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• Friday September 21st, 2018 @ 15:55

Team News: SAINTS Vs Bohemian FC

St Patrick's Athletic host rivals Bohemian FC in the SSE Airtricity League on Saturday evening in Richmond Park (kick-off 5.30pm).

The Saints will be looking to maintain their strong recent form which has seen they claim victories over Waterford and Sligo Rovers, as well as a Leinster Senior Cup win over Dundalk.

The Saints remain without the services of striker Christy Fagan, while skipper Ian Bermingham returns from suspension and midfielders Killian Brennan and Thomas Byrne are back in training following their respective injuries.

For Saints' striker Jake Keegan, the game comes off the back of a good performance from Liam Buckley's side in the Showgrounds last weekend where they came away with a 2-1 win thanks to a goal from Keegan and a penalty from goalkeeper Brendan Clarke.

"It was a big win for us on the road as we haven't been great away from home this season," Keegan told stpatsfc.com. "We have changed to a 3-5-2 in recent weeks and I have really enjoyed it playing with Achille [Campion]."

"To get a goal was great for me personally, it was a great cross for it from Lee [Desmond]. On the penalty in the second half, you don't see many keepers having the guts to take a penalty and then to score the penalty and winner so credit to Brendan Clarke."

Looking ahead to Saturday's Dublin Derby against Bohemians, the American striker outlined his awareness of the extra importance of the game for both players and supporters.

"You can see and feel the atmosphere straight away in the ground. You can see it with the rest of the lads on the team as well that the game means that bit more to them. This weekend it absolutely massive for us as we chase down the teams in front of us," Saints' striker Jake Keegan told stpatsfc.com.

#DublinDerbySaturday sees us welcome @bfcdublin to Richmond Park for a 5.30pm KO in the @SSEAirtricityLg @jake__keegan, @jamielennon98 & @AchilleCampion are all quite new to the fixture, so what do they & Manager Liam Buckley expect from it with “a lot to play for” 🔴⚪️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/wFLAGcz2gz

— St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) September 20, 2018

Looking ahead to Saturday's Dublin Derby, Saints' manager Liam Buckley admitted to stpatsfc.com that the challenge of facing Bohemians will be tough, but his side are full of belief that they can continue their recent good form.

"Bohs are on an eight game winning streak, are coming in off a great win in the cup as well. From our end of things, we are also doing well in recent weeks. It's a big game and one I imagine will be an exciting and decent game of football. It is a Dublin Derby, so we know both the crowd and atmosphere in Inchicore will be electric."

"We are three points ahead of Bohs at the moment, and by the end of the weekend I am hoping will be six points ahead."