Cork City -v- Salthill Devon

• Simon O'Gorman
• Fri, Jul 08 2011


Bottom of the table Salthill Devon travel to Turner’s Cross on Friday night to take on the daunting task of upsetting second placed Cork City’s push for promotion. (Kick off, 7.45pm)

In boxing terms, this Airtricity First Division clash represents something of a mis-match with Cork City having lost just once in their 17 league outings to date while Salthill have managed just a single point from their last six games.

In those six matches the Galway side have failed to score on five occasions and have conceded a whopping 16 goals, thirteen of which have come in their last three games. It is a situation which suggests that Salthill are not about to give up their role as the league’s bottom club any time soon.

Manager Paul McGee has also had to contend with several key players leaving his squad, including joint top scorer Ciprian Straut who, along with Daniel Rupa, has returned to Romania in recent weeks. McGee will also have to do without midfielder Mike Quirke and defender James Whelan, both of whom are suspended.

Cork City boss Tommy Dunne will be without defenders Gavin Kavanagh, who completes a three match suspension, and Stephen Mulcahy, who misses out for family reasons. Midfielder Derek O’Brien is another who will be missing having picked up a hamstring strain during last weekend’s win over Finn Harps and Dunne also faces doubts over the fitness of Shane Duggan, Vincent Escudé-Candau and Kalen Spillane.

However, new loan signing Daryl Horgan who played for Salthill before his move to Sligo Rovers earlier this year should be available to face his former team mates.

With the race for promotion rapidly turning into a four horse race the pressure will be on Dunne’s side to keep up with the hot pace being set at the top of the table, a factor that adds a certain amount of pressure in a game might otherwise be seen as something of a formality.

Speaking on the club website Dunne said, “People will look at this fixture and expect us to win, so you are on a hiding to nothing going into a game like this. We played well last week, and have been playing well in general, so we will be going out to win the game. In order to keep the momentum going and keep ourselves at the business end of the table, it is a game we need to win.”

If Salthill are looking for chinks in the Cork armour they may be encouraged by the fact that Cork lost their first league game of the season two weeks ago when Waterford United won 3-2 at Turner’s Cross. But they will not like to be reminded that their last meeting with the ‘Rebels’ ended in a 5-1 defeat at Drom earlier in the season.

Cork City:
Injured: Stephen Mulcahy, Derek O’Brien.
Doubtful: Shane Duggan, Vincent Escudé-Candau, Kalen Spillane.
Suspended: Gavin Kavanagh.

Salthill Devon
Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended: Mike Quirke, James Whelan.

Referee: Sean Grant.
Paddy Power Odds: Cork 1/12; Draw 7/1; Salthill 20/1.
Extratime prediction: Cork City to win 2-0.