My Irish Football Blog

Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk - Highlights

2007-04-10T13:43:00.000Z

Fresh from a win against Bray on Good Friday, Rovers went into this game full of confidence against Division One leaders Dundalk. Both sides blooded a few none regulars and the first half was a fairly dull affair - perhaps an indication of the fact that the League Cup is not either clubs priority this season.

For me Barry Ferguson was again excellent and so far this season has been one of Rovers star performers. Dave OConnor also impressed me.

More detailed analysis will follow later today but for now here is footage of the games only goal plus the other highlights

Recent Goal Action!

2007-04-08T22:29:00.001Z

Below we have action from some recent games

First up is Athlone v Longford in the League Cup last week. This one finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and there were no other goals in extra time so the winner was decided by spot kicks. See all the action below!

Bohemians made it two wins from two home games with a narrow one goal win over Sligo Rovers. The game was far from exciting but at the end of the day a win is a win and it should keep the Bohemian faithful happy for at least another while. Mind you there seems to be plenty of Bohs fans that are far from happy with their new manager - maybe he should be given a bit more time before the "OConnor Out" chants start

St Pats made it five wins from five league games as they saw off a troubled Galway side at Terryland. While credit must be given for their good start its worth remembering that four of those wins came against Bray, Waterford, Longford and Galway - no disrespect to these teams but I think there is a good chance that they will be occupying the bottom four spots come November.

Bray vs Shamrock Rovers - Match report , Goals, and Highlights

2007-04-07T16:24:00.000Z

Bray v Shamrock Rovers (0 - 2)

Shamrock Rovers made the short trip to the Carlisle Grounds yesterday for a clash against Bray Wanderers. Amazingly a win for Bray would have given them as many leagues wins this season after five games as they managed in all of last seasons thirty games. Rovers on the other hand were aiming to bounce back after their loss in the Dublin Derby.

Rovers kicked off the first half and immediately their intent was visible. The last minute defeat to rivals Bohemians during the week had obviously been a sore point and they attacked Bray consistently from the off. It took just seven minutes for them to get off the mark. Relentless chasing and closing down by the Rovers midfield resulted in the ball being blocked down by Pender - the ball found its way to Purcell who took two touches to steady himself and create an angle before cleverly passing the ball into the corner of the net

The remainder of the first half didn't see much more goal mouth action as both teams cancelled each other out. The only openings were as a result of set pieces and Bray in particular looked well organised and versed, both in attack and defence.

Bray came out for the second half similar to how Rovers did an hour previously. Manager Eddie Gormley added an extra man up front to the Bray attack as his side changed to a 4-3-3 formation. The change was paying off and for the first twenty five to thirty minutes of the half Bray had the large majority of possession and put the Rovers defence under constant pressure. Rovers broke away quickly on two separate occasions and Hoops favourite Ger Rowe was twice unlucky as his attempts both went wide of the mark without causing the Bray 'keeper any concern

Wanderers should have heeded the warning signs. With ten minutes remaining another quick Rovers breakout from defence looked to have been halted but Bray central defender Gough hesitated momentarily in possession and that was enough for the ever sharp Purcell to nip in, steal the ball , advance on goal and nutmeg the keeper who had done well to keep on his feet for as long as possible.

After that giant central defender Clive Delaney was thrown up front for the reminder of the game. Unsurprisingly he won nearly everything in the air but the Rovers defence stood firm and concentrated on winning the second ball. Bray pushed further with two corners in the dying minutes but again Rovers were able to handle everything, clear the ball to safety, and register their third win of the season.

Goals and Highlights!

As I said before the season started( click here)this Rovers team will surprise a few people this season - including the bookies who are still underestimating them. Rovers now lie third in the table with an impressive ten points. They are an extremely hardworking team who defend in numbers, they are young and hungry and in Manager Pat Scully they have someone who continues to show that his man management and motivational skills are among the best in the country

However at this early stage its already evident that if their is a fault in their set up and tactics its that they have a tendency to be happy with what the have got once they have taken the lead. While their defence is very well organised, tight and compact they do seem to sit a little deep once they ahead - now this of course is all part of the plan to draw the opposition out with a view to exploiting space quickly on the counter attack but there is no doubt that the longer you spend defending and holding the eighteen yard line the more chance there is that your defence will be breached. This happened against Bohemians last week and nearly happened against Galway prior to that as well as today

Previous Shamrock Rovers related articles
Goals and Report vs Bohs
Preview Bohs v Rovers
Quick Match Preview vs Galway
Quick Preview vs Longford
Goals and Highlights vs UCD

Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers - Goals and Highlights

2007-04-05T12:25:00.000Z

Bohs ran out unworthy winners in the big dublin derby. Rovers took the lead in the first half and will consider themselves extremely unlucky not to have got three points from this fixture. Bohemians didnt get going at all and looked void or ideas, energy and motivation for most of the game. Two late goals saved them on this occasion - but unless they improve significantly over the next few months the hardcore Bohs fans will soon be calling for the managers head sooner rather than later

For the pre game preview click here

Heres the Goals and Highlights

Ray Houghton - Fantasy Football

2007-04-05T12:19:00.000Z

Some of you will remember Houghtons appearance on Fantasy Football a few years back - it was all a little bit controversial! Since then Houghton has continued in trying to be controversial by having ridicolous opinions as an RTE pundit and in general being extremely annoying

Goals & Highlights - St Pats v Cork

2007-04-03T11:34:00.000Z

The goals and highlights from St Pats and Cork have been now added to my earlier preview - to see the all the best action click here

Preview - Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers

2007-04-03T03:01:00.000Z

This game is probably the biggest derby in Irish Football. Two of the countries most successful and well known clubs go head to head this Tuesday night in the Eircom Premier League.

