LEAGUE OF IRELAND- UCD v Derry City

@jp_fahy

Derry City go into this one in wretched form having lost six of their last seven games in all competitions, the latest being a humiliating defeat at home to Drogheda United on Monday night in the semi-final of the EA Sports Cup; with Declan Devine threatening to ring the changes for the Friday’s trip to Dublin.

Devine has also demanded a response from his players demanding that they save Derry City’s season with victory on Friday night, stating that the performances of some players was simply unacceptable with Devine saying:

“I’m bitterly disappointed that we didn’t show the appetite and hunger to progress, if players think that semi-finals come about often then they need to take a good hard long look at themselves because that is totally unacceptable. The defending for the three goals just isn’t acceptable and I or my staff will not accept it, yes, we were down bodies but that is no excuse to perform like that”.

The Drogheda defeat came days after a disappointing home defeat at the hands of Sligo Rovers where Derry will feel they done enough to win but wastefulness once again in front of goal cost them; despite three defeats in four league matches City are still only five points off leaders St. Patrick’s Athletic who travel to Tallaght on Friday night so victory for the candystripes could see them close the gap with Pats to come at the Brandywell in three weeks’ time.

The best response that Devine’s players could give him is to repeat their performance from earlier in season at the Belfield Bowl when they came away with all three points after scoring six including a Rory Patterson hat-trick

As for Martin Russell his side go into this one after a morale boosting 3-1 win over Bohemians at Dalymount Park last weekend in a bottom of the table clash; after falling behind, goals from Cillian Morrison, David O’Connor and Dean Clarke moved the students up to 9^th and away from the relegation and play-off places.

Having lost 6-0 to the same opponents in March the students went to the Brandywell in May and won 4-2 coming from behind in that one as well; the students will want to repeat their performance of their visit to Foyleside rather than Derry’s visit to the bowl. Martin Russell had this to say ahead of the clash:

"We know there is still plenty of work to be done even though we have secured some good results of late. I firmly believe that with the talent, work ethic and ambition within the club we will once again secure our top tier status."

On the injury front UCD could be without Robbie Benson who is struggling with a knee injury but are definitely without the suspended James Kavanagh and Mark Langtry who were both dismissed in their last home game against Shelbourne.

As for Derry City they are without skipper Kevin Deery & centre back Stewart Greacen who’s previous knee injuries have flared up again with Barry Molloy expected to captain the side in Deery’s absence. Ryan McBride is likely to partner Shane McEleney in central defence after he sat out Monday’s defeat with a back problem, with Ruaidhri Higgins expected to return in midfield after he too missed Monday’s game with injury; while the impressive Eoghan Osborne will return having been cup-tied for Monday’s semi-final.

Friday 9^th August: UCD v Derry City, Belfield Bowl, 7:45pm

Referee: Neil Doyle

Dublin Derby Day as St. Pats take on Shamrock Rovers - 09/08/13

Dublin Derby Day as St. Pats take on Shamrock Rovers - 09/08/13

Preview by Niamh Whelan - @NiamhWhelanX

St. Pats are hoping to secure 3 points and remain at the top of the Airtricity League table as Shamrock Rovers are aiming to prevent a 14 point gap opening up between the two sides.

The Super Saints
The Saints were frustrated last week, as they were held to a scoreless draw by Drogheda United. Coupled with Dundalk's victory over Rovers, the gap at the top was slashed to just 1 point. Crucially the Inchicore side have a game in hand over their rivals, albeit a trip to the Brandywell to play Derry City.

Ahead of Friday’s clash, Pats’ manager Liam Buckley told stpatsfc.com that he was expecting another tight game between the two sides. “Tallaght is always a nice place to play and the pitch is always good up there so it should make for a good game of football. It’s a game we’re all really looking forward as clashes between the sides are always big occasions.”

“It’s an important three points and things are really tight at the top so we’ll be going there looking to get the result.” .Buckley will have a full squad to choose from as there are no major injures,but Shane McFaul will undergo a late test.Killian Brennan is suspended for Friday's game.

The Hoops

Trevor Croly will be happy with his sides place in the table. They sit comfortably 5th, with Limerick their nearest challengers 13 points behind. Rovers fans will be wondering what might have been  however, as they have drawn over half their games this season.

One of those draws came against the Saints. The other league clash between the two was an emphatic 3-0 victory for the Hoops in Tallaght at the beginning of the season.

Speaking to the club's official website, Croly was pleased with his purchase of Richie Ryan

''It has been a good week for us so far with the signing of a quality player in Richie Ryan; he will be a significant addition to the squad. And we are looking forward to what should be a great week ahead, as we have three big, exciting games coming up.''

