TONIGHT'S games 25th OCT

[ToberonaTornado]

FD Play off

Drogheda Utd v Cabinteeley FC

premier division

Dundalk v Pats **TV
Shams v Cork
Bohs v Sligo
Derry v Finn harps
Waterford v UCD

Who needs what in terms of europe:confused:

[Ezeikial]

Who needs what in terms of europe:confused:

A single point for Derry secures the last European place unless St Pats sneak a 21 goal victory in Oriel Park

[pineapple stu]

Derry need a draw unless Pat's win by about 20

Other than that, nothing to play for tonight.

[marinobohs]

Should be a good night at Dalymount, Jodi Stand sold out again and another healthy crowd expected for the euro party/Detser farewell. Not expecting many Sligo fans for a nothing fixture but no doubt they will bring a few to join the celebration.
Pretty much everything sorted out by this stage, cant see Derry slip up against Harps - especially as Harps may have at least one eye on the play off. shams and Dundalk will probably be thinking cup final and Cork will be just glad to have survived their 'season from hell'. Waterford and UCD is just playing out the season for both.

For those going, enjoy whatever game you are attending, as ever it will be a LONG off season :cool:

[Ezeikial]

Derry need a draw unless Pat's win by about 20

Other than that, nothing to play for tonight.

I can visualise the drama in the last few minutes of tonight's matches with Derry & Harps deadlocked at 0-0 and St Pats hanging on to their precarious 20-0 lead at Oriel Park, in the mistaken notion that Europe beckons

[nigel-harps1954]

Harps will be playing a reserve and under-19 team tonight I'd imagine. We'll not be risking our squad with the playoff on Monday night.

[sbgawa]

The bookies must have seen the Harps teamsheet , Derry are 1/14
Unless the FAI introduce a bonus 3 points for a team that wins 10 nil in Dundalk their goose is cooked.
Derry are lucky that its in their own hands you'd have to think Stephen O Donnels mates would lack a bit of motivation tonight :)

[brendy_éire]

Harps will be playing a reserve and under-19 team tonight I'd imagine. We'll not be risking our squad with the playoff on Monday night.

I know it's sensible to do so, but you never know how Ollie will approach it.
Regardless, we should be capable of getting a draw, and so should Dundalk. After Tuesday night's collapse, we're all a bit nervy here just.

I know it's a long off-season, but leaving the house this morning, -1 degree, ice over the car, it makes sense to end the season around now.

[mcgonigle]

The bookies must have seen the Harps teamsheet , Derry are 1/14
Unless the FAI introduce a bonus 3 points for a team that wins 10 nil in Dundalk their goose is cooked.
Derry are lucky that its in their own hands you'd have to think Stephen O Donnels mates would lack a bit of motivation tonight :)

Can't imagine too many Dundalk players and fans will want to kick off the trophy presentation with a defeat

[sbgawa]

yeah to be fair professionalism alone should be enough as there is a pretty significant difference between the sides.

[Dalymountrower]

That win for Drogs gives them some momentum for the play off.
What a bitter sweet night for Pender, class act.

[D24Saint]

Thank god that’s over for a few months awful season.

[pineapple stu]

Wanna swap?

[SeanDrog]

That win for Drogs gives them some momentum for the play off.
What a bitter sweet night for Pender, class act.

Serious performance from Drogs tonight - could have been many more goals! Hopefully the short turnaround won’t affect us too much - Utd park should be rocking on Monday . Attendance was announced as 1500 ( mostly Drogs) and despite awful weather during the day.

Cabo should be proud of themselves despite tonight’s result , they had a great season and hopefully for them they can use it to build upon for next year.

[marinobohs]

Spicy game at Dalymount given there was so little to play for ! The so called ref (Hennessey) lost control of things and there was some very meaty challenges and no small amount of niggle.
Bohs poor - especially first half and conceeded to a swift counter attack from Sligo. Better second half and a sweet Mandroui free kick levelled it up. Very nip and tuck from there with both sides having chances until Bohs won a penalty (ref originally gave a free kick 🤔) and up stepped Derek Pender to secure the three points.
After the FT whistle James Talbot was presented with Player of the year award with Danny Grant voted Young player of the year.

[sbgawa]

Easy game tonight but can't fault cork for effort and they committed men forward .
Brandan kavanagh young player of the year, jack Byrne player of the year

[Nesta99]

Hoban walked a fine line tonight. Another time and he could have been off for a 2nd yellow and out of the cup final. Dont think he made much contact with the keeper that was carded but some persistant fouling after was risky. Doubt he will be pleased if not awarded the goal as he still look a bit on the moody side. It was probably respect that he let Garts lift the trophy alone as club captain but of course there were some people tonight saw his standing back for the presentation as 'grumpy'!