Bohs have had a slow start to the season. Pre season a new manager arrived and along with him a host of big name players. Sean OConnor is an ambitious manager who has plans to go on to big things in bigger leagues - Last season his newly promoted Sligo Rovers had a great season. He has brought to Bohs some class proven players - most notably Glen Crowe,Owen Heary and Neale Fenn but also Chris Burns, Harph Singh and Darren Mansaram. On the opening day of the season they played out a no score draw with title hopefuls Drogheda. Next up was a trip to Bray and a defeat by one goal to nil and last Friday night they returned from Waterford with their first win and first goal of the season

This Bohs side undoubtedly has potential. Glen Crowe is a prolific goalscorer and has been for years - he should be hitting his prime around about now. Neale Fenn is a clever forward with a great touch who is great at holding the ball the up and bringing others into play - he gets a few goals also and has a great eye for a pass - his old club Cork City are really missing him this season. Owen Heary seems to be a favourite with most people and has won just about everything in recent years as captain of Shelbourne. Chris Burns has been touted as the most under rated central defender in the league and a big player for years to come. Add these new players to the likes of JP Kelly and Kevin Hunt and you can see why Bohs were being tipped as so called dark horses for the league this year.

Given their resources Bohs should be a force in Irish Football over the coming years - whether or not they will be serious contenders this season remains to be seen but in fairness it does take time for a group of players, some old some new, to get to grips with a managers ideas and thoughts on how the team should be set up to play. I saw a lot of Sligo Rovers last season and for the most part I was impressed with their organisation. They were able to move from defence to attack quickly, the formation differed depending on whether they were in possession of the ball or not and if tactical changes were made there didnt seem to be a problem putting it into effect seemlessly. I have no doubt that OConnor will be trying to instill the same values in this Bohs squad however work ethic and team work were certainly not something that the squad possessed in any worthwhile quantity last season

Rovers are back in the big time this season after just one year out of the top division. They romped the first division last season and have brought last seasons form with them into the Premier Division. They have made a great start. On the opening day of the season they drew zero zero away at UCD - that's a credible result given the amount of teams that have failed to get a win in Belfield in recent years. They followed this up with a 2-0 win over Longford Town at Tolka Park and just last Friday night they saw off Galway Utd by one goal to nil - also at Tolka Park.

Rovers have kept clean sheets in each of three opening games. They are a well organised team that really work hard for each other. They are a young team who are probably just as fit as their full time counterparts at Dalymount Park, but they also have a few experienced players in the squad such a Barry Ferguson and Dave OConnor. They are tight in defence but they are not an overly defensive team - they do try their best to counter attack quickly though and they are quite good at it.

Bohs are without Kevin Hunt and Owen Heary and more than likely Harph Singh also. Rovers will also be without their captain as Price is out injured. Dave OConnor will also miss out but Barry Ferguson and David Cassidy are again available for selection.

These teams met last season in the quarter final of the FAI Cup - the tie ended in a draw at Tolka Park and Rovers convincingly won the replay in Dalymount Park. In fact Rovers have won two of their last three visits to Bohs and drew the other.

The Bookies have home team Bohs as favourites - at a price of around 1.90 (10/11), whereas Rovers are as long as 4.00 (3/1) with Paddy Powers. Rovers have 7 points from their 3 games and Bohs have 4 points from their 3 games. Rovers have scored 3 and conceded zero and Bohs have scored 1 and conceded 1 - those goal stats point towards a low scoring game!

I reckon the bookies are underestimating Shamrock Rovers as they are playing away from home and are only new to the top division - also Bohs are the big boys in terms of well known players and financial resources - plus they are at home of course. I myself will be putting my money on Rovers to win or draw the game at odds of about 1.89 - that's at Pinnacle Sports and the bet is Rovers on the Asian Handicap + 0.5

For all your Bohs related news check out this excellent Blog Bohs News and for the latest Bohs TV download click here

For all your Rovers news check out their Official Website - click here

For highlights of Shamrock Rovers v UCD click here

Goals and highlights from Kildare v Cobh Ramblers

2007-04-03T00:16:00.000Z

Cobh made the long trip to Kildare on saturday last and made it 2 wins on the bounce with a fine display and a two nil win

Heres the goals as well as some match highlights - Enjoy!

Setanta Cup - St Pats v Cork City

2007-04-02T23:53:00.000Z

Pats made it eight wins from nine games this season with a hard fought one nil win over Cork City tonight. That's a Setanta Cup double over Cork for St Pats and tonight's win guarantees them a home draw in the Semi Final. Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane were both in the crowd - presumably to cast their eyes over Roy Donovan.

Its been pointed out over the last week by a number of observers that St Pats are playing as good as any League of Ireland ever has. I don't personally agree with that but it is fair to say that they are very much a team on form and they certainly are full of confidence. This years side is essentially only three or four players different from the side that finished in seventh place last year. Last years side only managed nine league wins all season long!

Whether Pats can keep this form up for most of the season remains to be seen. What I would say is that perhaps everything is going their way at the moment - not that I want to take anything away from their start. Also I think there will be question marks regarding the size and depth of the squad and it will be interesting to see how they would cope with a couple of injuries. Indeed the fact that Mulcahy was playing at wing back tonight shows how limited the squad is

Pats didn't click tonight like they have done on occasions this season. I think a lot of that was down to the fact that Joe Gamble did an excellent job closing down Ndo whenever Pats were in possession. As well as that Cork generally looked busy whenever they didnt have the ball

The only goal of the came came on 27 minutes from a corner kick. A Fahey corner kick fell to central defender Maguire who lashed it in from close range

Cork got a hold of the game in the second half and started to control things. They had the lions share of the possession however they were unable to convert that possession into chances - either guilt edge chances or even half chances. In fairness Pats defence also held strong and were very compact.

