SOCCER: Shamrock Rovers will be confirmed as champions at St Colman's Park this evening barring a combination of absolutely freak results in the last round of games, reports Emmet Malone.

The Dublin side are just three points ahead of Dundalk but have a vastly superior (plus 40 as compared with plus 23) goal difference which would have to be overturned for John Gill's side to grab top spot even if they did manage to beat Finn Harps at Finn Park while Pat Scully's men lost away to Cobh Ramblers.

Galway United, meanwhile, will finish second if they can win at Kilkenny and Dundalk fail to beat Harps.

The second-placed team will take on Premier Division side Waterford United in a two-legged rankings play-off.

Waterford will be away in the first leg on Tuesday evening with the second game scheduled for the RSC next Saturday evening.

The final rankings, including the one achieved by Rovers for finishing first, do not guarantee anything in relation to next year's league, however.

Instead, they merely represent one factor to be taken into account in a wider process that also includes the assessment of each club's financial and infrastructural situation and various other factors by the Independent Assessment Group which will recommend 12 clubs for membership of the newly-reconstituted league's top flight next month.

Tonight's fixtures

(all 7.45 kick-offs)

Cobh Ramblers v Shamrock Rovers, Finn Harps v Dundalk, Kilkenny City v Galway United, Limerick v Athlone Town, Monaghan United v Kildare County.