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  General

• Sunday October 22nd, 2023 @ 16:52

Preview: Saints Vs Sligo (23/10/2023)

The Saints face Sligo Rovers on Monday in what will be their third last game in the 2023 Premier Division.

Kick-off is on Monday at 7.30pm in Richmond Park.

There are still a limited number of home tickets available for the game HERE.

Supporters are encouraged to buy their tickets online as soon as possible to avoid disappointment with the game expected to be a sell-out.

For those St Pat's fans who can't make it to the game on Monday, it will be shown live on LOITV as usual.

The Saints face a quick turnaround after Friday's 2-0 win against Bohemians at Dalymount Park. With the rain pouring down before, during and after the game, the conditions were less than ideal for Jon Daly's side.

The first half was a tight-fought 45 minutes with both sides having few chances - the best falling to Chris Forrester who had his shot blocked by Bohs keeper James Talbot. Dean Lyness was in superb form, making multiple world-class saves to keep the game at 0-0.

Just before the hour mark, Mark Doyle sent the 450 away fans who braved the conditions into pandemonium as he put his side 1-0 up. Sam Curtis' excellent cross into the box met the head of Doyle who, with some great movement across the front of his marker towards the near post, glanced the ball into the far corner. That was a third goal in three games for Mark Doyle, who is proving to be a real big game player for the Saints as of late.

The second goal came shortly after as Conor Carty's tireless efforts all game were rewarded. As Jake Mulraney cut in from the right onto his favoured left foot, he shot at goal, forcing Bohs 'keeper Talbot to parry the ball away. The ball landed at the feet of Bartlomiej Kukulowicz who attempted to clear the ball, but Carty was on hand to block, with the rebound going straight into the Bohs net.



St Pat's maintain 3rd place in the league table with 59 points from 33 league games.

The Inchicore side are now level on points with Derry City in 2nd with a game in hand and are six points off Shamrock Rovers in top spot at the time of writing.

St Pat's have withheld a very strong domestic record in recent times, with 15 wins, three draws and just three losses in their last 21 games.

OPPOSITION WATCH / RECENT MEETINGS

Sligo Rovers currently sit in 8th spot in the table with 36 points from their 33 games.

Their last outing was a 2-0 loss at The Showgrounds to Dundalk on Friday.

The last time these sides met was a 2-0 away win for the Saints in AuguSt Chris Forrester scored a penalty after 12 minutes before a Sam Curtis strike - on his 50th appearance for the club - just past the half hour mark finished off the scoring for Jon Daly's men.

The Bit'O'Red had won both previous meetings this season, with a 2-1 win at The Showgrounds and a 1-0 victory at Richmond Park.

JON DALY "Home advantage with the crowd behind us is massive!"

Jon Daly has turned around the fortunes of this St Pat's team since his arrival many months ago. The Dubliner has been the recipient of much praise from Saints fans and was keen to stress the importance that the fans have to the team in their final few games

"We know everything that's up for grabs. We have Sligo on Monday and Shamrock Rovers on Friday - two big games for us with six points up for grabs. Hopefully we're going to come out with maximum points if possible and give ourselves the best chance of finishing in the European spots.

Having home advantage is massive. We haven't had it in the Cup campaign. The games at home where the crowd have got behind us and have been in good voice getting behind the players, they can give you a little edge. The crowd here at Richmond have been very good and supported us in good numbers and we're looking forward to the last home games of the season.

Richmond is a great stadium and a great venue to play in. The players love playing there, and the fans have been fantastic and I'm sure they will continue that for these last games."

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