Shamrock Rovers -v- Sligo Rovers

• Simon O'Gorman
• Fri, Sep 03 2010


Sligo Rovers travel to Tallaght on Friday night to take on league leaders Shamrock Rovers in a meeting that pitches two of the league’s form sides against each other. (Kick-off 8pm)

Sligo Rovers enter this final series of league games on a run of just one defeat in their last nine league games, a sequence which has lifted them to fifth place in the table, just eleven points off the top spot which is, of course, occupied by Shamrock Rovers.

However, the bit o’ red’ travel to Dublin with a side that will be missing several key figures and they will be facing a Hoops side that are brimming with confidence and who have an even better league record being undefeated in their last fifteen outings.

Most notable among Sligo’s absentees is Padraig Amond, the league’s top scorer with 22 league and cup goals to his name. Amond, who signed from Shamrock Rovers over the winter, has moved to Portuguese club Pacos Ferreira and will be sorely missed by a side who will now rely heavily on striker Mathew Blinkhorn to take up the goal-scoring baton.

Also missing for Sligo will be Romauld Boco, who is on international duty with Benin, Mauro Almeida and Richard Brush who are long term injury victims, and the suspended duo of Derek Foran and Richie Ryan. As if that wasn’t enough creative midfielder Joseph Ndo is also a major injury doubt.

Shamrock Rovers also have some bodies missing for a game that manager Michael O’Neill describes as ‘a difficult one’. “Obviously we’ll be looking to start this quarter as well as we finished the last; we want to maintain our run in the league. But Sligo are playing well, and winning, at the moment, so it’s going to be a difficult one. If we are at our best though, we should win the game. It’s good to have the game at home, as we have been playing some very good football in Tallaght lately, and we’ll be looking to do that again tomorrow night.”

If Shamrock Rovers are to continue their run of eight wins in the last nine league games then they will have to so without key midfielder Stephen Rice, along with Stephen Bradley and Pat Flynn who are all suspended. They also have doubts about the fitness of central defender Aidan Price but they will see the return of captain Dan Murray and striker Thomas Stewart.

Having recently beaten them in their EA Sports Cup semi-final at the Showgrounds, Sligo would seem best placed to put a stop Shamrock Rover’s march on the league title but with so many players missing it might be best to back the form book and expect yet another home win for O’Neill’s men.



Shamrock Rovers
Injured: Pat Sullivan, Dessie Baker.
Doubtful: Aidan Price.
Suspended: Stephen Rice, Stephen Bradley, Pat Flynn.

Sligo Rovers
Injured: Mauro Almeida, Richard Brush.
Doubtful: Joseph Ndo.
Suspended: Derek Foran, Richie Ryan.

International Duty: Romauld Boco.

Extratime Prediction:A 2-1 home win.