Monday night football in south Dublin this week will be the Dublin Derby between St. Patrick’s Athletic and Shamrock Rovers. The usual local bragging rights are on offer at Richmond Park for the winners, to go with the crucial three points – badly needed by both sides.

The Hoops want the win to help them hang on to their current third place – which would guarantee them European football next season.

St. Pat’s are proud of their ever-present position in the top flight of Irish football – ‘Never relegated’ says the banner – but the Saints sit in the Premier Division relegation zone with five games remaining and are desperate for a win.

Rovers won 4-1 against Finn Harps on Friday night with second half substitute James Doona scoring twice. Doona is a resident of Dublin 8 so knows all about the rivalry between Rovers and St. Pat’s (who lost most recently 3-2 away to Bohs).

“I only live two minutes away from the Pat’s stadium,” said Doona speaking exclusively to extratime.ie after last Friday’s game. “It is always intense playing there.”

Rovers lost 2-1 last time out in Richmond Park and drew 1-1 in the other league encounter this season, which took place in Tallaght. When St. Pat’s were knocked out by Shelbourne in the recent Leinster Senior Cup semi-final, Doona dropped by Richmond Park along with teammate Trevor Clarke to watch the action.

“A few of their fans live beside me and always giving me a bit of grief. It would be great to go down there and score against them! I’m buzzing for it already.”

His brace on Friday means the 19-year-old player has now scored six goals for Rovers this season, four of them in the league, from 20 appearances of which just three were starts with the remainder all coming off the Rovers bench. His goal tally includes the winner against Cork City in the EA Sports Cup semi-final.

“It is always good to get on the scoresheet. Any time I come on, I want to make an impact and hopefully I can push on to get a start.

“The gaffer knows when to bring me on. The timing seems to be good, when I came on against Cork it was the right time for me to impact the game. I got a goal and it was the same tonight. He just said go on and do what you do and go at them.”

The Hoops Head Coach has the nice headache of trying to juggle all his midfield options including Doona and Stephen Bradley is a delighted with the midfielder’s work ethic.

“(Doona) has had to be patient but he is working hard behind the scenes,” said Bradley. “When he came on (against Harps) he scored a goal that was like the Cork goal all over again. He just has that in locker.”

Doona was speaking to extratime.ie beside the wall in Tallaght Stadium that lists each of Rovers’ record 17 League Championships and 24 FAI Cups. There is a bit a space at the end of that wall near the Rovers dressingroom for a few more honours.

“It would be lovely to see a 2017 cup on it,” admitted Doona looking across at the wall of honour. The Hoops take on Dundalk in Oriel Park next weekend in the FAI Cup semi-final as they seek to end a 30 year wait for cup win number 25.

“It is a big game on Sunday, probably the biggest of my career. Everyone wants to win the FAI Cup. Hopefully we can get our names down in the history books as we get back to winning ways.”

For more from Stephen Bradley, see Euro prize close out at hand for the Hoops and Bradley.

No better feeling???????? https://t.co/PexR0mO9YA

— Jamesdoona (@Jamesdoona98) August 28, 2017