Fresh from landing a winning treble in his most recent column, LOI TV Commentator and host of Between the Stripes LOI podcast, Kieran Burke looks ahead to this Friday’s domestic action.
SHAMROCK ROVERS v ST.PATRICK’S ATHLETIC – FRI, 7.45, RTE 2 – *DOUBLE THE ODDS FIRST GOALSCORER*
One of the most surprising results of the season occurred in Tallaght on the Bank Holiday Monday as newly promoted Waterford took the champions to the cleaners during a famous 3-1 victory. A combination of slack finishing and some questionable goalkeeping cost the Hoops dearly on the day but with the likes of Jack Byrne and Neil Farrugia slowly returning to fitness in recent weeks, this could be an ideal opportunity to bounce back against a manager-less St.Pat’s.
The Saints parted ways with Jon Daly on Tuesday morning following defeat against struggling Sligo on Monday. That was Pat’s seventh loss of the campaign already and with significant investment going into the team during the off-season, a significant decision like this was always likely.
Too many key players have underperformed for Pats while star signing Ruari Keating has really struggled for confidence up top. The loss of some key players from last season didn’t help Daly but he was supported in the transfer market and aside from the poor results, the former Glasgow Rangers player never seemed to stamp his own identity onto how the team played, they lacked a style and direction.
The announcement of Sean O’Connor as caretaker boss has gone down like a lead balloon with the Saints faithful due to comments he made as a player when transferring from Pat’s to Rovers and while it won’t effect preparations for Friday’s derby it is another unwanted sideshow.
The last team to defeat Rovers, prior to Monday’s loss to Waterford, was St.Pat’s, but that defeat sparked an unbeaten spell of six for the champions. Stephen Bradley’s side have been the bounce back kings in recent years, a loss often signals the start of a purple patch and this may be the start of another.
Monday’s shock defeat brought Rovers unbeaten domestic run at home to an end just days shy of a full year since their last Tallaght turnover. St.Pat’s haven’t won a league game at this venue since 2016 and it’s difficult to see that changing on Friday.
BEST BET: Shamrock Rovers (6/10)
GALWAY UNITED v SLIGO ROVERS – FRI, 7.45, LOI TV
There’s no denying that the two newly promoted side have really strengthened up the Premier Division. In years gone by there was nearly almost a weak link you could rely on to prop up the table but not this year with both Waterford FC and Galway United comfortably mixing it with Ireland’s elite.
It’s remarkable to see a newly promoted side holding the best defensive record in the league, as Galway do, but it’s slightly less surprising when you consider John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan are the chief organisers of this Tribesmen team.
If you’re looking for free flowing football then a trip to Deacy Park won’t be on your agenda but when it comes to organisation, hard work and a will to grind results out, Galway are among the best in the business at the moment.
I can not say the same of their Connacht rivals Sligo Rovers who have had a soft underbelly for a number of years now. Despite a strong start to the season, Sligo Rovers have slipped down to 8th in the table following a run of just one win in their last seven matches.
Injuries have played a part but John Russell must have been acutely aware that his squad was vulnerable to a poor run of form if injuries mounted up given Sligo Rovers started the year with one of the smallest squads in the country.
These two sides played out a stalemate just weeks ago in Sligo and with home advantage this time around, I fully expect Galway United to win this local derby.
BEST BET: Galway United (4/5)
TREATY UNITED v WEXFORD FC – FRI, 7.45, LOI TV
Last week’s winning treble was fully focused on the First Division so hopefully the second-tier can provide us with another winning selection here. After a rapid start to the season, Treaty United now find themselves bottom of the form table over both the last five and ten matches. A run of four straight losses sees the Limerick side third from bottom in the league standings.
Wexford have been inconsistent to date with five wins, five draws and three defeats leaving them just outside the play-off places in sixth. However, Wexford had a poor first half of the year last season but going under the radar in the second half of the season to finish in the top five.
The return of key marksman Aaron Dobbs is likely to help Wexford find some consistency, although they do need to take a serious look at their goalkeeping situation with Owen Mason making a string of dreadful errors in recent weeks.
Should they be able to limited mistakes at the back, Wexford should have far too much for a side who are now showing the sort of form many expected from Treaty before the start of the season, their squad is not strong enough to compete in the higher reaches of the division, especially when injuries start to mount as they have this season.
BEST BET: Wexford FC (11/10)
- A €20 treble on Kieran’s selections could return €120.96! BET HERE.