For Cork Liam Kearney had his best game since returning - he didnt stay out wide but drifted all around - he was looking for the ball all night long. I think he is going to be a big player for City this season and maybe he can provide some much needed creativity in the final third. This is where City are really missing Neale Fenn this season.

With Kearney drifting infield and ODonovan playing up front City really lacked width and that was disappointing as I have thought that so far this season St Pats afford wide players a little bit too much space.

St Pats had a few good chances to seal the win in the last twenty minutes but a combination of poor finishing and good goal keeping meant they were under pressure til the final whistle

And shortly after full time it was more bad news for City as it was confirmed that Farrelly and Healy were not cleared by FIFA to play until July 1st. Its a ridiculous situation and can only presume the players/club/fai will appeal the decision

Dundalk v Athlone - 8 Goal Thriller!!!!

2007-04-02T15:47:00.000Z

Dundalk met Athlone last Thursday night in a top of the table clash. Athlone took the lead early on but Dundalk fought back and ran out 6-2 winners!

Heres all the goals - enjoy

For a full report on the game check out Wallys review here

Quigley - Goal - Goal - Goal

2007-03-31T12:45:00.000Z

Mark Quigley and St Pats hit the headlines again last night after demolishing Bray Wanderers by three goals to one. Quigley with three goals had Pats three up after only 9mins of the first half - heres all his goals and glory

After tonights game Pats are top of the league with four wins from four games. They are also top scorers in the league with 9 goals and Quigley himself is top scorer with 5 goals to his name already

And heres the post game interviews with David Mulcahy, Eddie Gormley, John McDonnell and Mark Quigley

Fridays Eircom League Games - Quick Previews

2007-03-30T10:12:00.000Z

Another weekend with some big Eircom League games is upon us and heres a quick preview of Fridays games. There are also some four other games on Saturday and Sunday and I will have some previews up of them later today or tomorrow

Drogheda v Derry
Two Title contenders go head to head in this game which is live on Setanta Sports. Defeats to Drogheda cost Derry dear last season and this probably will again be a close encounter. Drogheda will be without a host of players through injury and suspension while Derry have a full squad more or less to choose from. Stadium problems mean that capacity for this game will be limited to 1500.

Drogheda have won their last four games after a slow start to the season while Derry have been blowing hot and cold since Pat Fenlon took over - click here for more information. With St Pats off to a flyer both these teams will be eager to not lose any more ground. I give Derry a slight edge in this game - at times versus Linfield things really clicked for them, Drogheda have a few big players missing and Derry will be motivated for revenge after last seasons defeats. Price wise Derry are available at evens on level ball or draw no bet option

Cork v Longford
Cork are the favourites for this one and rightly so. They will welcome back Kearney, Kelly, and OBrien and may have Farrelly and Healy cleared by Fifa in time for kick off. John OFlynn and Roy ODonovan are starting to hit things off up front and goal scoring has not been a problem

Longford have played three and lost three and although they have a lot of fight in the team they have really struggled so far - click here for more information. They will be missing Deegan and Baker and may have to rely on a makeshift defence again

A cork win is available at odds of about 1.50 - you could take a higher price and look for them to beat a goal or goal and a half handicap but games between these two teams have been close enough over the last few years and personally I would be happy with a straight win at 1.50

St Pats v Bray
Both these teams have surprised me with their respective starts to the season. St Pats have got a 100% record and top the table whereas Bray have two wins from three after beating Bohs and snatching a win in Waterford.

Pats may start with new signing Stephen Paisley and both ONeill and Fahey may also return. Bray are also at full strength and welcome back big defender Clive Delaney

If you think Pats great start to the season is not a flash in the pan then odds of 1.57 are available for them to continue their winning ways - that price is probably just about fair.

For highlights from St Pats game versus Derry click here

And for all the goals versus Dungannon click here

Shamrock Rovers v Galway
Rovers didn't play last week as their game with Bohs was moved to this Tuesday and Galway lost out deep in injury time to a late Drogheda winner at Terryland. With four points from their first two games Rovers manager Pat Scully will be happy with their start and will be looking to keep another clean sheet against the divisions other new boys. Cassidy and Ferguson are suspended but Ger O'Brien, Eric and Dave McGill, Tadhg Purcell, Ger Rowe, Aiden Price and Danny O'Connor should all be fit for selection after recent injuries

Galway have a full squad to choose from and it will be interesting to see if Manager Cousins has settled on his first choice eleven and formation.

I will be looking for another Rovers win in this one and will be taking them at even money to continue their good start to the season

For highlights from Shamrock Rovers versus UCD click here

Waterford v Bohemians
Waterford started their season with a shock win over Munster rivals Cork City but then went and lost their next two games to St Pats and Bray. Bohemians haven't started as well as many would have expected and have just 1 point from their first two games - more worryingly they have yet to get on the score sheet

Bohs will be without Heary and Singh but should welcome back Neale Fenn to the starting line up to partner Glen Crowe up front. As I have said before with Crowe and Fenn upfront and Hunt and Kelly in midfield this team has goals in it and I expect them to become free scoring once they get their act together

Ray Scully has been cleared by Fifa for Waterford but McCarthy, Keely and Brown will miss out through injury and suspension.