[sbgawa]

Jaysus he has signed again if he is still grumpy he must be a real pain in the arse ......or maybe he just wanted to give garts his moment.

[sbgawa]

100 years + of history, set records tonight for most wins most clean sheets and finished second, have to acknowledge dundalk performance this season.
Season was often shorter in the past which makes comparisons difficult but we are living in extraordinary times

[wexfordned]

Hoban walked a fine line tonight. Another time and he could have been off for a 2nd yellow and out of the cup final. Dont think he made much contact with the keeper that was carded but some persistant fouling after was risky. Doubt he will be pleased if not awarded the goal as he still look a bit on the moody side. It was probably respect that he let Garts lift the trophy alone as club captain but of course there were some people tonight saw his standing back for the presentation as 'grumpy'!
That's very magnanimous of him to allow the club captain to lift the trophy on his own!!!

[Jack B]

We'll have to build the team around McNally at this rate.

[trevy]

Decent game at the RSC with open football on a very wet and cold night. Waterford have had a good finish to the season ending in 6th place which wasn't bad after a dreadful run in July and August left us looking over our shoulders nervous of the relegation places.

[Nesta99]

That's very magnanimous of him to allow the club captain to lift the trophy on his own!!!

Easy on the snide there ned as there is a context. Hoban has captained the team more than Garts this season due to Garts limited game time. So while Garts is Club Captain, Hoban has been the 'functional' Captain mostly. The trophy presentation seemed to take this in to consideration with both players announced last and stood side by side to recieve the trophy - Hoban (in a genuine way imo) stood aside to let Garts recieve the trophy. Irrespective of Hoban doing the right thing and letting Garts do all the heavy lifting there were a number of people there who saw it as Hoban continuing with a stroppiness. Possibly he had just found out that his goal was marked as an OG and with Junior's hatrick in Derry lost the golden boot so maybe he was grumpy. I dont see that as an issue tbh as it is evidence of the high standards he expects from himself and will be a man on a mission in the cup final as long as he channels his frustration and isnt wild with tackles!

[Olander]

Serious performance from Drogs tonight - could have been many more goals! Hopefully the short turnaround won’t affect us too much - Utd park should be rocking on Monday . Attendance was announced as 1500 ( mostly Drogs) and despite awful weather during the day.
Drogheda have every chance of going up, they're a very well balanced side. They can do both sides of the game, they can play and they can do the nitty gritty. They won't be bowled over by Harps trying to rough them up, they'll be well able to administer some of it themselves.

I called it a few months ago that Longford would do poorly in the Play-offs because they're only able to play in a very rigid way, basically football or nothing, they don't react well to teams that really get in their face. It sort of puts how poor Longford's exit was into perspective when Drogheda are hammering Cabinteely 5-1. Longford should never have been losing to Cabinteely. They're a very nice side with plenty of good footballers, they're easy on the eye, but I suppose that is captured with how many they had in the team of the year.

[Dalymountrower]

100 years + of history, set records tonight for most wins most clean sheets and finished second, have to acknowledge dundalk performance this season.
Season was often shorter in the past which makes comparisons difficult but we are living in extraordinary times

Good season alright, had tipped them to win the title but Perth did a really good job after a rocky start.
Rovers weren't that far away from Dundalk, and will, I think, have enough to shade it in cup final.

[Longfordian]

Drogheda have every chance of going up, they're a very well balanced side. They can do both sides of the game, they can play and they can do the nitty gritty. They won't be bowled over by Harps trying to rough them up, they'll be well able to administer some of it themselves.

I called it a few months ago that Longford would do poorly in the Play-offs because they're only able to play in a very rigid way, basically football or nothing, they don't react well to teams that really get in their face. It sort of puts how poor Longford's exit was into perspective when Drogheda are hammering Cabinteely 5-1. Longford should never have been losing to Cabinteely. They're a very nice side with plenty of good footballers, they're easy on the eye, but I suppose that is captured with how many they had in the team of the year.

We beat Drogs three times in the league, but couldn't beat Cabo once in five games which I guess supports your point. We definitely didn't have a nasty streak in us.

