Series 12 Previews

[gufc2000]

United take on Bray


Thursday, 14 May 2009
Galway United CEO Nick Leeson has appealed for fans to get behind the side as they bid for European football for the first time in almost two decades.
“We have made a good start to the campaign but we really need the people of Galway to come out and get behind the side if we are to progress,” said Leeson.

Galway United will try to do that on the field when they take on Bray Wanderers this Friday night at Terryland Park (7.45pm) when Ian Foster’s men will be looking for their fifth win of the campaign.
Top scorer Vinny Faherty and skipper Jay O’Shea will lead the Galway United challenge, but they will be without suspended Derek O’Brien and the injured Paul Sinnott, Shane Fitzgerald and Alan Murphy, all of whom are suffering from an ankle injuries, while Niall Walsh will undergo a fitness test on Friday.

KO: 7.45PM
Referee: N.Doyle

Injured: Paul Sinnott, Shane Fitzgerald and Alan Murphy

Suspended: Derek O'Brien

[sligoman]

Rovers team news

as they bid for European football for the first time in almost two decades.

Sorry but .

[Schumi]

UCD v Waterford: http://ucdsoccer.com/index.php?a=255

[Mr A]

Harps V Monaghan

[blue til i die]

Waterford United face the biggest test of their title credentials so far this season, when they travel to Belfield to take on league-leaders UCD on Friday night (KO 7.45pm).

The Blues are on an exceptional run of form at the moment, having racked up seven straight league wins (nine in all competitions), with 18 goals scored and only two conceded, and they travel to the Belfield Bowl brimming with confidence. Stephen Henderson’s side are facing into a tough few weeks in the run up to the mid-season break, as their next four league games pit them against each of the other teams currently in the top five positions, and with all but the Wexford Youths game away from the RSC, but the squad have impressed their manager with a fantastic attitude, and to a man they are loving every minute of the current campaign. Last week the team showed a lot of maturity to deal with a Kildare County side that came to the RSC resolutely to defend, and the manager was impressed with the patience they showed to eventually overcome the dogged resistance.

Friday’s encounter will be a very different affair, as the Students are playing some attractive, attacking football under Martin Russell’s stewardship. United have traditionally found UCD something of a handful, and you have to go back to October 2005 for the last Blues triumph, a 3-2 victory at the old Belfield Park. In their most recent season in the same division, 2007, the Students won all three of their league encounters. But the Blues in 2009 are a very different prospect, and they will be bringing an unblemished away record of four wins out of four to the Bowl for Friday’s game. They will have to plan without the services of one of the league’s top goalscorers in Graham Cummins, who misses out due to picking up his fourth yellow card in the match against Monaghan a few weeks ago. Midfielder Paul McCarthy’s early withdrawal from the Kildare game was just a precautionary one, and all of the remainder of the panel will be available for selection.

Henderson Quotes:
“We now have some really big games coming up, starting with UCD on Friday.”
“We have been on a smashing run during the past two months and we must bring that form into those games.”
“We have a small squad but they are enjoying every minute of the season and we will face the next month in a very confident frame of mind.”
“[Graham Cummins'] suspension has come at the wrong time and he will be hard to replace because apart from his goals he knocks a lot of balls down for Willie John Kiely. We will think long and hard about the situation during the course of the week before making a decision.”

Suspensions:
Graham Cummins - 1 match (4 yellows)

Injury Update:
none

Betting:
UCD: 13/10
Waterford: 9/5
Draw: 21/10

[Guitd]

Rovers team newsSorry but .

well if cork and bohs go belly up you never know

[Dunny]

Drogheda United and Dundalk meet in a Premier Division fixture at United Park for the first time in over 11 years when they go head-to-head in the second Louth derby of the season on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm). The first, back in March, ended in an easy win for the Lilywhites as two Chris Turner penalties either side of a Darren Mansaram strike gave them a 3-0 victory over 10-man Drogheda, who had centre-half Conor Kenna sent off early on, at Oriel Park.
Winning form
Dundalk currently sit sixth after jumping from ninth thanks to last week’s 1-0 home victory over Galway United as a goal on the half-hour from Declan O’Brien proved enough. However, Sean Connor’s men have yet to secure back-to-back wins this year. While that was Dundalk’s third win of the season, bottom-of-the-table Drogheda found their first of the campaign at Bray Wanderers last Friday courtesy of Brian King’s first-half strike, which pulled them within four points of closest rivals Sligo Rovers.
Derby motivation
Connor, however, is happy that Alan Mathews’ side have buried that ghost. “To be honest, it’s probably best they’ve got that monkey of their back before they play us,” the boss said, looking forward to his first league trip to United Park as a manager since 13 July 2007 when a late Tony Grant goal gave Drogheda a 1-0 win over Bohemians. “I don’t think they’ll need any motivation, I don’t think we’ll need any motivation, and I think form goes out the window when you play local derbies. They were going to win sometime, so I certainly didn’t want them going into this game looking for their first win.
‘Unique game’
“I think that will make it more competitive,” Connor added. “I’m sure they’ll take confidence from it. But we’ve had them a couple of times this year and they’re certainly not as bad a side as is made out. I think a bit of luck could do them the world of good. At times, we’ve needed a bit of luck and maybe we’ve been getting it, certainly last week. In these games, form goes right out the window. It’s a unique game, it takes care of itself, and anybody who underperforms will suffer. We just prepare for this game as we do for all the other games. The players I think are aware themselves of the importance of the game to the supporters, but we mustn’t get carried away with the occasion. We’ve just got to go and play the game, not the occasion.
Be safe
“There was a big crowd in Oriel for the last game between the sides and hopefully it will be likewise down there, and hopefully it will be uneventful off the pitch. I thought our support was magnificent last week, as they have been every week. Hopefully all the action will take place on the pitch on Friday, and I would certainly make an appeal to our supporters to go there, be safe and get behind the team, and for everyone going to the game to do the county of Louth proud and show the league how big of a game this is and how it should be enjoyed, both on and off the park.”
Roll call
For the short trip south, Dundalk will be without suspended duo George O’Callaghan, who is absent as a result of accumulating four yellow cards, and former Drogheda captain Declan O’Brien, who serves an automatic suspension after his late sending off against Galway last weekend. Left-back Dave Rogers remains out with a hamstring injury while there is still no resolution to the Michael Collins case. On a positive note, Connor can welcome back Chris Turner and Harpal Singh, who both missed out last Friday through suspension.