Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
St. Patrick's Athletic -v- Monaghan United
- Jody Moylan
- Mon, Sep 07 2009
Monaghan United travel to Richmond Park tonight to take on St Patrick’s Athletic with both sides looking to claim a spot in the quarter finals of the FAI Ford Cup.
The sides played out a 0-0 draw at the Kingspan Century Park last month and come back to Richmond in the hope of resurrecting dipping fortunes.
Pat’s went down last Friday night to Shamrock Rovers one nil after a performance that rarely threatened the Hoops and with the team lying fourth off the bottom with a full round of league football to play, the Premier Division must take precedence for Pat’s. Tonight’s challenge may well be a chance to revive some spirit in a season that has wavered from bad to good but has mostly settled in the middle on mediocre.
Monaghan will be looking to bounce back tonight after a three-nil loss over the weekend to First Division leaders Shelbourne. Previous to this, however, the Mons had gone on a six match unbeaten run and manager Mike Cooke has a knack of picking his team up when they are on the ground, as it were. A visit to Richmond Park after only three days may be a task indeed however.
Team news
Shane Grimes is available to Cooke again after suspension, but Sean Brennan remains out through injury.
Pat's have their own injury problems, with Jamie Harris (hamstring), Garret O'Connor (knee) and Darragh Ryan (hip) all out. Striker Declan O'Brien is cup-tied having featured for Dundalk earlier in the competition.
The Saints' faithful have become accustomed to European football in recent years and Jeff Kenna accepts that winning the cup for the first time in almost 50 years is the most realistic avenue for a return to the continental stage next season.
'It's a competition that we haven't won for a long time and I know how much it means to the supporters,' Kenna said.
'In all likelihood it also offers us the best way back to European soccer next season so yes, it's a big match for us.'
Extratime.ie Prediction: The challenge may prove too much for Monaghan with Kenna’s men to progress here, not by a cricket score though. 1-0