[Olander]

We beat Drogs three times in the league, but couldn't beat Cabo once in five games which I guess supports your point. We definitely didn't have a nasty streak in us.
Too nice. Some lovely players, technically really good and easy on the eye, but I think if a team really puts up to Longford, then they can fold. They have a soft edge to them.

The squad of players that Longford have, despite Cabinteely's impressive season, should never be knocked out at home like that. There's already a lot of rumours circulating that a number of Longford players are being courted by others clubs. It's not hard to see why when you look at Steacy, Elworthy, Breslin, Dervin and Byrne, who are all quality players. Even just a relatively average/somewhat promising player in Dobbs has already left for Shelbourne, bit of a weird one.

It could be a bit of a re-build in the off season for Longford.

[Jack B]

How good has McNally been, Drogs lads? From the outside looking in I'm looking forward to having him back at Pats, seems to have had a brilliant year.

[total hoofball]

How good has McNally been, Drogs lads? From the outside looking in I'm looking forward to having him back at Pats, seems to have had a brilliant year.
From the couple of times I saw against Shels I'd rate him on a par with what I saw from Ciaran Kelly at Drogheda last season, like Kelly I'd expect he will break into the starting XI with Pats at some point next season

[SeanDrog]

How good has McNally been, Drogs lads? From the outside looking in I'm looking forward to having him back at Pats, seems to have had a brilliant year.


I really hope we keep him , he has been great for such a young player- calm head and reads the game very well. He is a great centre forward too !

[D24Saint]

I really hope we keep him , he has been great for such a young player- calm head and reads the game very well. He is a great centre forward too !

If he is still under contract I’d say he will be part of the squad next year. After not qualifying for Europe the budget will be down so players that are on small money will be needed to bulk out the squad, if he is ready he will get game time and valuable experience.

[oriel]

100 years + of history, set records tonight for most wins most clean sheets and finished second, have to acknowledge dundalk performance this season.
Season was often shorter in the past which makes comparisons difficult but we are living in extraordinary times

Dundalk only had one real blip, that was in April losing two in a row, the league was all but won in the period from late April to end August with an incredible amount of wins / consecutive wins. Rovers finished with a decent return of 2.08 points per game, would definitely been enough to win most years leagues and probably a bit to spare, but Dundalk ended up with a ridiculous 2.38 per game, and 11 points clear, so just shows how high the bar has gone, and this will need to be risen again for Europe, as that has to improve.

I still think the 1-0 win in July in Tallaght was the night that won the league in the end.

[sbgawa]

Don't disagree with that and what made it even more definitive was we didn't deserve to lose on the night so it had a double whammy effect on the sense of inevitability. Jack Byrne spoke really well at the awards gig last night about how much he loves the club and how much he owes the mangt team for helping him to get back to loving playing football, said as far as he was concerned he will be here next year....doesn't mean he will be but if he is it will be a big part of any challenge we put in next year.

[marinobohs]

Dundalk only had one real blip, that was in April losing two in a row, the league was all but won in the period from late April to end August with an incredible amount of wins / consecutive wins. Rovers finished with a decent return of 2.08 points per game, would definitely been enough to win most years leagues and probably a bit to spare, but Dundalk ended up with a ridiculous 2.38 per game, and 11 points clear, so just shows how high the bar has gone, and this will need to be risen again for Europe, as that has to improve.

I still think the 1-0 win in July in Tallaght was the night that won the league in the end.

Congrats to Dundalk, inside, outside or around the box 😁 by far the best team in it. Paced it perfectly and had a gear to step up when they needed to pull away.
Shams deserved second, even though a way off. Manus settled the goalkeeping jitters and as the season went in they weeded out their 93 midfielders to a settled formation. Now if they can find a hat stand

The rest ? Bohs A+. Derry a solid A. Pats "must do better" and Cork WTF ?

Great to see crowds seemed to be up, if we can improve the ridiculous scheduling we might develop the League we have rather than chasing pipe dreams.
Best of luck to Harps and Drogs in the death match.

[Nesta99]

I'd hope that all clubs are looking at how Bohs have integrated so fully with the community and grown support without the silverware bandwagon. The progress at Dalymount off the field is probably worth the money of winning a league (Europe aside).
We can all be nice for s spell when it comes to the league. The cup is another matter of course. Supposedly ticket sales are sluggish at Dundalk at the moment but with a 5th final on the go, the hassle with ticketmaster and how they sell blocks, well I'd expect a surge during the week as people wait to get the tickets they actually want rather than those currently on sale. Regardless of tickets on sale from Oriel a good number of DFC fans have to buy online as was my own experience 2 from the last 4 final so things will pick up. Off thread but I reckon an attendance of 35k next weekend in the Aviva.

