LEAGUE OF IRELAND PREMIER DIVISION:SHAMROCK ROVERS' manager Pat Scully has told his midfielders to stand up and compete if they are to end their seven-match run without a win and beat champions Drogheda United for the second time this season at Tolka Park tonight.
Eight players - Dessie Baker, Danny O'Connor, Eric McGill, Chris Mulhall, Darren Stapleton, John Martin, Robbie Creevy and Pat Flynn - being out injured greatly hampers Scully's game plan.
"They're a big, fit and physical team and they've a very strong midfield to call on . . . we need to stand up to them and compete against them if we're going to win this game," he says.
Drogheda , who twice led under-strength leaders St Patrick's last week before drawing 2-2, are in their best form of the season, according to manager Paul Doolin, who remains without injured goalkeeper Dan Connor and strikers Declan O'Brien and Shane Barrett.
St Patrick's travel to Sligo Rovers in perhaps the most intriguing clash of the night. Damien Lynch is fit to return at right back, with Stephen Brennan likely to move across to accompany Jamie Harris in central defence in place of the suspended Stephen Paisley. Left back Chris Butler completes a two-match ban for Sligo who welcome Romuald Boco back from injury.
Bohemians, two points behind St Patrick's, are likely to be unchanged from Sunday's win over Cork City when they face Jeff Kenna's rejuvenated Galway United at Dalymount Park.
While Bohemians' manager Pat Fenlon will want the three points to set up a top-of-the-table showdown in Inchicore on Tuesday, bottom-placed Galway, who add the injured Stephen O'Flynn and suspended Ollie Fenn to last week's absentees, will be keen to stretch their unbeaten run to four games ahead of Cobh Ramblers' visit to Terryland Park on Monday.
That will be the second of two relegation six-pointers for second-bottom Cobh, who host Finn Harps tonight desperate to end a run that's seen them take just one point from their last five games. Injuries to Conor Meade, Alan Kearney, Mickey O'Shea and Shane Guthrie don't help tonight, while John Meade, sent off last week, is suspended. Harps are without goalkeeper James Gallagher (hip) and defenders Jonathan Minnock (Achilles) and Aaron Labonte (knee).
Having praised his players after their seven-match unbeaten run came to an end at Sligo last week, Bray Wanderers' manager Eddie Gormley encouraged them to look to go on another good run, starting against Cork City at the Carlisle Grounds tonight. With three of their defeats over the last four games to title rivals, Cork's aspirations don't look good as they've beaten only Sligo of the teams in the top half of the table. Colin Healy returns to midfield in place of the banned Joe Gamble.
Derry remain without the injured Seán Hargan, Paddy McCourt and Sammy Morrow for the visit of UCD.With just three goals in a run without a win of nine games, it's clear where UCD's problem is. Captain Conor Kenna is a big doubt with a hip injury.
TONIGHT'S FIXTURES (7.45 unless stated) League of Ireland Premier Division: Bohemians v Galway United, Bray Wanderers v Cork City, Cobh Ramblers v Finn Harps, Derry City v UCD, Shamrock Rovers v Drogheda United (8.0), Sligo Rovers v St Patrick's Athletic (8.0). First Division - Longford Town v Limerick 37 (8.0), Monaghan United v Kildare County (8.0), Wexford Youths v Dundalk (8.0).
