Shamrock Rovers -v- Sligo Rovers
Credit:
Sligo Rovers travel to Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday night on a mission to overturn a 2-0 deficit in their Setanta Cup semi-final second leg clash with Shamrock Rovers. (Kick off, 7.45pm)
The first leg at the Showgrounds last Monday night ended in an emphatic win for the Hoops on a night when Paul Cook claimed to have witnessed the worst performance by a Sligo side in his time at the club.
“We didn’t perform”, said Cook, “and they very much deserved the win. But this group of players have been very good for me and they will be keen to deliver an improved display for the second leg. I’m sure they will give it their all and we’ll see where that gets us in the overall tie. All you can do is your best – we're keen to reach another final and we always have good tussles with Shamrock Rovers so this should be another good match.”
And Sligo did put in an improved performance at Dundalk over the weekend when the ‘Bit o’ Red’ came away from Oriel Park with a 1-1 draw, the same result that Shamrock Rovers achieved at Dalymount Park in the first of this seasons 'El Classico' Dublin derbies.
Michael O’Neill’s men received some unflattering revues in the aftermath of the game, in which Ronan Finn rescued a point for the Hoops with an injury time equaliser, but O’Neill will probably be pleased enough to have come away with that crucial point from a game that is notorious for ignoring the form book.
Tuesday night’s game offers the Tallaght side an opportunity to allay some tension by closing out a game that, thanks to their first leg lead, has already been half won. But Sligo are not a team to underestimate and O’Neill will recognise the scale and value of the test that lies ahead.
With such little recovery time since Friday night’s game the injuries that kept Gary Twigg, Stephen O’Donnell, Craig Sives and Chris Turner out will probably still hold sway with Pat Flynn an added doubt having also missed the Bohemians game due to a virus. It is a sizable list of potential absentees but the depth of O’Neill’s squad should help to absorb the blow.
For Cook, the pressure is off. Sligo are not expected to come through this tie and even pushing their hosts close will be seen in a positive light. He will be missing the suspended John Russell for this game but welcomes the return of Danny Ventre and Joseph Ndo. Nodo’s availability in particular will add a boost to Sligo’s morale and the longer that Sligo can frustrate their hosts the more likely an upset will become.
Shamrock Rovers:
Injured: None.
Doubtful: Gary Twigg, Stephen O’Donnell, Craig Sives, Pat Flynn, Chris Turner.
Suspended: None.
Sligo Rovers:
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: John Russell.
Paddy Power Odds: Shamrock Rovers 5/6; Draw 9/4; Sligo Rovers 3/1.
Extratime prediction: A 1-1 draw on the night to send the Dubliners through to the Final.
The first leg at the Showgrounds last Monday night ended in an emphatic win for the Hoops on a night when Paul Cook claimed to have witnessed the worst performance by a Sligo side in his time at the club.
“We didn’t perform”, said Cook, “and they very much deserved the win. But this group of players have been very good for me and they will be keen to deliver an improved display for the second leg. I’m sure they will give it their all and we’ll see where that gets us in the overall tie. All you can do is your best – we're keen to reach another final and we always have good tussles with Shamrock Rovers so this should be another good match.”
And Sligo did put in an improved performance at Dundalk over the weekend when the ‘Bit o’ Red’ came away from Oriel Park with a 1-1 draw, the same result that Shamrock Rovers achieved at Dalymount Park in the first of this seasons 'El Classico' Dublin derbies.
Michael O’Neill’s men received some unflattering revues in the aftermath of the game, in which Ronan Finn rescued a point for the Hoops with an injury time equaliser, but O’Neill will probably be pleased enough to have come away with that crucial point from a game that is notorious for ignoring the form book.
Tuesday night’s game offers the Tallaght side an opportunity to allay some tension by closing out a game that, thanks to their first leg lead, has already been half won. But Sligo are not a team to underestimate and O’Neill will recognise the scale and value of the test that lies ahead.
With such little recovery time since Friday night’s game the injuries that kept Gary Twigg, Stephen O’Donnell, Craig Sives and Chris Turner out will probably still hold sway with Pat Flynn an added doubt having also missed the Bohemians game due to a virus. It is a sizable list of potential absentees but the depth of O’Neill’s squad should help to absorb the blow.
For Cook, the pressure is off. Sligo are not expected to come through this tie and even pushing their hosts close will be seen in a positive light. He will be missing the suspended John Russell for this game but welcomes the return of Danny Ventre and Joseph Ndo. Nodo’s availability in particular will add a boost to Sligo’s morale and the longer that Sligo can frustrate their hosts the more likely an upset will become.
Shamrock Rovers:
Injured: None.
Doubtful: Gary Twigg, Stephen O’Donnell, Craig Sives, Pat Flynn, Chris Turner.
Suspended: None.
Sligo Rovers:
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: John Russell.
Paddy Power Odds: Shamrock Rovers 5/6; Draw 9/4; Sligo Rovers 3/1.
Extratime prediction: A 1-1 draw on the night to send the Dubliners through to the Final.
About Simon O'Gorman
Simon O'Gorman began reporting for Extratime in 2010. He remembers Milltown and Flower Lodge and, back in the mists of time, saw Diego Maradona play at Lansdowne Road. He now lives in Co Kildare and … View Full Profile