Credit:
Dundalk -v- Sligo Rovers
- Jody Moylan
- Thu, Oct 15 2009
Dundalk will have little to motivate them bar pride in the jersey when they entertain a bouyant Sligo Rovers outfit tomorrow night at Oriel Park (kick-off:7.45pm).
Mid-week fixtures rarely offer a great deal to enthuse any manager, something perhaps heightened at the latter stages of a season’s hard slog. Sligo Rovers’ commander-in-chief Paul Cook might well be thanking the Gods going into this game, however , after the North Westerners great night out against Bray Wanderers on Tuesday.
Forget about games in hand, the win over the Seagulls has put the Bit O’Red above the cut off line and the psychological advantage is firmly with them now. The tug o’war between Cook’s men and St. Patrick's Athletic has been swaying, ever so gently back and forth in the past few weeks and, all things considered, it looks as if these two will be the ones battling for the coveted 7th spot and guaranteed safety.
Sligo travel to Dundalk with a four game streak of wins, three in the league, with one of those coming against the aforementioned St. Pat’s. The mantra this season for those below the top four has been to inflict damage on those around you and come away with the spoils. Along with the wins over Pat's and Bray, Rovers also claimed all three points in last week's Connaught derby against Galway United. Romuald Boco missed that one for the Bit O’Red as he was on International duty with Benin (they beat Ghana on Sunday). Not one to mess around, Boco was back in Sligo for Tuesday‘s game. It’s the kind of attitude Cook will need from all his troops from here on in.
Dundalk will look to consolidate their position in fifth and will be using the remainder of the season as a stepping stone to move up a level and be in a definite hunt for European football in 2011 (the possibility is not out of bounds for 2010 given possible repercussions on other clubs for financial infringements).
Sligo have already won at Oriel Park this season, back in May, when superb strikes from Alan Keane and Conor O’Grady gave them a precious 2-0 win. However, Dundalk came out on top in two high-scoring meetings at the Showgrounds, following up a 3-1 win in April with a memorable 4-3 victory in August after they trailed 3-1 with a quarter of the game remaining.
Former Hearts defender Shaun Kelly says his Dundalk side will do everything bar rest on their laurels now that the Lillywhites’ Premier Division status is all but guaranteed.
“Hopefully, we can get back to winning ways [after two draws] and put a good run together between now and the end of the season. It’s possible to win all five games, but you’re not going to win them without hard work. All the boys have said it themselves, we’re going to keep going until the end. I think if you keep going, it’s possible to win the last five,” stated the Donegal native.
For the first time in over nine weeks, Dundalk have no suspensions to serve for this game, but Tiarnán Mulvenna (broken nose), Michael Collins (ankle) and Paul McAreavey (calf) are doubtful while Michael Coburn is struggling with a "bad case" of shin splints. Sligo Rovers also go into the contest without any suspensions to serve, while Joe Kendrick is likely to miss out with a bout of tonsilitis that kept him out of Tuesday's fixture. Ciaran Kelly, who hasn't conceded since stepping into Richard Brush's shoes, will continue to deputise for the injured 'keeper.
Prediction: All form points to a draw, 1-1