[Ezeikial]

Rovers finished with a decent return of 2.08 points per game, would definitely been enough to win most years leagues and probably a bit to spare,

That's simply not true Oriel

While Rovers have improved on their dismal points returns in recent seasons, the 2.08 points per game would not have even won any recent League of Ireland title in the last seven seasons and would have only have registered 3rd place in most of those years




2019
Dundalk
2.39


2018
Dundalk
2.42


2017
Cork
2.30


2016
Dundalk
2.33


2015
Dundalk
2.36


2014
Dundalk
2.24


2013
St Pats
2.15




There is no doubt that Rovers have made some decent progress this season, but it is undeniable that the Cork City implosion is a big factor - Rovers final tally of 75 points this season would also have placed them behind Cork City last year

[Kingswood Rover]

So we did not finish within 10 pts, will we next season? i think so, there is a momentum behind this group of players very similar to Dundalk in the season prior to their first title so yes we will get closer again next Season. Can we win On Sunday absolutely its a toss of a coin not a lot between the teams in a one off game. Our Ultras have bought all the smoke bombs and flares in Western Europe its gonna be epic. We will give the ole ole sinGing section a lesson me thinks. WAR.....calm down man

[Nesta99]

Riht now I dont think any real predictions on next season can be made as so much depends on transfers in or out. Rovers nab a classy striker and the gap could close, Dundalk get a pacey striker and it odds on again. More likely will be the need for Rovers to hang on to Byrne. Some more news on conract extensions out of Oriel would be good and a new face or 2 just to keep the squad on their toes. Derry are not miles off a better season agan.

[Ezeikial]

100 years + of history, set records tonight for most wins most clean sheets and finished second, have to acknowledge dundalk performance this season.
Season was often shorter in the past which makes comparisons difficult but we are living in extraordinary times

Are the 'most wins' and 'most clean sheets' both all-time club records?

[sbgawa]

Riht now I dont think any real predictions on next season can be made as so much depends on transfers in or out. Rovers nab a classy striker and the gap could close, Dundalk get a pacey striker and it odds on again. More likely will be the need for Rovers to hang on to Byrne. Some more news on conract extensions out of Oriel would be good and a new face or 2 just to keep the squad on their toes. Derry are not miles off a better season agan.
Agreed as always the transfers in our league over the winter will be pivotal.
The league is shaping up to be better next year, Derry will improve as will Sligo in buckos second year,cork have to improve and shels with some money behind them should be better than ucd.
I expect harps to stay up.

[Nesta99]

Agreed as always the transfers in our league over the winter will be pivotal.
The league is shaping up to be better next year, Derry will improve as will Sligo in buckos second year,cork have to improve and shels with some money behind them should be better than ucd.
I expect harps to stay up.

I dunno, I fancy Drogheda to win the play-off. They have momentum, pace and can score. I know Harps have the guile and experience in play-offs but they struggle to score and a side going at them with pace especially on the wings and up top so can trouble them. It's an odd way to predict a game but I think the weather will determine the outcome - Harps are a stronger side so heavy pitches after days of rain will suit them better especially in a wind swept Finn Park. The small pitch in United Park is a disadvantage to Drogheda imo and Harps can use that to keep it compact. I'm assuming the premier side gets home advantage first(?), if Drogheda are behind going back to United Park they will have a job against a packed defensive setup. I dont like this play-off pairing as I like Harps but having the Louth Derby back would be good also. Purely from a crowd perspective for Dundalk there is more advantage to having Drogheda win, cuts a couple of ther longer away trips. 2-1 to the Drogs is my call.

[pineapple stu]

First Division side at home first

[Ezeikial]

100 years + of history, set records tonight for most wins most clean sheets and finished second, have to acknowledge dundalk performance this season.
Season was often shorter in the past which makes comparisons difficult but we are living in extraordinary times


Are the 'most wins' and 'most clean sheets' both all-time club records?

I'll save you the bother of any further trawling through the history books. It seems that the Rovers manager has confirmed that the 21 clean sheets for Alan Mannus is a record


“We’re broken our own record of clean sheets which is what we wanted to do as one of our targets at the beginning of the season,” purred Bradley. “
https://www.sseairtricityleague.ie/news/this-is-where-the-club-belongs-bradley-focused-on-cup-final-victory/id-3085

The 21 clean sheets is impressive, even if it is a bit behind what Gary Rogers managed this season

[marinobohs]

Agreed as always the transfers in our league over the winter will be pivotal.
The league is shaping up to be better next year, Derry will improve as will Sligo in buckos second year,cork have to improve and shels with some money behind them should be better than ucd.
I expect harps to stay up.

