Third from bottom Sligo Rovers will be looking to pull away from second from bottom Drogheda United as the sides face each other on Saturday evening. (kick off 7.45pm)
Sligo come into this game on the back of a 6-0 midweek win against Letterkenny Rovers on the EA Sports cup.
New signing John Russell played 25 minutes in that 6-0 win over Letterkenny Rovers but is likely to be restricted to a substitute role again on Saturday.
Mauro Almeida is out for several months with an Achilles injury. Matthew Blinkhorn (hat-trick) and Padraig Amond (two goals) scored five goals between them last Tuesday against Letterkenny so Paul Cook has plenty of options up front with Joseph Ndo also available.
A win is a must for Alan Mathews side with a six point gap already separating the two sides. Drogheda currently lie second from bottom with just one from their 13 games.
Corrie Treacy is out while Eoghan Osborne and Robbie Martin return to fitness for the clash. Joe Kendrick is the only doubt for Alan Mathews ahead of the game.
Speaking after the Sporting Fingal game Mathews said that not having to play Monday and having an extra day off would make a lot of difference to the squad as they have been playing a high number of games in a short space of time.