''Friday night will give us a good chance to reduce the gap on the teams ahead of us. After that we have a cup semi-final to look forward to and then another derby game again next weekend. So it is a big week, and one that gives us plenty of opportunity make gains.”
The Hoops may struggle as Mark Quigley has been ruled out due to a Calf injury and Tommy Stewart is a doubt but his fitness will be assessed. Stephen Rice and Jason McGuinness are also unavailable for selection having both received red cards in last weeks match. Richie Ryan could make his debut

Pats record in Tallaght is poor (no win since March 2010)  and Rovers are missing out on key players, this game is a tough one to predict!

Kick off is at 8pm at Tallaght Stadium.

Waterford United vs Cobh Ramblers.

Waterford United vs Cobh Ramblers
Tomorrow the ''Munster Derby'' is apon us, what is bound to be a big game with the Blues needing to get all the points they can get to catch up with Longford and Athlone who are 3(Longford) and 5(Athlone) points ahead of the blues. The perfect result for the blues would be a draw in the ''Midlands El Classico''.

  The blues come into the game against Cobh having not lost a league game in four games, with two draws and two wins, both wins coming from away ties in Wexford and Salthill. The blues put four past Salthill last Friday, with goals coming from Chindea,Drohan,Meade and Whittle. Gavin Kavanagh and John Frost are also back from suspension this week.

Cobh come into the game after a 3-2 win over Cobh, when Martin Deady scored a 90 minute goal to seal the win against the Galway outfit. Cobh also racked up an impressive win against Longford Town a few weeks back. They came from 3-0 down to win 4-3, with Davin O'Neill securing the win for the Cobh side.
Injuries:Blues :  Michael Coady (knee) - out for remainder of season
Peter White (ankle) - out
Paul Quilty (chest) - late assessment

Cobh : Bobbi Donoghue and Sean O'Mahony
Previous Meetings:
August 24 (1996) Cobh Ramblers 2 Waterford United 1 (League Cup)



September 9 (1996) Cobh Ramblers 2 Waterford United 0 (Shield)


October 10 (1996) Waterford 2 Cobh Ramblers 1 (League)


March 14 (1997)Waterford 3 Cobh Ramblers 0 (League)


March 17 (1997)Cobh Ramblers 0 Waterford United 0 ( League)


Sep 6 (1997) Cobh Ramblers 1 Waterford United 2 (League)


November 14 (97) Waterford 1 Cobh 1 (League)


Feb 3 (98) Waterford 1 Cobh 2 (Shield)



Feb 28(98)Cobh 0 Waterford 1 (League)


August 12 (00) Cobh Ramblers 0-2 Waterford United


Sep 22( 00) Waterford United 3-1 Cobh Ramblers ( League Cup)


Oct 6 (00) Waterford United 3-1 Cobh Ramblers


Feb 16th (01) Waterford United 3-1 Cobh Ramblers


Sep 26 (02) Waterford United  2-0 Cobh Ramblers


December 14 (02) Cobh Ramblers 2-3 Waterford United


June 26 (05) Cobh Ramblers 0-1 Waterford United


May 8 (07) Cobh Ramblers 2-1 Waterford United ( Ea Cup)


March 11 (2013) Waterford United 2-0 Cobh Ramblers


April 19 - Waterford United 0-0 Cobh Ramblers


June 16 - Cobh Ramblers 0-2 Waterford United

Shelbourne v Dundalk preview by Aidan Geraghty.

Shelbourne v Dundalk (9-8-13)

By Aidan Geraghty @1895Aidan

The second round of the final series of matches takes place this weekend and both Shelbourne and Dundalk are in different positions than they would’ve expected at the start of the season; The Reds have had an abysmal campaign under the guidance of Alan Mathews and new Lilywhites gaffer Stephen Kenny has redeemed his reputation by giving the Louth outfit an opportunity to win their first Championship since 1995 and their 10^th overall. Thankfully, however, for Shels fans, Johnny McDonnell has spearheaded a revival on the pitch which has taken them out of the relegation zone.

            The two teams go into this one on the back of good runs of form; Shels are unbeaten in five (DWWWD) while Dundalk have performed slightly better over their last five (WWDWW). Shels will be hoping to have Lee Murtagh back for this clash but, as his flight from Ibiza lands on Friday morning, it’s likely he’ll only play a small part in Friday evening’s proceedings. Also missing for the Reds are Paul Crowley (hip), Mark Leech (ankle) and Robert Bayly, who broke down in training last week. The Lilywhites were without Keith Ward (knee), John Mountney (ankle) and Dane Massey (knee) last week and it is unclear whether or not any of the above will return.

            Confidence seems to have been restored around Drumcondra since the arrival of ‘Johnny Mac’ and Ian Ryan reflected this by predicting that the Reds would finish 6^th. While this may be slightly optimistic, McDonnell said (before the Bray game) he believes 11 points would suffice and guarantee Shelbourne’s Premier Division status for next season.