Waterford will need their home form to be in good shape this season if they hope to finish above the bottom few places whereas Bohs will need to be winning these type of games if they are serious about finishing in the top three or four. I wont be betting on this one myself but for those of you that are nice odds are available if you can pick the correct outcome

For the latest Bohs TV video click here

And for all your Bohs news make sure you visit this excellent blog "Bohs News"

Finn Harps v Monaghan
Harps (and their fans) would have been expecting to have more than just one win from their opening three games but having said that a trip to Cobh is always difficult considering the distance and their is no shame in losing to Dundalk. Their manager will be missing from the touchline as he starts a two game ban but Holmes should have his first game of the season after being cleared by Fifa to play.

Monaghan are probably a little lucky to have the two points that they do - they threw away a two goal lead on the opening day of the season and somehow managed to get a draw in Kildare in their second game. They would have been hoping to get something from their game last weekend at home to Kilkenny but ended up losing that one also. Striker William Doyle is available for the first time this season but Barry Burke is still serving out his suspension

If Harps are serious about finishing near the top of the division they must be winning home games like this one. Monaghan will be looking for a point but unless they raise their game substantially they will be going home pointless. Its a local derby so anything is possible! I will have a small bet on a straight Finn Harps win and odds of 1.65 are available for that

Kilkenny v Shelbourne
Premier League Champions to the bottom team in Division 1 hasn't taken Shels long. However they are starting to look a bit fitter and will be very close to full strength tonight after Leech and Brophy were cleared to play. Crawford and Collins may also return from injury.

Kilkenny got their first win in 26 attempts last week away up north in Monaghan but I will be very surprised if they make it two wins out of two. Shels will be looking at this game as a real chance to get their first win of the season and if they can get rid of the basic defending errors that cost them last week they should come away with three points

All three of my bets this season in the games involving Shels have won but I think it may be time to back them instead of laying them so I will take the 2.50 available for an away win and hope that the Premier League Champions can get their first win in division one!

Derry City - The Season so Far

2007-03-29T04:19:00.000Z

The following article is courtesy of Ciaran Roddy.

2007 marks a new era for Derry City FC. The reign of the flawless Stephen Kenny ended late last season, and he was replaced by the most successful manager in Irish soccer, Pat Fenlon. Fenlon, despite his reputation has had a tough act to follow and the Brandywell faithful expect the ex-Shels manager to take the Candystripes a step further and to lead them to the Eircom League Championship; and with only three games gone a lot of controversy has surrounded the club’s start.

Fenlon got off to a great start with a 1-0 Setanta Cup victory against Glentoran at the Oval, before starting the league campaign with a 1-0 home win to Bray. Derry went on to draw with Drogheda, before recording a quality away win to Sligo Rovers, a place where the Candystripes failed to win at in two attempts last season. Sensationally, Derry’s next two games have caused an array of unrest amongst the fans with two defeats away to Linfield and at home to fellow title contenders St.Patrick’s in the space of four days. Derry’s home draw to Linfield on Monday last night was not enough to rectify the team’s position amongst fans and surprisingly unrest continues amongst supporters, despite an impressive performance.

It is definitely surprising that the Brandywell faithful have shown disapproval at the team’s start. A lot of fans are willing to give Fenlon a chance, though some are already very sceptical. Few fail to realise that Pat is only after inheriting a new squad of players. It does take time to find a team and a system that works for him.Fenlon and Kenny are different men,and it is important that the new manager is allowed to direct his own influence on his new squad. Fenlon has tinkered with the team on a number of occasions, and a man with his track record will get things right in time.

It is worth looking at Derry City’s start to last season under Stephen Kenny. Last season was one of the most successful in the club’s history, yet many forget that Stephen Kenny endured a shaky start in hindsight, and alook at the form guide below is testament to this.

2007: WWDWLLD
2006: DDWWLLW

More or less identical! It hasn’t been an ideal start for Fenlon’s men, but it’s been a decent start, a start that Derry City can and should build on.

********************

The following clip shows match highlights from the recent Derry City vs Linfield game at the Brandywell

Match Report - Longford v Sligo - and their prospects for this weekend

2007-03-29T02:53:00.000Z

Longford went in to this game after losing their first two games while Sligo had a win and a lose from their opening games. Injuries, a small squad and suspensions meant Longford had a make shift back line with Prunty out of position at centre back and Rutherford filling in at left back. Sligo were also depleted- missing Chris Turner, Raffael Cretaro and Gary Curran.

The first half saw Longford put a real fight up and they managed to create three good chances - but wasteful finishing meant they didn't get off the score sheet. Up front Freeman looked like the player he is capable of being and linked things up well on a number of occasions with the midfield. This was an an achievement in itself as Doyle and Deegan didn't look up too much and showed little interest in getting forward

Despite the departure of Sean OConnor Sligo still look a well organised side and in particular I like the way their front one can become two or three when they are in possession. They whole team play as a unit and it would seem as if everyone is well briefed on their role. Keith Foy started the game very badly - missing a few crucial tackles, being caught out of position and having an air shot and was replaced after 30minutes

Sligo came out a completely different team in the second half - they got on the ball, they ran at Longford, and they moved the ball around well. Man of the Match Sean Coleman ran at and beat two or three defenders only to be cynically brought to the ground a few yards outside the box. From the resulting free kick Sligo went one up as Kudozovic curled one in high over Kelly in the Longford goal. It was a well taken free kick but I feel some fault must lie with the keepers positioning

Longford had a wonderful chance to pull level midway through the half but Rovers keeper Brush made an astounding save from close range - spreading his body well and getting a strong hand to a very will hit volley. Longford tried hard for an equaliser and put the Sligo defence under a lot of pressure in the closing minutes but Sligo held firm to register their second win of the season

Longfords problems continue - its getting to the stage where its tough to see where goals and wins are going to come from. Deegan in midfield needs to improve beyond recognition - last season at Kilkenny bar one or two performances he failed to stand out. There are also concerns regarding his temperament and his discipline. Rutherford again put in a fine performance as did Sullivan and Freeman.

