League Preview: Shelbourne -v- Wexford

SHELBOURNE

In-form Shelbourne welcome bottom club Wexford to Tolka Park on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm).

Since their trashing at home to Cabinteely at the end of May, Manager Owen Heary has overseen a dramatic change in fortunes as his club sit in fourth place, having gone the whole month of June undefeated.

In that period, they drew 0-0 with Longford at home, won away to promotion chasing Cobh and UCD, as well as impressively holding table-toppers Waterford to a 1-1 stalemate at Tolka.

Last time out, they won again, away to struggling Athlone Town. Adam Evans and Adam O’Connor;s strikes in the first half meant Shels were holding on to a two goal cushion at half-time.

A penalty kick by in-form hitman James English in the second half came two minutes before a consolation goal by Athlone’s Conor Barry, meanng Shels came home to the capital with a 3-1 win.

The result left them fourth in the table after 19 games played, one point and place above Longford but seven points adrift of third-placed Cobh Ramblers.

“We’d like to keep the run going – we’re unbeaten in five games,” Owen Heary told the club's website.

“Our home form hasn’t been as good as our away form so we’d like to change that around, although in saying that, we played Waterford in the last home game and put in a very good performance.

“You can see the lads are enjoying it - they’re full of confidence when they go out. All we ask for is that they give it 100% week in, week out.

"When we come off the pitch having done that, like we did against UCD and Cobh, and not got points out of it, we’re disappointed, but we knew we had put in great performances in those two games.”

WEXFORD

Despite a 2-1 defeat in last week's south-east derby, Wexford go in to Friday's clash in solid enough form, having had an upturn in form in recent weeks.

Prior to the loss to title-chasing Waterford last Friday at the RSC, Wexford picked up four points in three games (a third of their total), and had kept two clean sheets on the spin (1-0 win away to Cabinteely, 0-0 draw at home to UCD).

Aaron Dobbs, on loan from Shamrock Rovers, set up Wexford's goal in Waterford, crossing for Dean Kelly to poke home.

That goal actually put his side in front at half-time but a David McDaid penalty and a Mark O’Sullivan bullet header condemned the Garden County men to their 11^th defeat of the season.

This will be the fourth time that the two sides will have met this season. Shels hold the slight advantage having been victorious in the Leinster Senior Cup in February, and in the league in March.

Wexford did get some amount of revenge in May however, when they finally picked up their first win of the season, defeating the Tolka Park outfit 1-0 in Ferrycarrig Park thanks to an early Thomas Croke strike.

In team news, Wexford captain Craig McCabe will miss the trip to Tolka Park with a knee injury picked up after 27 minutes last week. He joins Sean Hurley on the sidelines, who misses his third match on the trot, also with a knee injury.

Ricky Fox will serve the final match of his three game ban after being sent off in the win away to Cabinteely. Thomas Croke is back in the squad for this week's match after his respective suspension is up.

After putting it up to table toppers Waterford last time out and narrowly losing by a solitary goal, the Slaneysiders will be in buoyant mood and will not approach Tolka Park with fear.

Referee: Damien McGraith.

MATCH STATS:

The sides have met 27 times overall; Shels winning 14 to Wexford’s seven times.

There has been an average of 2.7 goals per game in this fixture.

Shels have a record of seven wins, five draws and seven losses after 19 games. Wexford have a record of two wins, six draws and eleven losses after the same number of games.

The sides have met three times so far this season, with the Reds winning two of those to Wexford’s one.

Firstly, Shels beat Wexford 4-2 in the Leinster Senior Cup Fourth Round at Tolka Park. (The Drumcondra men are still in this competition, they are due to face the winners of St Patrick’s Athletic and Firhouse Clover away in the semi-finals)

Shels also won the next meeting, in Gameweek 6, 2-0 at Tolka Park. Wexford got revenge by winning 1-0 at Ferrycarrig Park in May.

Shelbourne's last five games: WDWWD

Wexford's last five games: LWDLD

BETTING:

Shelbourne 8/15; Draw 27/10; Wexford 11/2.

PREDICTION:

Shelbourne 2-1 Wexford

Shelbourne

Injured: None.

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: Alan Byrne, Adam O'Connor.

Wexford

Injured: Craig McCabe (knee) Sean Hurley (knee).

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: Ricky Fox.