Henderson hoping for the right reponse

Cobh Ramblers visit Morton Stadium in Santry on Friday night to face the league's newest side Sporting Fingal.

Cobh slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season last Saturday when reigning champions Drogheda Utd came to St Colmans and scored four without reply. That result came on the back of Cobh's first away points of the season - when they defeated relegation rivals Galway Utd by a goal to nil.

Reflecting on the Drogheda game, manager Stephen Henderson was blunt and honest in his assessment of the game - "We were murdered last week, and we gave away some poor goals."

The former goalkeeper is hoping that his young side, consisting mainly of local players, can bounce back straight away - "We are looking for a response from our lads - I know these lads and I'm not just saying this, but Cork lads are special, they hurt and they hurt badly and they have a wonderful knack of coming back and responding well - so we are expecting a big response."

Sporting Fingal currently sit fourth in a competitive First Division and are so far unbeaten at Morton Stadium. Henderson is fully aware of the threat they pose and knows that his side will have a tough time against an older, more experienced side - "We go up there to face a team that collectively have more Premier Division experience than we have. We are not going up there and thinking Premier Division vs First Division - they are a quality side and its going to be really difficult for us."

Cobh have a number of injury concerns.

Striker Kieran O'Reilly is a doubt for the game, as Henderson explained - "Kieran has that hip problem again, normally when that happens he is out for a few weeks".

Henderson could also again be without influential centre back Shane Guthrie. Guthrie hasn't featured for the club since the Bohemians game in May - although he did start for Pat Fenlon's Under-23 side against Northern Ireland a couple of days later.

Despite having the talented Brian McCarthy available as cover, Henderson is clearly frustrated by the situation - "That's very disappointing in terms of Shane. Obviously its a great honour for him to go and represent his country, but we have been without him for over three weeks now."

Guthrie did an extensive running session on his own before the Drogheda game, and there is a chance he could return to the side on Friday night.

Kevin Murray is available for selection despite his recent red card - however he will miss Cobh's next league game against local rivals Cork City.

Midfielder Alan Kearney returned to action last weekend against Drogheda when he was introduced before the break in place of Shane Barrett. He had been an unused substitute against Galway the week previous. He will be hoping for a return to the starting line up. John Kearney is suspended.

Conor Meade also made his comeback from injury in the Drogheda game. Meade picked up an injury in the warm up prior to the Bohemians game. He could start upfront alongside Graham Cummins if Henderson opts for a 4-4-2 formation.

Against Drogheda, Cobh lined up in a 4-5-1 formation. The idea was to get the wide men, Gareth Cambridge and Davin O'Neill forward in support, as often and as quickly as possible - however quite often that didn't happen and as a result Drogheda found it easier to pin them back in their own half for extended periods.

Last season Cobh crashed out of this competition when Cork Munster Senior League side Douglas Hall defeated them 4-1.

Kick off at Morton Stadium is at 7.45pm.