and that's what they have been doing, I've been delighted by the effort I've seen on the training pitch."

Dan Murray (hamstring) and Billy Woods (groin) are doubts going into this evening's game but, while Greg O'Halloran and Roy O'Donovan stand by to see how fitness tests this afternoon go, Richardson is hopeful that the pair will both be fit enough to start.

Drogheda United, meanwhile, bring a full squad south although Paul Doolin admits that he feels the club could do with adding one more player - a striker - to the panel and there have been reports of a link with Richard Sadlier, who was forced to retire from the game due to injury.

Derry City manager Stephen Kenny adds Kevin Deery and Eamon Doherty to his squad for the game against Shamrock Rovers at the Brandywell where Mark Rutherford is expected to return from injury for the Dubliners.

The two bottom sides meet at Dalymount Park where Gareth Farrelly, Tony Grant and Ken Oman are all in line to start for the league's lowest scorers, Bohemians, against the side with its most porous defence, Finn Harps, who will be without Anthony Gorman (hamstring).

Waterford travel to Bray without Paul Crowley or John Frost looking to improve on their performance last week at Belfield where they were beaten 1-0 by UCD and the students' manager Pete Mahon is hoping that his young side can build on that win at Richmond Park after what has been a tough start for the college side.

"It's a lot more difficult that what we were used to last season," says Mahon. "You only have to look at the fact that we have two goals from five games now compared to 10 or 12 at the same stage to get an idea of how much harder it is."

Mahon adds 19-year-old Paul Byrne, who scored three goals in two appearances as a substitute last season, to his squad but is likely to stick with the same starting line-up.

NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (7.45 unless stated)

Bohemians v Finn Harps, Dalymount Park; Bray Wanderers v Waterford United, Carlisle grounds; Cork City v Drogheda United, Turner's Cross; Derry City v Shamrock Rovers, Brandywell Stadium; St Patrick's Athletic v UCD, Richmond Park.

First Division: Galway United v Kildare County, Terryland Park, 7.30.