TEAM NEWS

Shelbourne injuries: Paul Crowley (hip), Mark Leech (ankle), Robert Bayly.

Doubtful: Lee Murtagh (holiday).

Suspended: None.

Dundalk injuries: John Mountney (ankle), Dane Massey (knee), Keith Ward (knee)

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: Mark O’Brien.

Betting:         Shels: 13/5

Draw: 9/4

Dundalk: Evens

Prediction: Shelbourne 0-1 Dundalk.

Bray Wanderers 1 - 1 Shelbourne. Match report Sunday August 4th, 2013.

A late Dean Kelly strike clinched Shelbourne a well deserved point as they traveled home from the Carlisle Grounds on Sunday afternoon following a trademark goal from Bray's veteran striker Jason Byrne.

Shelbourne looked the most likely side to break the deadlock early on as Sean Brennan found himself beyond the Bray back line following a high ball over the top only to see his effort saved by Darren Quigley in the Seagulls' goal.

Not long after this, former Seagull Adam Hanlon looked set to punish his old side but for a last gasp tackle from Niall Cooney who managed to poke the ball away as he was preparing to pull the trigger.

Shortly into the second half the hosts found themselves ahead courtesy of, who else, but Jason Byrne. Dean Zambra's low hit cross found John Mulroy who turned and struck the ball across goal from a tight angle only to find Bray's record marksman in the right place at the right time once again for his side to tap home past Lee Murphy in the Shels goal.

The home side seemed to grow in confidence after they took the lead and soon after they could well have found themselves further in front and perhaps out of sight. Jason Byrne was joined in attack by Kieran Waters in a move which ended in Byrne's shot coming back off the Shelbourne post before the man affectionately known as Marty saw his shot from distance turned away superbly by Murphy.

Shelbourne finally woke up and realised the second half had started with just 14 minutes left to play. Sean Brennan whipped the ball in and Dean Kelly met it with his head and sent the ball past Quigley into the Bray net to level the game.

In what was very much a game of two halves, in which Shelbourne dominated the first while Bray bossed the second, a draw is most definitely a fair result which I'm sure both sides will feel content with while, at the same time wishing they could have converted some of their chances.

Bray Wanderers: Darren Quigley; David Webster, Eoin Hyland, Niall Cooney, Conor Earley; John Mulroy (Ismahil Akinade, 85), Dean Zambra, Gary Dempsey (Sean Noble, 85), Kevin O’Connor, Kieran ‘Marty’ Waters; Jason Byrne.

Unused Subs: Shane Redmond, Kevin O’Leary, Adam Mitchell, Sean Hurley, Daire Doyle.

Shelbourne: Lee Murphy; Brian Shortall (Rob Cornwall, 71), Graham Gartland, Pat Flynn, Ian Ryan; Sean Brennan, Glenn Cronin, Derek Doyle (Paul Andrews, 85), Stephen Hurley (Brian Gannon, 71), Adam Hanlon; Dean Kelly.

Unused Subs: Niall Burdon, Jamie McGlynn, Carl Walshe, Darren Tinnelly.

Follow Conor Clancy on Twitter: @conorclancy9

Derry City 1-2 Sligo Rovers

Derry where looking to shake off the Sligo Voodoo which has been haunting them since 2009 a crowd of over 2,000 filled the Brandywell for this game.

The first half was responsible  quiet  neither side really threatening

At half time it was 0-0

The second half was much more eventful and Derry City where rewarded a penalty when Rory Patterson was fouled by Gavin Peers, but the penalty was  saved by Sligo Keeper Gary Rodgers who was exceptional all night. Derry did have corners resulting from the missed penalty but they went to nothing in the end.

Sligo took the lead on the 65th minute when David Crawley put the ball past Derry goalkeeper Gerard Doherty. 1-0 to the league champions

In the 85th minute it became 2-0 it was thorn in the side Danny North this time who was out most of the season with an injury .

Derry did get a goal coming from a set up from Pat Mc Eleney who crossed it to Letterkenny  Born Sean Houstan who grabbed his first of the season.

Derry will have to wait til next year until beating Sligo in the league and once again Sligo Rovers run away with a 3 points from the Brandywell

Full Time Derry City 1 - 2 Sligo Rovers

By Adam Quigley- Nixon

Curran Cracks Crap City

Cork City’s season returned to where it began on Friday night, making the relatively short trip to the 26,000 capacity Thomond Park for their third and final game of the season against Munster rivals Limerick FC, with both sides looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation battle raging below.