So Sligo go into this weekends home game versus UCD with 6 points from a possible 9 and considering the upheaval pre season the stand in management time can only be happy. UCD are certainly an easier proposition away from home and Sligo are certainly capable of picking up at least their first home point of the season and if a similar performance as versus Longford is forthcoming three points will be theirs

Longford face a long trip to Cork and with the Leesiders starting to click upfront through OFlynn, ODonovan and Behan one would have to fear for the midlanders. As well as knocking in goals a plenty Cork have been just as mean at the back as they were last season. Pats did manage to get three against them but in fairness two of those were super individual efforts that little could have been done about.

The Bookies have Cork as heavy favourites with 1.44 about the best on offer - that's with CentreBet - but if you liked you could probably find a nice -1 Asian Handicap at even money or just short of it

The Weekends Results

2007-03-26T14:54:00.000Z

While most of the attention was focused on Croke Park this weekend there were a number of exciting Eircom League games up for deciding on Friday night and Sunday afternoon

Derry v St Pats 0-1
Derry lost their second game in succession as St Pats continued their great start to the season. Derry had the better of things until Pats took the lead from a corner kick. After that Derry lacked a creative edge and despite Fenlon tinkering with formation and tactics they couldn't find a way back into the game. This was a big win for St Pats as Derry have been extremely strong at home in recent years. Slightly surprising that Derry started the game with such a defensive formation but Fenlon seems to be taking a little time in finding out what his strongest eleven and formation is. Here's a link to the goals and match highlights on the Official St Pats Website
Match Highlights Derry v St Pats

Galway v Drogheda 2-3
Drogheda started this game as you would expect - going 2 nil up after just 27mins and creating chances a plenty. Galway manager Cousins altered his formation a few minutes later and that helped matters for Galway. Then deep in injury time confusion in the Drogheda defence from a Lester free kick led to the ball falling to OFlynn who had no difficulty finishing from close range.Galway were arguably the better team in the second half and levelled things on 78minutes through Murphy. Once again deep injury time Terryland saw another late goal when Zayed managed to steer the ball into the net despite the presence of numerous defenders

Waterford v Bray 1-2
Bray got three points here for the second game in a row - something that hasn't happened that often recently. The first half was goalless with Waterford having a slight edge in terms of possession and chances created. Bray took the lead from a set piece when veteran Tresson rose unmarked to head home. Straight away after the restart they doubled the lead when Fox cooling slipped the ball under the advancing keeper after dispossessing Waterford defender Hedderman. Waterford got one back late on but Bray held out for an important away win

Longford v Sligo 0-1
Longford slumped to their third straight defeat of the season as Sligo turned things on in the second half and deserved the three points. Detailed match report to follow

Shelbourne v Dundalk 0-2
Dundalk continued their 100% start to the season with two goals and a clean sheet at Tolka Park. Dundalk look on course for automatic promotion this time around but had to wait til the second half before they made their dominance count. Last years top scorer Hughes opening the scoring after a neat turn in the box. Dundalk went down to ten men shortly afterwards but that didnt stop them wrapping things up 8 minutes from time when Williams got himself another crucial goal.

Monaghan v Kilkenny 0-2
Kilkenny managed to win a game for the first time in 26 attempts after two pieces of terrible defending on Monaghans behalf cost them dearly.Walsh and Tynan got the goals for Kilkenny. Monaghan did have the better of the first half but wasteful finishing cost them dearly

Limerick 37 v Kildare 2-0
One of the rare home wins this weekend. Limerick 37 continued their good start to the season and still remain unbeaten. Goldbey and Moran got the goals for Limerick. See this link for the goals with some Cranberries music in the background - Match Highlights Limerick 37 vs Kildare

Cobh v Finn Harps 1-0
Cobh finally got some points after a narrow win over Finn Harps. Cobh took the lead after just ten minutes and held out without too much hassle for the remaining eighty as Harps struggled to create anything worthwhile

Athlone v Wexford 3-0
Wexford were brought back down to earth after their first league win last week by a confident Athlone side that are looking better and better by the week. Full report to follow shortly

This Weekends Action

2007-03-22T14:25:00.000Z

Its not just Internationals this weekend there is also a full programme of Eircom League games. I will focus in on two or three of them later tonight or early tomorrow but for now heres a quick preview of all this weekends action

Galway v Drogheda, Friday night 19.45
Home team Galway will be hoping to build on last weeks point gained away to Cork City. This will be their second home game of the season and they will be looking to pick up their first home points of the season. Manager Tony Cousins has already used more players than any other team in the division as he tries to figure out his strongest eleven

Drogheda with four points from a possible six are visiting Terryland on the back of a deserved one nil win in the Setanta Cup away to Northern Premier side Glentoran. They found their scoring touch last week against UCD scoring three goals in a five goal thriller at United Park.

