Oct 11,2024
Attention turns to Derry City tonight in what is proving to be a gripping League of Ireland as a rematch with Bohemians awaits at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
The Candystripes ended any hope of Bohs taking positives from this season with a comprehensive 2-0 victory in the FAI Cup semi-final last week.
While the Cup was ongoing, Shelbourne once again faltered at the top and opened up a chance for City to make their mark in the battle to win the league.
Derry are playing catch-up with games – facing two matches over the coming days – while their main rivals are not in action until next Friday.
The Ruaidhri Higgins era has yielded one FAI Cup and may produce another next month, but the league title is what is craved.
The two games represent the chance for Derry to show they deserve to be champions.
What will come from Bohs remains to be seen.
Their inability to produce goals from strikers proved the undoing last week as with plenty of possession chances were at a premium.
It may seem ridiculous that Alan Reynolds would be under pressure at the club just months into the job.
Gypsies fans will feel frustrated by a decade and a half of a trophyless era.
Reynolds has attempted to meet the critcism head on.
He said: "It was an extremely frustrating night for our supporters to say the least. We had well over 60% possession but we huffed and puffed with it, and we never tested their goalkeeper.
"That's just not good enough. We know we are lacking an out-and-out striker but players need to step up to the challenge and we didn’t do that on Friday.
"It has been a disappointing season for the club. Last Friday was an opportunity to salvage something for ourselves and for our supporters, and there’s no shying away from the fact that we fell well short of what was required. In a cup semi-final, you have to be so much better than that."
Drogheda United will join Derry in the Cup final and also have their own target in the league as they travel to the RSC to face Waterford.
This will be a pivotal night for the relegation play-off spot with Bohs hoping to move, while Drogheda can bring them to within a point of ninth place.
United come into the game full of confidence after reaching the final.
Waterford's season has somewhat unravelled with seven defeats in 10 games leaving their European hopes hanging by a string.
Staying up was the first target which has been achieved. Keith Long will want to alter the momentum going into 2025 and end a very poor run in the league.
Victory for Drogheda would formally relegate Dundalk, to offer Drogheda an even bigger incentive.
Kyle White (hamstring) is the only absentee from the Waterford FC.
