Airtricity League of Ireland  –  1^st Division.

Monaghan United  v  Shelbourne

With the season entering its business end Shelbourne visit to Gortakeegan for the first and only time this season is without doubt crucial to both sides in their quest for capturing the 1^st Division championship and indeed promotion.  It should be a top of the table thriller with both sides going so well each having just lost a game in the league.  Shelbourne wont need reminding that their defeat was to this week’s opposition Monaghan United in no less a place than their home fortress of Tolka Park.

It is probably a source of embarrassment to all associated with Shels to be down in the first Division when everything about them screams that they a Premier Division side. Each season since their demotion for matters away from the football field they started out looking well and likely to be one of the sides that would be promoted only to slip up in the end, this season they appear to mean business and will not just be satisfied with promotion but have their eyes on winning the championship.

Shelbourne have in their panel three players who wore the United’s colours last season namely two of the most prolific forwards in the league Philly Hughes and Karl Bermingham as well as the most energetic Barry Clancy who is comfortable in many positions on the field. Will United players know enough about all three to deny them on the night?

United are going great guns in the league and not alone have they been only defeated once in there they have scored in every game. Mid week United went to Limerick in the EA Sports Cup where they suffered a heavy defeat but anyone knowing anything about them will read little into this. Of the eleven players lining out against Limerick only two retained their places from the previous game against Longford and by half time that total was cut by half.  It was an occasion to rest players carrying injuries and not incur any extra ones and to give the young inexperienced players a chance and have a look at the new singings.

Going into this game in their manager Roddy Collins, Monaghan United have a huge ace in their side, there is nobody outside Shels who knows them better than their old boy, no one is better at taking advantage of such knowledge than Roddy.

Collins will be hoping that most of his players who have picked up knocks will have recovered especially the keeper Gabriel Sava and the Brennan brothers. Paul Whelan return from suspension. Having beaten Shels already this season should boost United’s confident but Roddy wont allow this result to let them get over confident he knows that Shels have improved a lot since that outing and no doubt they would like too settle the score. Even a draw would be an excellent result for United but if they can replicate their recent good form and make use of home advantage they are more than capable of getting a win.

Kick off at Gortakeegan on Friday @ 8.p.m.

Injuries: Conor Mc. Mahon, Sean Brennan, Gabriel Sava.

Suspensions : None

Last Five Results

Next Five Games

Manager Quotes “We had another excellent result away to Longford Town last week.  We probably made it difficult for ourselves by conceding the late goal to them but what a response. By the time we opened the scoring we were well on top but the fact that they were reduced to 10 men meant that they went very defensive and their substitution immediately following the goal demonstrated what their manager Tony Cousins intention was.

It would be an understatement to say that I consider this game against Shels important, for that reason I rested a number of players who were carrying knocks for the EA Sports Cup against Limerick. That game gave me the opportunity to try out the younger players and the new signings, all of these lads were playing together for the first time, the score line might suggest otherwise but I believe in the circumstances they performed very well and I was very please with their overall effort.

I have been looking forward to playing this game against Shels. Indeed I wonder should we be in the same company as a club of Shelbourne’s standing. No doubt they are a Premier Division side having all the attributes of such an outfit including finance, facilities, players, support and a long history in the game”.

With the transfer window now opening I am running the rule over a number of new signings which we need to strengthen the side.

The lads are looking forward to this game and the fact that they are playing Shelbourne in an insensitive in itself.  Hopefully all our players will have recovered and that we can replicate our recent good form.

Again we had an excellent support in Longford”.

Yours in Football,

Roddy Collins.