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PREVIEW Hunt out of Longford clash
Bohemians manager Stephen Kenny must plan without a number of key players, including skipper Kevin Hunt, for Friday night’s clash with Longford Town at Flancare Park.
Both sides will be eager to maintain the pressure on leaders Shelbourne, but Bohs will be without Hunt, who also missed the victory over Shamrock Rovers with a hamstring injury earlier this week.
Young centre half Ken Oman is also definitely out with an Achilles injury, and winger Mark Rutherford is still suffering from a back injury and will not make the trip to the Midlands.
Defender Jason McGuinness is rated doubtful as his broken nose is healing slower than expected, but influential striker Paul Keegan is expected to be passed fit after he rejoined the squad for full training this week.
Colin Hawkins will again battle on after performing with great distinction while sporting heavy bandaging on his head against Shamrock Rovers.
Thomas Heary, who can also play at either centre half or full back, is likely to continue in midfield in place of Hunt. He will partner Stephen Caffrey in the Bohs engine-room, with Paul McNally continuing alongside Hawkins in the back four.
The defending champions are on somewhat of a roll at the moment after winning their last two matches against Rovers and UCD, but they will not relish the trip to face Alan Matthews’s side, who seem to have become a bogey side for the Dubliners as they have failed to beat them in three meetings this season.
The sides twice played out 1-1 draws in the Premier Division, while Town had a 2-1 win over Bohs on their way to last month’s League Cup final.
Longford are without goalkeeper Stephen O’Brien, who is serving a one-match suspension following his sending-off in the 1-1 draw with Derry City last weekend. Michael Dempsey will deputize against his former club.
Matthews is also set to give on-loan signing Liam Kelly his debut for Town. With key striker Shane Barrett still out through injury, former Shels, Pats and Rovers man Kelly is expected to partner either Eric Lavine or Sean Francis in attack.
It has been a magnificent season for the midlanders so far having reached the League Cup final and being in the top five of the Premier Division, while also making the last eight of FAI Carlsberg Cup with a meeting against form team Waterford United in store.
And they will be hoping to build on that by preserving their unbeaten record against the champions this evening.
