There is a quick turnaround in the League of Ireland this weekend with a further three fixtures scheduled for Monday after a full round of fixtures on Friday night.
Waterford’s trip to Derry City is the standout tie which will have implications at the top of the table.
Sligo Rovers host Drogheda and St. Patricks Athletic’s tie with Dundalk will see former Ireland manager Stephen Kenny face off against the team where he made his name at this level, having spent six years in charge of The Lilywhites.
League of Ireland Review
The beauty of this league is the unpredictable nature of every fixture that takes place, which was on full display Friday night.
I had anticipated that Shelbourne’s home tie with Sligo was the only certain home banker. However, Kailin Barlow’s excellent opener for his first goal of the campaign and Fabrice Hartmann’s well-timed run and finish ensured that no game can be accurately predicted in the League of Ireland.
It was a blow to the league leaders and Shamrock Rovers took full advantage with a win at Drogheda to close the gap to six points.
Derry failed to take advantage as they were held to a scoreless draw by Dundalk who have now kept seven successive clean sheets at home. St. Patrick’s picked up a morale-boosting win with a late winner from substitute Alan Nolan to condemn Galway to a first defeat since the 1st of April.
Padraig Amond continued to star for Waterford and their 2-1 victory over former manager Alan Reynold’s Bohemians brought them into fourth, just three points off a European place.
Sligo Rovers vs Drogheda United
The win over Damien Duff’s league leaders on Friday displayed some of the individual talents that John Russell has in this team and he will be relying on that bit of star quality to keep them clear of the bottom two with seven points separating them from Drogheda, three points here would go a long way in deciding their faith over the second half of the season.
Ed McGinty had an exceptional game in goal against Shelbourne and the loanee generally has a big part to play when his side picks up an important result.
Drogheda have conceded eleven goals in their last five away games and are starting to look like a side that are a level below the regular Premier Division sides. They were on the wrong side of a terrific strike from Shamrock’s Graham Burke, which you can see below in what will be a League of Ireland goal-of-the-season contender.
They have failed to win in their last six visits to the Showgrounds and with three tough away games to follow this and then a home tie against Shelbourne they could find themselves propping up the table if they don’t pick up three points here.
St. Patricks Athletic vs Dundalk
A point against second-placed Derry was a welcome return for Jon Daly and Dundalk and as mentioned, they are becoming notoriously difficult to score against at Oriel Park.
They will need to start winning games to keep the teams above them within reaching distance but they will have to end a run of seven games without an away win against St. Pats if they are to potentially move off the bottom of the table.
The 2019 league champions are capable of a result here if they can find a way to score. Scottish forward Cameron Elliott had a decent game against Derry and will be on to watch as he looks to end his goal drought.
St. Pats have some exciting talent coming through at the moment and following the development of Sam Curtis and his subsequent move to Sheffield United, 16-year-old Mason Melia is looking to be the next big Irish star to come out of the club. He was in the right place at the right time to score the opener against Galway and has impressed at underage level for his country.
He will be looking to continue his success with another goal against Dundalk, having netted against them on his 16th birthday from the penalty spot last season.
This is looking like a home win but there are no certainties in this division and the short turnaround could lead to any result here.
Derry City vs Waterford
The home side’s only two defeats since the beginning of April have been to champions Shamrock Rovers but four draws and just two wins from the last seven have prevented them from overtaking Shelbourne but they have beaten Waterford twice this season without conceding.
Their opponent’s recent resurgence will cause some concern but Ruaidhri Higgins and his squad will be better equipped than the away side to perform to a high level having played Friday night.
Keith Long will be delighted that his team continued their recent good form with the win over Bohemians but they were comfortably beaten at the start of this run by Derry and the newly promoted outfit will have to put in an inspired showing to pick up another three points.
A win would see them move a point behind their opponents and cap off what has been an incredible half of the season with them 13 points off the League of Ireland relegation play-off place having been promoted through that route by beating Cork City last season.
This should be a home win but do not be surprised if Amond, Christie Pattisson and co. upset the odds here yet again.