Drogheda are real title contenders this season and if they wish to have a serious go at it they will need to be able to go and win away at places like Galway. Drogheda are a very difficult team to break down and with Galway yet to find the net this season one would have to favour the Louth team to come away with three points

Derry v St Pats, Friday night 19.55 - Live on Rte 2
This is an early season table topping clash and Derry will be looking to recover from there midweek defeat in the Setanta Cup at the hands of Linfield. They went down 2-1 and conceded their first goals of the season. Pat Fenlons team are worthy favourites to finish top this season after the disappointment of the last two seasons finishing runners up. Defender Dave Rodgers is suspended after his red card against Sligo last week

St Pats have started the season on fire with a 100% record in the league and some impressive Setanta Cup results also. They have scored some cracking goals and kept things reasonably tight at the back. Prior to the start of the season many were tipping Pats as dark horses for the league this year

Pats have been going well however with no disrespect to the teams they have beaten in the league - they were both games that Pats would be expected to win. They have yet to come up against a top class side. Derry, with their strong home form at the Brandywell should have enough to scrap a narrow win

UCD v Cork City, Friday night 19.45
The students have lost two of their big players from last season to Championship side Birmingham City however they gave a good account of themselves in their two games so far. Their season opener was a well earned no score draw with Shamrock Rovers and last week they twice breached Droghedas usually water tight defence only to come away on the losing side of a 3-2 scoreline

Cork City have suffered from a lack of a proper pre season and until they beat Portadown during the week had been struggling. They will still be without new signings and former Internationals Healy and Farrelly and are really missing the departed Fenn and OCallaghan.
With just one point so far they will be eager to get their season up and running

UCD have been strong at home over the last few seasons - especially against the top sides - they are very well organised, young, fit and hungry. Generally they dont score or concede many. I see this as a tight game with a draw the most likely of outcomes

Waterford Utd v Bray, Friday night 19.45
These two sides propped up the table last season. Waterford were planning for life in Division One until Shelbourne were demoted so their opening day victory over Cork was all the more impressive. They followed that up with a defeat in Dublin to St Pats last weekend - conceding three and scoring none

In their opening game Bray put in a spirited performance at the Brandywell but lost narrowly to Derry. Last weekend they surprised a few and beat Bohemians one nil at the Carlisle grounds - so with three points already on the board they will be quite happy with their start to the season

Hard to pick a winner here but Bray have had the best of the encounters between these two teams in recent years and although the Bookies make Waterford favourites I fancy Bray to come away with something

Longford v Sligo, Friday night 20.00
Its been a bit of a disaster so far this season for Longford. They have lost a lot of experienced players and have zero points from their first two games. Rumours of alleged money owed to creditors is also a potential problem.

Sligo have their own problems with manager Rob MacDonald leaving just before the season was set to start - apparently the Sligo board were not willing to give him a contract of employment that had previously been agreed. With three points from a possible six they will be happy enough with their start to the season

Longford have a few injuries to crucial players - Deegan and Byrne - and will also be without two more regulars who received red cards in last weekends game against Shamrock Rovers. Sligo will be confident of getting something out of this game and its a good time for them to be playing Longford. They may even sneak a win!

Limerick v Kildare, Friday night 19.45
Limerick 37 will be hoping to build on their four points - they are at home to Kildare County and will be confident of a win. Kildare have drawn their two games so far and dont look to have improved since last season.

Monaghan v Kilkenny, Friday night 20.00
This two teams occupied the two bottom places in the division last season. Monaghan managed to steal a undeserved point last week in Kildare and also drew their first game of the season with Wexford - despite being 2-0 up at half time. Kilkenny are pointless at the moment and have not won a game in 26 attempts

Shelbourne v Dundalk, Friday night 20.00
Shels have just 1 point so far while Dundalk have a hundred percent record with two wins out of two. I cant see Shels challenging this season but they will be hopeful of a top half finish. Dundalk will be going all out for automatic promotion and should collect another three points

Athlone v Wexford, Sunday 15.00
Athlone are quietly confident that the will challenge for promotion this season. With one win and one draw so far they have started well. Wexford also have a win and a draw to their name but the Bookmakers have them as longshots to get anything out of this game

Cobh Ramblersv Finn Harps, Sunday 15.00
Cobh finished a very respectable fourth last season but have lost both games so far this time out. This game will be in Turners Cross as St Colemans is not quite ready yet. Finn Harps, who have lost to Dundalk and beaten Shelbourne will be hoping to get something from this game to make the long trip home more bearable

The Season so far - Longford Town

2007-03-17T17:07:00.000Z

Those worried about Longford before the season started were right to be concerned. The preseason saw them lose a host of experienced players and then came the news that Stephen Paisley was wanting away also. The only good news was that Manager Matthews was not lured away to Shelbourne. But the bad news then continued when news broke that the club allegedly owe a substantial amount of money to a building company

Their first game of the season saw them go down 2-1 at home to Pats. The first goal they conceded was cruel. Longford were on the attack - the ball was crossed towards the penalty spot only for it to hit a St Pats players raised hand - what looked like a dead cert for a penalty was waived away by the referee. Pats broke quickly and within 10 seconds were 1 nil up. They doubled their lead a few minutes later when a tame shot from distance squirmed through the keepers body and trickled into the net

To their credit Longford then decided to have a real go at Pats - a sustained period of pressure brought them a well deserved goal but they continued to look suspect at the back - the left back in particular being caught out of position on a number of occasions - as well as frequently being 5 yards deeper than the other members of the back four. The only positive to take from the game was that the never say die attitude from last season was once again present even if an equaliser didnt come

Longford and about 25 fans made their way to Tolka Park last night to face Premier League new boys Shamrock Rovers. The rain and wind didnt make it a great night for football but all in all it was an entertaining game. It was bad defending again that cost Longford as Rovers went 1 up after 35 minutes - confusion in the centre of defense allowed Kelliher to slot it home from close distance.

