Bohemians -v- St Patrick's Athletic

• Graeme McQueen
• Sat, Apr 11 2009


Bohemians go into Saturday night's Dublin derby against St Patrick's Athletic at Dalymount Park knowing that a victory will take them back to the summit of the Premier Division (kick off 19:00).

Derry City's defeat to Sligo Rovers on Friday means that last year's League and FAI Cup champions can reclaim pole position in the the race for the title if they pick up all three points against Pat's. The Gypsies currently trail Derry by a solitary point.

Meanwhile, St Pat's will be looking to reignite their title hopes. Last year's runners-up have endured a pretty miserable start to their league campaign and currently languish in sixth place. The latest disappointment came in the form of a 3-0 reverse at home to Derry City on Tuesday night. Following that result, Bohs manager Pat Fenlon is expecting a tough challenge. He said: "Their form away has been better than their form at home, and I know they were disappointed with their performance on Tuesday. They'll be aiming to improve against us. This is a Dublin derby and we know that Dublin derbies are never easy."

Bohs, have won just won of their opening three home matches, with a draw against Derry and a comfortable derby win over Shamrock Rovers followed by a one goal defeat to Cork City last weekend. However, the Gypsies bounced back from that loss with a 2-0 victory away to Galway United in midweek.

Saints boss Jeff Kenna has called on his players to get their season back on track following successive defeats to Bray Wanderers and Derry. He said: "There’s no doubt we’ll be looking for a vast improvement from what we showed on Tuesday night which simply wasn’t good enough. This is a Dublin Derby, a big game and the players pride is at stake so we’ll be looking to put in a performance that reflects that.”

Neale Fenn is Bohs only absentee through injury, although Gary Deegan again misses out due to suspension.

Kenna’s injury list is lengthy though Ryan Guy may return after missing out on Tuesday night with a calf injury. Mark Leech, Gary Dempsey and Bobby Ryan are all out, while Gareth O’Connor (thigh), Stephen Maher (knee) and Gints Freimanis are all rated as doubtful.

Extratime.ie prediction: Bohemians 2-0 St Patrick's Athletic