League Preview: St Patrick's Athletic -v- Cork City

• Macdara Ferris
• Mon, Oct 19 2015




ST. PATRICK’S ATHLETIC

The prize for St. Pat’s with a win over Cork City on Monday night is to secure European football for the Saints for the sixth successive season (kick off 7.45pm).

 

The home side need just two points from their remaining three league games to guarantee fourth spot in the league which will be good enough for Europe. However, they won’t be satisfied with that position and have ambitions of at least getting third or even runners up spot.

 

The Saints come into Monday’s game against the Leesiders in fourth place, five clear of Bohs and four points behind behind third placed Shamrock Rovers, with this match against Cork City a game in hand on the Hoops. The visitors meanwhile are five points ahead of Pat’s, having like the Saints played 30 matches.

 

Liam Buckley’s men beat Drogheda United 2-1 last Friday night thanks to a Conan Byrne penalty and Christy Fagan winner. The Saints boss is likely to move his man-of-the-match winning centre-half from Friday’s game out of defence. Killian Brennan will return to midfield after putting in a great performance as an emergency defender against Drogheda.

 

Kenny Browne is available for selection and fellow defenders Sean Hoare and Jason McGuinness are back from suspension, to give Buckley options at the back. They will have to do without both Ger O’Brien and Brendan Clarke who remain injured but Greg Bolger, having served his suspension, is back in the match day squad.

 

"We'd a good win on Friday over Drogheda," said Saints boss Buckley speaking to stpatsfc.com. "The players needed to battle hard for the points and did enough to get the win, with Christy Fagan getting a great goal to win it."

 

Having only got one victory in their last six games going into Friday, it was a welcome win for the Saints over Drogheda United last time out and they are looking to make it three wins from four games on Monday night.

 

 

CORK CITY

It was a disappointing night for the Leesiders last Friday when they lost 3-2 to Longford Town at Turner’s Cross. If City are to match last year’s league finish and retain runners up spot, they will need to pick up some points on their travels on Monday.

 

Both Shamrock Rovers and St. Pat’s harbor ambitions of getting above City for second spot in the table behind back-to-back champions Dundalk. City go into the tie without a win in four league games, though they did win away to Bray Wanderers in the FAI Cup semi-final in the meantime.

 

The sides have met four times so far this season, twice in the league, once in the FAI Cup and once in the EA Sports Cup. In the league, the sides played out a 0-0 draw at Richmond Park back in April before City won 3-1 in Turner’s Cross in August thanks to goals from Alan Bennett, Kevin O’Connor and Darren Dennehy.

 

The two cup meetings both took place at Turner’s Cross; St. Pat’s emerged victorious in the EA Sports Cup after a penalty shoot-out, while City claimed the honours in the FAI Cup, knocking out the holders 4-1.

 

 “We know it will be a very difficult game,” said City boss John Caulfield speaking to CorkCityFC.ie. “We were very disappointed on Friday, very disappointed for the supporters, because we didn’t get the three points and we didn’t play as well as we can.

 

“We started well in the first 30 to 35 minutes and had an opportunity to go two goals up. We didn’t and then we pressed the self-destruct button. I am hoping for a big reaction tomorrow night.

 

“We know how important this game is, we are still second in the table and we have an opportunity to pull further away from Rovers, so we need a top quality performance tomorrow night. We have it (second place) still in our own hands.

 

“Our league form in the last four or five weeks has not been great, maybe the cup final has distracted people but that is not an excuse. The important thing for us tomorrow night is to try to open the gap and that is what we intend to do.”

 

“(St. Pat’s) have an opportunity that they can finish second if they win all of their games, so it has made things interesting. From our point of view, we are in pole position to finish second, so hopefully tomorrow night we can get the result and stretch the gap.”

 

Caulfield has to deal without John Kavanagh, Colin Healy and Gavan Holohan who miss out due to injury. Also after an accumulation of yellow cards, Liam Miller and Dan Murray are both suspended but Ross Gaynor returns after his recent suspension and Garry Buckley is also available. There are also injury concerns over Mark O’Sullivan, Kevin O’Connor and Darren Dennehy.

 

Referee: Tomas Connolly.

 

 

MATCH STATS

Kevin O’Connor’s goal in August’s 3-1 victory over the Saints was the 100th league goal Cork City have scored against the Inchicore side. Morgan Langley’s goal for the visitors in the same game was their 100th league goal scored against Cork City

 

Karl Sheppard scored his 12th league goal of the season in last Friday night’s 3-2 defeat against Longford, joining three other players on that mark. Only Richie Towell of Dundalk, with 22, has scored more league goals this season.

 

Christy Fagan is one goal away from scoring 60 goals for St. Pat’s.

 

 

BETTING

St. Pat’s 6/5; Draw 9/4; Cork City 11/5.

 

PREDICTION

1-1.

 

 

St. Patrick’s Athletic

Injured: Ger O’Brien, Brendan Clarke.

Doubtful: None*.

Suspended: None.

 

Cork City

Injured: John Kavanagh, Colin Healy, Gavan Holohan.

Doubtful: Mark O’Sullivan, Kevin O’Connor and Darren Dennehy.

Suspended: Liam Miller, Dan Murray.