Despite leaving go three strikers in the form of Denis Behan, Danny Furlong and Daryl Kavanagh earlier in the week, City manager Tommy Dunne named a 4-4-2 formation with youngster Danny Morrissey and loan signing Ciarán Kilduff leading the line in a side which also saw Garry Buckley partner Dan Murray in City’s back four following Kalen Spillane's sending off last week. Kilduff has made a big impact since signing for the club last month, and he had the Rebel Army’s first chance early on. Ian Turner swung in a good ball, but stretching the Shamrock Rovers striker couldn't get the contact he wanted and put the ball over.

The away side were most certainly the brighter of the two teams in the opening exchanges and Kilduff had another few half-chances with the away support in fine voice. It was the home team who had the best chance in the opening exchanges though, against the run of play. A fine ball from the right hand side by Danny Galbraith picked out Craig Curran at the back post, the Scot got a touch with his head which looked like the deadlock breaker, but Mark McNulty had other ideas, spectacularly flying to his right hand side and getting enough of a palm to deflect the ball onto his right hand post and away from danger.

Barry Ryan matched McNulty’s exploits at the other end, doing very well to get strong hands behind Gearóid Morrissey’s rasping effort and turn it over the crossbar. It was a war of the goalkeepers in the first half, as McNulty again displayed his agility to deny Curran, this leaping off the ground and twisting in the air to enable himself to palm the Scot’s powerful shot out for a corner.

The Ballincollig native was helpless a few moments later however, as Stephen Folan saw himself in space. The former Newcastle United defender tried his luck with a long range effort which saw McNulty flat-footed having seen the ball deflect off Curran and into the net. As Folan wheeled away to celebrate what appeared a fortunate opener he turned back to see the away net minder setup a free-kick, Curran adjudged to have intentionally deflected the ball with his arm by referee Neil Doyle and the official was most certainly not the most popular man in Thomond as he put his whistle to his lips once more, this time to signal the end of the first half.

City didn't quite start the second period with as much gusto as the first, though a tangle between Danny Murphy and Shane Duggan prevented the latter a chance at the goal. A few minutes later the deadlock was finally broken courtesy of the unrelenting Curran. The Limerick striker found himself in space down the left hand side after a fantastic touch, he then pushed the ball ahead of himself before opening up his right foot and curling a fantastic finish past McNulty, who this time was powerless to keep the ball out. Curran was in flying form at this stage, and had a shot whistle over the crossbar a mere two minutes later with no doubts as to who was now in the ascendancy.

The Blues’ number 19 looked dangerous all evening, and after a Dave O’Leary cross wasn't cleared properly, he again had an effort, which thankfully for Tommy Dunne’s men was scuffed left and wide. Danny Galbraith then was the next Limerick man to try his luck, but his shot was wild under a sky getting wilder. The home side were only getting stronger, and doubled their advantage after the hour mark. With City piling players forward in search of an equaliser, Sean Kelly picked up the ball outside the Blues’ penalty area. His burst from the back saw City at sixes and sevens, and the defender laid it on to Joe Gamble who teed up Rory Gaffney; despite yet another brilliant save, Kelly was on hand to power home the second with City players stuck on their own goal-line.

It couldn't be said that the second goal was rough justice for the away side, who despite early momentum were a shadow of the team from the previous period, and were now facing yet another long trip home. Limerick didn't let up though, and clever work from O’Leary on the right side, slipping a neat through ball to Gamble, saw the former Cork City midfielder force another fine low save by City’s number one. Gamble turned provider a few minutes later, teeing up Curran for a volley which McNulty comfortably save, and a poor touch denied Gamble a goal from a fantastic through ball by Stephen Bradley

Things went from bad to worse for the Leesiders, as with five minutes to go Daryl Horgan received his marching orders from referee Doyle for pushing Kelly after a dangerous tackle from behind. This sparked a half-way line melee which saw Kilduff and McNulty booked, Kelly also seeing yellow for the original foul. But as time ticked towards a conclusion, City found a goal out of thin air, quite literally. A long ball by Danny Murphy found Ciarán Kilduff with his back to goal, he turned Stephen Folan in the Limerick backline and under pressure was assisted by Danny Morrissey, who picked up the breaking ball and smashed a shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.

City pushed on for the unlikeliest of equalisers, and there were calls for handball when Gearóid Morrissey drilled a volley off Robbie Williams, before sub Stephen Kenny saw his follow up blocked down similarly. In the end that was as close as the away side got to securing a point. Stuart Taylor’s men ran out the additional four minutes and were crowned the victors of the Munster derby for the fourth time in five competitive fixtures.

For the Rebel Army there’s no letting up, a crucial league game against Bohemians next Friday will cap off a week which sees City battling for a place in the next round of the cup on Monday at 5PM, and entertaining their second Premiership club of the season in the shape of West Brom the following evening. While the home side will go into next week's big game against UCD full of confidence.