In fairness up until the first goal went in it was an even enough affair - neither team were really dominating. Rovers went close again before the break but the score at half time was 1-0 to Rovers. It was two nil after 54 mins when Kelliher hit a rocket of a volley into the top corner of the net from the edge of the box. After that it was just a case of Rovers closing out the game and trying to hit Longford on the break

Indiscipline was to cost Longford two red cards late on as both Brennan and Mooney were dismissed. Their future absence through suspension will cost Longford further as the squad this year is smaller than last year and with Deegan and Baker injured for a few weeks Longford might be down to the bare bones for next weeks visit of Sligo to Flancare

So overall the signs are not good - two defeats from two games and Im sure Matthews would have been hoping for at least 3 points by now. My concern is whether or not Matthews will stick it out - against Pats he certainly looked frustrated and annoyed and last night he cut a lonely figure as he seen his side lose their discipline and fight in the last twenty minutes. I for one would not be surprised if he doesnt last til the end of the season.

The only real positives to take from the season so far are the form of Rutherford and OSullivan. Rutherford no more looks a thirty five year old and is fitter than most twenty five year olds in the league - he also has a presence on the field which is something that will be desperately needed this season. Right back OSullivan has looked as solid as possible considering the shakiness of the back four and looks like turning out to be an excellent signing.

Tonights Eircom League

2007-03-16T09:45:00.000Z

Just a quick preview of the games I fancy today - in short Im looking at wins for Rovers, Bohs, Finn Harps and Dundalk

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

Results Breakdown Season 2006

2007-03-15T03:25:00.004Z

Articles on stats and trends will be a regular feature over the course of the season

I thought to start with I would have a look at the breakdown of results last season with regards to the percentage of home wins, draws and away wins - as well as a quick look at the split of games finishing over 2.5 goals/under 2.5 goals

Premier Division

In the Premier Division 45.5% of games finished with the home team winning. This is the highest percentage for home wins over the last four seasons

28.5% of games ended level - again this is the highest percentage for draws over the last four seasons

26% of games finished with the away team getting 3 points. This is the lowest percentage for away wins over the last 4 seasons

58% of games ended in under 2.5 goals - this figure has been more or less static over the last four season

42% of games ended in over 2.5 goals - again this figure is more or less unchanged over the last four seasons

First Division

In the First Division 39.4% of games ended in a home win. This was up 6% from the previous season however it was still less than seasons 2003 and 2004

25.6% of games ended in a draw - this was 5% less than the previous season

35% of games were away wins - this was in line with the previous season

59.4% of games had under 2.5 goals - apart from season 2004 when the figure was as low as 48%, this season was in line with the other 3 of the last 4 seasons

40.6% of games had over 2.5 goals

*Over the course of the season there will be regular articles on stats and trends

Organisation!

2007-03-13T03:13:00.000Z

Match Preview - Cork vs St Pats - March 12th

2007-03-12T03:51:00.000Z

In what is both clubs second Setanta sports cup outing St Pats make the long journey to Turners Cross to take on a Cork City side still reeling from their opening day defeat at the hands of Waterford

According to all accounts City were off form on Friday night.They didnt seem to really want it - but having said that it was a game they could have easily ended up winning 1 nil. This years City team has for me something to prove, After winning the title in 2005 a loss of key players and a champions league campaign damaged the club and stretched the squad to its limits.

While its fair to say they were never really in the title race last year they did finish the season strongly and were only a meagre 6 points behind eventual winners and runners up Shels and Derry. The also boasted the best defense in the league. Whether that defensive togetherness can be maintained this season remains to be seen - the leagues best left back has left the club (and the league) and Alan Bennett has also moved on the bigger things. It looks like Kelly and Ryan are going to be the players entrusted with filling those gaps - Ryan wasnt a star performer on Friday night but having seen him play a fair bit over the last 12- 16 months I do feel that once he finds his feet he will do a solid job. Kelly did impress on Friday night so the signs are promising that City will be able to keep it tight at the back this season.

Further up field Kearney has returned to his homeland and his relationship with Rico seems to be ok - for the moment at least. Infact City might well arguably have the strongest midfield in the country - Gamble is a tremendous player who Im amazed has not been snapped up by a Premiership or Championship side. OBrien and Woods are also solid dependable characters with experience. Cork scored a staggering 23 goals less than Champions Shelbourne last year and unless they can improve on that they will find it hard to be challenging for silverware. A fit OFlynn would probably be all thats required - add in ODonovan and Cork have potentially a very strong front line - even if ODonovan is probably of more use out wide.

Pats season last year was full of fits and starts. While their fans bemoaned their performances I happen to believe that given the players they had they did ok. In the end they finished in seventh place and reached the cup final. The squad has been strengthened in the close season - the most notable addition being Ndo - but Kirby. ONeill and Arkins are also experienced players.