So everyone, bar Bohs, will improve :rolleyes: Lets hope that's as accurate as our 'relegation' that you were predicting at the start of the season, truly the gift....:D

[sbgawa]

TBF i dont mention Waterford , Harps , Pats or Bohs as likely to improve, so i havent really singled you out.
Also unlike most of those teams you have had a good year so improvement is harder to achieve.
I'm not always out to get you Marino :)
I don't remember predicting Bohs to go down this year , i presume you are talking about when i said it was Shels long term plan to get promoted and become the anchor tenant in the new Stadium but that was never about this year (2019).
Your board made a good start on shoring up the team by resigning a bunch of players so you would'nt have the mass exodus that happened last year so they are awake and thats a good start to 2020 for you.

[SkStu]

TBF i dont mention Waterford , Harps , Pats or Bohs as likely to improve, so i havent really singled you out.
Also unlike most of those teams you have had a good year so improvement is harder to achieve.
I'm not always out to get you Marino :)
I don't remember predicting Bohs to go down this year , i presume you are talking about when i said it was Shels long term plan to get promoted and become the anchor tenant in the new Stadium but that was never about this year (2019).
Your board made a good start on shoring up the team by resigning a bunch of players so you would'nt have the mass exodus that happened last year so they are awake and thats a good start to 2020 for you.

They are awake and notoriously woke.

I said earlier in the season that they havent shown a "plan" to be afraid of and i dont know how they would ever position themselves as "anchor tenants" in a new Dalymount, whatever that means. It will clearly be a shared stadium and Bohs have spent the last 5 years putting down deep roots in the community and surrounds. Those will not be easily ripped out. If there is one thing we know, private investment does not constitute a long term plan in LOI.

[sbgawa]

I'm actually on your side Stu , no love for Shels,
By Anchor tenant i mean "most successful" and likely to attract the floating fan.
Whichever club bohs or Shels is most successful on the pitch will be the one that gets the most attention and corporate interest going forward.
I fully expect to see more private investment in Shels now they are up.
Long did a great job this year and qualifying for europe will give extra budget to fend off shels so the timing for a great season was perfect.

[SkStu]

I am definitely not having a go at you sbgawa, just continue to be baffled by this "plan" of theirs.

Bohs have had little to no on-the-pitch success over the last 7 years other than surviving as a top flight club. During that time we have managed to grow our membership, grow our core and have captured more than our fair share of the floating fan / football tourist market. Our brand is far stronger than Shels and our platform is more sustainable. I agree that investment in Shels is something of a risk but i dont see it the same way as you do - it is not an either/or. If they are successful they will attract more fans but they will not eat into our fanbase or be able to materially hijack the brand that Bohs have built. At the height of Shels' success earlier this century, they were only attracting around 2k fans to league games iirc. What will change?

To what extent will they continue to be invested in do you think? To achieve meaningful success, they have to break through the ceiling of Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers which is going to require a lot more than what it takes to be best in the first division. I dont know how serious their backers are. I really dont.

I also dont know if they are doing the basics right (marketing, community outreach, youth model) and if they are not, it really just means that it will all come crashing down around them, again, sooner or later.

[Ezeikial]

Any short term move into Tolka Park while Dalymount is being re-developed is likely to bring it's own set of challenges for Bohs, the off-pitch momentum and progress that they have made over the last few years is little short of extraordinary. The average attendance from Owen Heary's final season in 2014 to Keith Long's 5th season in 2019 has increased by 100% from around 1400 to over 2800 per match.

Qualifying for Europe may bring it's own set of pressures by creating new expectations for Bohs in the coming seasons, but it also brings new finance and new excitement for fans in the short term.

Shelbourne being back in the premier division hardly has much bearing on the progress at Bohs other than the positive potential of adding another local rivalry into the mix. Shelbourne will have plenty of big challenges in the seasons ahead - if they should be watching Bohs closely, that perhaps that should be focused on learning how to grow a club in the community and create positive matchday experiences

[joey B]

Drogheda will bring a one goal advantage to Finn Park on Friday. Drogheda deserved to win but we are still in with a shout,we had our 2 best chances after going behind Cretaro hitting the woodwork with the best one.
The next goal is obviously crucial,whoever gets it will win the tie I feel........