Shamrock Rovers V St. Patrick's Athletic
- Tue, Mar 16, 2010 @ 11:45
Airtricity League football returns to Tallaght tonight as Shamrock Rovers kick-off their home campaign with a Dublin derby against St. Patrick’s Athletic.
Having drawn their opening match 1-1 away to Sligo, Rovers will be hoping to get their first win of the campaign, although they face a St. Patrick’s Athletic side looking to make it two wins from two in the Airtricity League following their 2-0 win over Galway United on the opening night of the season.
The Hoops will be without strikers Gary Twigg (calf) and Dessie Baker (broken arm) for several weeks, meaning Graham Barrett and Billy Dennehy will most likely lead the home side’s attack.
In defence, both Aidan Price and Pat Sullivan are suspended, although Craig Sives returns having been banned for the opening match of the season.
“I saw St. Pat’s win their opening league game against Galway United and even though they lost away to Linfield last Saturday they’ve had a good start to the season,” said Rovers manager Michael O’Neill.
“They’ve qualified for the Setanta Sports Cup semi-finals, have three points from their first league game, and we’d expect them to come to Tallaght with confidence.
“They’ve a lot of new players in their squad and they’ll be eager to show what they’re capable of in a Dublin derby – but we know what’s required of us.”
The Saints make the short trip to Tallaght without the injured Noel Haverty, while there are doubts over Conor Kenna and ex-Rovers full-back Ian Bermingham, both of whom picked-up knocks against Linfield.
“It’s great to have a big game like this coming so soon after Saturday’s result,” said Saints boss Pete Mahon.
“Like any Dublin derby, it will no doubt be helter-skelter for the first twenty minutes before things settle down a little. We’ll want to bounce back from Saturday’s game and we’ll be going out to win the match.”
Next Fixture
vs BOHEMIANSDate: April 24th (7:45pm)
Competition: League
Venue: Richmond Park
Tweet #stpatsfc
| Team | Pld | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Shamrock Rovers | 12 | 25 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 12 | 23 |
| Dundalk | 12 | 21 |
| Bohemian FC | 12 | 20 |
| Derry City | 12 | 14 |
| Galway United | 11 | 14 |
| Shelbourne | 11 | 13 |
| Sligo Rovers | 12 | 11 |
| Drogheda United | 11 | 10 |
| Waterford FC | 11 | 4 |