Some Previews on Tonights games
Just a quick preview of the games I fancy today
Shamrock Rovers v Longford
Rovers were excellent at home last year, a different team to that which takes to the road - they have a large loyal fan base getting behind them and they Tolka playing surface suits them. Last week vs UCD they looked solid at the back and although they didnt get on the scoresheet they looked capable of creating a few decent chances per match
Longford lost their opener at home to st pats - and at times they looked very open at the back. With Longford you can be sure they will give it a go but they may be fighting a losing battle this year - they have lost some experienced players and have only really brought in Rutherford to replace them - and of course Paisley is now gone also. His loss will make what was an ok defense even more vulnerable.
I fancy Rovers to get their first win of the season here and given their excellent home form and the fact that 2.03 is available at Pinnacle I will take a punt on them
Bray v Bohemians
Bray dont look like they are going to be pushovers like they were last season, A new manager has had time to get them playing his way and according to reports from the Brandywell where the visited last week they gave a good showing. They still ended up on the loosing side but most teams do when the visit Derry
Bohs could be the next big thing waiting to happen. Sean OConner has assembled a strong looking squad - the likes of Fenn, Heary, Crowe, Burns, Singh and Mansaram. They drew zero zero with Drogheda last week but if things gel there are a hell of a lot of goals in this team
All things equal Bohs should be winning this one. 2.25 is available for the straight win at Blue Square - if you dont have an account with them Sporting odds are next best at 2.20. The other option is 0- 0.5 with bet365 at a price of 1.90 - I think I will be splitting my stakes on this one 60/40 with the large part on the straight win
Finn Harps v Shels
Im still unconvinced by Harps and I still dont think they should be second favourites for division 1 - but they did impress me somewhat in their season opener vs Dundalk. They are well organised and each player seems to know what it takes to play their part. I still think they will struggle with goals from open play but they do look well drilled at set pieces and are a big team. Parkhouse is a big player for them and their whole game going forward centres on him
Shelbourne got a last minute equaliser last week at home to Kildare. Kildare are and were no great shakes so although Shels will have plenty of fight about them - I dont think they will be winning games until the team gets to know each other better and their fitness moves up a notch
Im going to go with Harps at home for this one. 2.18 is available on the handicap -0.5 with Pinnacle - thats a very good price in my book
Kilkenny v Dundalk
Dundalk are favourites in Divsion 1 this year and rightly so. They are a big club - big history, big support, big squad - and anything less than promotion will be an underachievement. Bad defending cost them two goals vs harps last week but they made up for that by scoring three - scoring should not be a problem this season just as it wasnt last season. The real test for Dundalk is whether or not they can stop conceding so many goals - and I think they will
Kilkenny were very poor last season season - just 3 wins all season. In fact they are without a win in their last 25 outings! They frustrated Athlone last week for most of the game however still managed to be on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline
I feel Dundalk are going to have far too much for Kilkenny - a straight win pays you 1.70 at sporting odds. Another option is to consider -0.5,-1 at Pinnacle at 2.01 - Im going to split my stakes between the two
Anyone else got any thoughts?
