Bohemians vs Finn Harps

Just 12 points is all Bohemians require from their remaining eight league fixtures to be guaranteed of securing their first eircom Premier League title since 2003. They'll be hoping to secure three of those tonight when they welcome fourth from bottom Finn Harps to Dalymount Park (kick off 19.45).

Bohs recent 3-0 thrashing of nearest rivals St Patrick's Athletic moved them an incredible 16 points clear at the top and extended their unbeaten run in the league to 24 games. Pat Fenlon's men followed that victory with a comfortable 6-1 win over non-league Wayside Celtic last Sunday which moved them into the semi-final of the FAI Cup and kept alive their hopes of a league and cup double. While Pat’s have a game in hand over their Dublin rivals, they face a tricky away trip to face Bray Wanderers following their Uefa Cup exertions midweek in Berlin.

Harps on the other hand continue to fight for survival at the other end of the table. Despite moving out of the drop zone in recent weeks and extending their lead over third from bottom UCD to four points, they know that with the Students facing a home tie with out-of-form Sligo Rovers tonight they are by no means out of trouble just yet.

Harps have lost all 11 of their games against top five opposition this season, the most recent of which was a 3-1 home defeat to Drogheda United in their last outing. However, while manager Paul Hegarty admits his side are clear underdogs against Bohs, he remains upbeat about his sides chances. "On paper, we might have the toughest fixture of the weekend. Bohs are flying after all, but it's a big game for us and players should not be intimidated by that. It's something that is certainly worth looking forward too," said Hegarty.

When these two sides met earlier in the season at Dalymount Park, Bohs ran out 3-0 winners, on a night when the score line perhaps flattered them. Harps proved more than a match for the Gypsies in the opening stages before Kevin Ramsey was sent-off midway through the first half. With that in mind, Fenlon is taking nothing for granted. He said: “Finn Harps passed the ball very well that night and looked comfortable in the early stages. Their reduction to ten men was a major set-back and though our margin of victory was comfortable in the end, it was clear that Harps were a capable side. They have a good front pairing in Stephen Parkhouse and Chris Breen. Parkhouse is a big striker but he has mobility and he will have to be closely marked. They have experience too in Jonathan Minnock, Davy Byrne and Declan Boyle and they will be difficult to break down.”

Fenlon could welcomes back Mindaugas Kalonas after his international exertions for Lithuania, while midfielder Glenn Cronin is in contention for a start after he returned from injury with a late substitute appearance against Wayside. Bohs biggest injury concern centres around midfielder Mark Rossiter who sustained a knee injury in that same game. Ken Oman is likely to be on the bench after he played 60 minutes in an 'A' Championship game last week.

For Harps, Neil McCafferty is suspended having been sent off in last week's 3-1 home defeat against Drogheda United. Jonathan Minnock (groin) and Stephen Parkhouse (ankle) picked up knocks in the Drogheda match and are both doubtful for the trip to Dalymount, while defender Stuart Malcolm (groin) and midfielder Davy Byrne (thigh) remain serious doubts. Conor Gethins and Conelius Gallagher miss out again through injury. However, Declan Boyle played the full 90 minutes of the club's A team game against Shamrock Rovers last weekend. Aaron Labonte and Gary Beckett both returned to the panel last weekend, with Labonte playing the full game. Beckett was an unused substitute.

Previous Meetings:
27-Apr-01 (Premier Division) Bohemians 5 Finn Harps 1
22-Apr-05 (Premier Division) Bohemians 1 Finn Harps 0
16-Jul-05 (Premier Division) Finn Harps 1 Bohemians 3
14-Oct-05 (Premier Division) Bohemians 3 Finn Harps 1
28-Mar-08 (Premier Division) Bohemians 3 Finn Harps 0
24-Jun-08 (Premier Division) Finn Harps 0 Bohemians 2

Form guide (last six league games):
Finn Harps: L-W-D-L-W-L (7 pts)
Bohemians: W-W-W-W-W-W (18 pts)