Cork City -v- Shamrock Rovers
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Cork City entertain Shamrock Rovers at Turner’s Cross tomorrow night (kick-off 7.45pm), knowing another loss will put a massive dent in their title aspirations. After two defeats on the bounce- one against table toppers Bohemians and the most recent a shock loss away to basement club Drogheda- the Leesiders need to get back to winning ways to keep the pressure on the current champions.
Rovers, though, are unbeaten in five and a win here would see them overtake Cork, and depending on Derry’s result against Sligo they may even move into second behind their bitterest rivals. There is now an 8 point split between the Hoops and fifth place Galway, so Europe should really be the main goal for Michael O’Neill and his side.
“This is a game we’re really looking forward to. Cork City have been excellent this season and if we win this game we’ll go level with them, which shows how much progress we’re making. We’ve been very good away from home and have lost only one game on the road so far this season – so going down to Turner’s Cross holds absolutely no fear for us,” said O’Neill on tomorrow night’s game.
The points were shared when the two teams met earlier in the season; Colin Healy’s free-kick was cancelled out by Gary Twigg’s late strike in the first meeting between the sides at Tallaght. Paul Doolin was keen to mention how this game will also be a tight encounter. He said: “Rovers have been in a good vein of form in recent weeks, and will certainly be a tough test for us, but if we can get back to defending like we have done for most of the season, we will give ourselves an excellent chance of getting back to winning ways. We kept four clean sheets in a row and now we have conceded three goals in two games, and that has cost us points.”
Cork’s recent poor run should just be a blip and Doolin still remains positive. “We have put together an excellent run of form over the past two months, but unfortunately our unbeaten run has come to an end. Neither I nor the players accept losing, but we are still sitting in second place, just three points off top and I think we need to remember that we are still in a good position. There is a long way to go in the season, and this a squad which has only been together a matter of months, so we need to be patient and continue to work hard. ”
The Leesiders are still dogged by injury problems, with Joe Gamble added to the list after he picked up a knee injury early on in the game with Bohs’ last week which will keep him out up until after the mid-season break. He joins Robert Mezeckis who has been out for the majority of the season, while Davin O’Neill and Shane Duggan are still ruled out with ankle injuries.
Michael O’Neill has doubts over Darragh Maguire and Stephen Rice, while Sean Webb remains sidelined for a few weeks due to a back problem. “We’ll be looking for big performances from our big players, and we’re in a confident mood after the win against Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium last Tuesday night. Turner’s Cross is one of the better grounds in the league, there should be a big crowd out for the visit of Shamrock Rovers – and we’ll have plenty of vocal support,” added O’Neill.
Extratime.ie Prediction: Same as in Tallaght: 1-1
Rovers, though, are unbeaten in five and a win here would see them overtake Cork, and depending on Derry’s result against Sligo they may even move into second behind their bitterest rivals. There is now an 8 point split between the Hoops and fifth place Galway, so Europe should really be the main goal for Michael O’Neill and his side.
“This is a game we’re really looking forward to. Cork City have been excellent this season and if we win this game we’ll go level with them, which shows how much progress we’re making. We’ve been very good away from home and have lost only one game on the road so far this season – so going down to Turner’s Cross holds absolutely no fear for us,” said O’Neill on tomorrow night’s game.
The points were shared when the two teams met earlier in the season; Colin Healy’s free-kick was cancelled out by Gary Twigg’s late strike in the first meeting between the sides at Tallaght. Paul Doolin was keen to mention how this game will also be a tight encounter. He said: “Rovers have been in a good vein of form in recent weeks, and will certainly be a tough test for us, but if we can get back to defending like we have done for most of the season, we will give ourselves an excellent chance of getting back to winning ways. We kept four clean sheets in a row and now we have conceded three goals in two games, and that has cost us points.”
Cork’s recent poor run should just be a blip and Doolin still remains positive. “We have put together an excellent run of form over the past two months, but unfortunately our unbeaten run has come to an end. Neither I nor the players accept losing, but we are still sitting in second place, just three points off top and I think we need to remember that we are still in a good position. There is a long way to go in the season, and this a squad which has only been together a matter of months, so we need to be patient and continue to work hard. ”
The Leesiders are still dogged by injury problems, with Joe Gamble added to the list after he picked up a knee injury early on in the game with Bohs’ last week which will keep him out up until after the mid-season break. He joins Robert Mezeckis who has been out for the majority of the season, while Davin O’Neill and Shane Duggan are still ruled out with ankle injuries.
Michael O’Neill has doubts over Darragh Maguire and Stephen Rice, while Sean Webb remains sidelined for a few weeks due to a back problem. “We’ll be looking for big performances from our big players, and we’re in a confident mood after the win against Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium last Tuesday night. Turner’s Cross is one of the better grounds in the league, there should be a big crowd out for the visit of Shamrock Rovers – and we’ll have plenty of vocal support,” added O’Neill.
Extratime.ie Prediction: Same as in Tallaght: 1-1
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile