General
- Monday May 14th, 2018 @ 14:50
TEAM NEWS: Saints Vs Sligo Rovers (Tuesday, 7.45pm)
St Patrick's Athletic are back in SSE Airtricity League action as they host Sligo Rovers on Tuesday night in Richmond Park, Inchicore (kick-off 7.45pm).
The Saints head into the game off the back of two wins in their last two league games having recorded a 1-0 win last Friday against Limerick thanks to a Ryan Brennan goal.
Supporters can buy their tickets for Tuesday night's game HERE via the Saints' online ticket section.
In team news, the Saints remain without the services of midfielder Owen Garvan through illness, though Liam Buckley was boosted by the return of Christy Fagan from injury last Friday to further strengthen his attacking options.
"I was delighted to get out of Limerick on Friday with the three points. It was not our best performance of the season but we ground it out and managed to get a result," St Pat's manager Buckley told stpatsfc.com. "It was a great goal to win the game from Ryan Brennan and we know he can pop up and score goals so that is great from our point of view. We were pushed right to the end and Barry Murphy had to come up with one or two great saves but the lads put in a real shift and it is a great boost to us going into this game against Sligo.
"We had a stalemate against them a few weeks ago so we know we won't get anything easy. They were very unlucky against Dundalk last Friday in conceding a late goal to lose the game so if they carry that form into Tuesday evening, they will come to Inchicore full of confidence. From our side though, the focus is on what we do, our own performance, and if we maintain control over that we can hopefully get another positive result.
"Our home form and has been good lately and we are unbeaten in our last six in the league. That coupled with the strong support we have been getting this season means that we are hoping to extend this run and make Richmond a real fortress and a tough place for teams to come to."
Looking ahead to Tuesday's re-fixed game against the Bit O'Red, defender Simon Madden underlined the importance of the Saints picking up a third successive league win.
"The Sligo game on Tuesday is massive for us. We will be looking to win and carry on the form from there. It is a little strange to play Sligo again so close to our last game with them a few weeks ago, but that is the nature of the league and all the teams know each other's games fairly well at this stage.
"The pitch in Sligo didn't really suit us," Madden told stpatsfc.com. when reflecting on the 0-0 draw in the Showgrounds last month. "But we dug in, picked up another clean sheet and came away with a good point away from home as Sligo will take points off teams in the Showgrounds.
"On Tuesday though, we have to play our game and hopefully we can do that and pick up the three points."