A lot of people are tipping Pats as the dark horses this season. I will personally be amazed if they manage to finish in the top four - I dont honestly think they have the squad to finish better than that and unless ODonnell is capable of getting all the players to overperform I think the best they can hope for is 5th place and maybe some adventures in the cup competitions

Pats got their season of to start with a win away to Longford on Saturday night - the score was 2-1 in their favour - and if Im honest both teams could easily have had a few more goals. I have a feeling that unless things improve rapidly with Longfords that they will really struggle this season. So while Pats could have scored another few I think that has more to do with the poorness of Longford than the prowess of Pats. As well as that they looked extremely shaky at the back on a number of occasions. With Ndo in the team they will always have that something a bit special but its going take time for him to settle in with his new mates - plus I think its important to note that while he was easily the leagues best player last season he was playing in a team a lot better than than he is in this season

I fancy Cork to get their seasons first win tonight. Their home form over the last 2 or 3 years has been excellent and all things considered they are a better outfit than Pats. Pats have also had to contend with 2 games in the space of 3 days - Saturday away to longford and Monday away to cork. Not much rest time there. There is going to be a big crowd at the cross for Cork - its their first home league game of the season and its going to be close to a sell out

Sporting Odds have a Cork win at 2.10 - I feel thats very good value - corks home record is excellent and were it not for them losing and pats winning their respective first league games we would have been seeing a price closer to 1.75. Also if we were just using the raw stats from the last two full seasons 1.85 - 1.90 would be the best we could have hoped for - so I cant and wont turn down 2.10. Still just small stakes though as its early in the season and real form has yet to be determined

Cork City vs St Pats - March 12th - Setanta Sports Cup - Live on Setanta at 20.05 local time

Please also see
Extreme Picks

www.extremepicks.info

2007-03-11T22:06:00.000Z

www.extremepicks.info is a new website launched this week - and I have no doubt that in the next few months its going to be become very popular with anyone interested in Football Betting.

It already has a host of experts writing articles and providing opinions and tips on various football leagues all over Europe and there are going to be more expert writers starting in the next few weeks

For some of my previous articles please see the following links

Linfield vs Glentoran Betting Preview
Dundalk vs Finn Harps Betting Preview
Shelbourne
vs Kildare Betting Preview
UCD vs Shamrock Rovers Betting Preview

Dundalk v Finn Harps, March 8th

2007-03-10T02:53:00.000Z

For my pre game preview please see -

Extreme Picks - Dundalk vs Finn Harps Betting Preview

This game was the new seasons opener and if its a sign of things to come for the rest of the season Irish Football Fans will be rubbing their hands with glee. A great game, a big crowd, good football, lots of goals and a last minute winner

All the Bookies (and Dundalk fans) have earmarked Dundalk for the First Division Title this year. They certainly came close last season and as long as they can fix some schoolboy defending errors they will at the very least come close again

Harps took the lead - as a result of bad defending. A long ball was misjudged and allowed bounce by Flanagan, a covering tackle was made but from the throw in Harps took the lead. A long throw in was not attacked by any of the Dundalk defenders - again the ball was allowed bouce, twice this time and Gethins nipped in and headed it home. This was the kind of defending the saw Dundalk concede a lot of goals pre season - and the longer its allowed continue the more questions will be asked of the back four and of Manager Gill.

I have found Gills teams to be fond of playing a high line and to be quicker to stand off than to stand in. A high line isnt neccessarily a bad thing but throughout this game they looked very slow to react to a ball over the top. Im also not a fan of stepping up when the player in possession has a lot of time to pick his pass and the time to deliver it unchallenged - far too often the dundalk back four stepped up or tried to hold their line when there was no pressure on the player on the ball. Sooner or later this ends up costing teams.

Dundalk didnt really turn up for the first half - some of the players looked a lil nervous - that is always a possibility and there isnt much that can be done about it. However the other main fault with Dundalk in the first half was that very few of the players looked for the ball - they didnt make themselves available, they didnt create an angle for the pass and they didnt take any responsibility. All too often the man in possession literally only had one option - a ball forward into a crowded area where the percentages are just not in your favour

Dundalk did their best I think in the first half to close Harps down - but I thought the centre midfield 2 retreated back too far on top of the back four - this left a fair bit of space for Harps to play in and they were unlucky not to make it count. The fact that the front two remained very static when Dundalk where not in possession did not help matters either. You cant expect your goalscorers to bust their gut closing people down all the time but its very easy to make life a bit harder for the opposition by positioning themselves better, closing down some space or by one of the two dropping deeper and limiting the number of outs the player on the ball has - none of this happening though and this surprised me as last season on a number of occasions it was very evident

Two very good goals got Dundalk in front but once they got into the winning position the defense looked very nervous and when the equiliser came it wasnt a surprise. Harps Nigerian full back was allowed sneak around the back at a corner and when he headed back across the goal mouth Parkhouse had an easy task to knock it home.

Flanagan made up for his mistake that led to the opening goal with a bullet of a header in the last minute from a well delivered cross.

Despite defensive error leading to both Harps goals the good news is that its pretty basic stuff that needs to be put right - and when it is Dundalk look worthy favourites to end the season as league winners. Dundalk conceded a massive 20 goals more than Shamrock Rovers last season and if things at the back can be put right there is no reason why this team cant romp to promotion this season. Scoring goals I dont think will be a problem - it certainly wasnt last season with Dundalk finishing up top scorers in the division

Harps will feel a bit unlucky not to get something from this game after taking the lead and then levelling things late on only to lose it in the last few minutes. I still dont think they deserve their place as second favourites for the league but they certainly were v well organised until they went a man down. Their whole game is based on getting the ball forward fairly quickly to Parkhouse and then working it from there hoping he can bring others in to it. The back four are compact and dont mind being physical - they dont stand off or allow the opposition time on the ball. Despite scoring two away from home Im not sure where the goals will come from - they didnt create much from open play and looked a little bit edgy when on the ball in advanced positions. Time will tell but I will go out on a limb now to say I will be very surprised if they are challengers for the two top spots.

Ref watch - Boyle had a near perfect game I thought. Linesmen were to form and flagged on numerous occasions when they shouldnt have