20.00 29 Aug 2014 -
Referee: Tomas Connolly
League Preview: Shamrock Rovers -v- Sligo Rovers
- Josh Dolan
- Fri, Aug 29 2014
SHAMROCK ROVERS
Pat Fenlon’s Hoops will be hoping to move into third place with a victory over John Coleman’s Sligo Rovers, at Tallaght Stadium, on Friday night at 8pm.
The Hoops will jump into the third coveted European place with a win and if Peter Hutton’s Derry side can defeat St Patrick’s Athletic, who currently lie in third place in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table.
The Shamrock Rovers boss insists that his side’s main aim is to continue to close the gap on the leading pack; while he believes tomorrow night’s opposition will continue to aim to catch the Tallaght club, an ambition that could be effectively ended if the Hoops can come out with all three points.
“Our aim is to catch those ahead of us, but Sligo’s aim will certainly be to catch us. If we win tomorrow night, we can put that aim to bed, but if they win they’ll know it will make a huge difference,” Fenlon explained.
Fenlon admits that the next few games are huge for the club and he’s very much looking forward to Friday’s game and the ex- Bohs boss is hopeful of an electric atmosphere at Tallaght.
He said, “It’s going to be like that for us for the next few weeks as each week we seek to close the gap as much as we can.” He then added, “Hopefully there will be a big crowd there tomorrow night to support the team and create an atmosphere.”
Ryan Brennan remains out for The Hoops through injury, while defender David O’Connor is also out with a hamstring injury. Gary McCabe will miss the game through suspension.
SLIGO ROVERS
The Bit O’Red travel to Tallaght looking to close the eight point gap that The Hoops hold on John Coleman’s side heading into Friday’s fixture.
The Sligo manager has been happy with his side’s recent form, and insists that his charges are looking forward to Friday’s game with confidence.
“We've drawn with Dundalk and Cork and the Pat's game could have gone either way. We've played decent teams and the lads are looking forward to Friday's game to try to get another result."
Coleman also believes that his side are beginning to enjoy the playing style that the English man has implemented at The Showgrounds.
“The lads enjoyed how we played against Dundalk game and I felt they embraced it. It was hard but the reward was clear to see and while we faded in the last 10 minutes I thought we could have won the game,” Coleman explained.
The Sligo boss says that he has enjoyed introducing some young players into the first team set-up in recent weeks, but he is also looking forward to seeing some senior players returning to the squad this Friday.
He said, "It will help that we have some senior men back. The young players have been great. But it’s very important we have more experienced players available to us.”
Jeff Henderson and Daryl Kavanagh will miss the games through respective injuries, while Danny Ledwith and Alan Keane miss out through suspension.
Referee: Tomas Connolly.
MATCH STATS
Sligo have scored 11 goals on the road this season. Only Bray and Limerick have scored fewer.
Shamrock Rovers have conceded eight goals at Tallaght this season. Only top of the table Dundalk have conceded fewer.
The Hoops are unbeaten since Pat Fenlon took the reigns at Tallaght earlier on this month.
BETTING
Shamrock Rovers 11/10; Draw 9/4; Sligo Rovers12/5
PREDICTION
Shamrock Rovers 2-0 Sligo Rovers
Shamrock Rovers
Injured: Ryan Brennan, David O’Connor.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: Gary Mc Cabe.
Sligo Rovers
Injured: Jeff Henderson, Daryl Kavanagh.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: Danny Ledwith, Alan Keane.
About Josh Dolan
Josh Dolan is one of our Dublin based reporters, who also helps out with Extratime.ie’s administration tasks.
Josh, who was recommended to us by fellow reporters, joined the site as a teenager …