Seven rounds in the LOI First Division have been played, and league leaders Dundalk have established themselves as the only undefeated team in the season so far. Will the success of the Railwaymen continue or end this Friday night at UCD Bowl? Besides the clash in the capital, there are four more games that are worth having a look at.
Athlone Town vs Bray Wanderers
The hosts lost their previous two games without even scoring a goal. Especially last week’s 1-0 loss against Finn Harps felt like a big disappointment for Dario Castelo’s side, who hope to show a reaction against an in-form Bray Wanderers team. The Seagulls defeated Cobh Ramblers last Friday (2-1) and UCD on Monday (1-0). As a result, the Green and Whites made a jump to the third place of the table and will travel to the Midlands with a strong tailwind.
Prediction: 1-1
Cobh Ramblers vs Wexford
In the fifth minute of extra time in last Friday’s clash, Bray Wanderers’ Max Murphy scored a penalty and sealed Cobh Ramblers’ first defeat of the season. After the 2-1 loss at Carlisle Grounds, the Rams need to find their way back to winning ways if they want to keep up with league leaders Dundalk. On the other side, Wexford recently lost two in a row and have to watch out if they don’t want to gamble away their decent start to the season.
Prediction: 2-1
Finn Harps vs Longford Town
After the departure of manager Darren Murphy, the Harps remained unfazed and secured a 1-0 win at Athlone, with club legend Kevin McHugh being in charge on an interim basis. During this week, McHugh was appointed as the permanent manager of the team. “It’s a proud moment. […] I’m super competitive and want this club to be the same and will make no apologies along the way to help drive up the standards,” he told finnharps.ie ahead of Friday’s clash against Longford Town. The visitors recently beat Treaty United 2-0 and now will try to come up with their first away victory.
Prediction: 2-2
Treaty United vs Kerry FC
In the highly anticipated Munster Derby, both sides seek redemption after their losses at Longford (Treaty) and against UCD (Kerry). The teams know each other pretty well. Trpimir Vrljičak, Steven Healy and Valerii Dolia are now active for the Shannonsiders but also used to play for Kerry. On the other side, assistant manager Chris Collopy coached in the opponent’s academy in the past, while goal keeper Darragh Foley also was a player in the United academy.
Prediction: 2-0
UCD vs Dundalk
The Students had to compete in two games last week. On Friday, they grabbed their first victory of the season with a 1-0 at Kerry. Three days later, UCD lost with the same result against Bray. Against Dundalk, William O’Connor’s side is the clear underdog, as the Lillywhites lead the table and don’t seem to show any weaknesses so far.
Prediction: 1-3