It’s the last matchday before the mid-season break in the First Division, and league leaders Dundalk are determined to stay undefeated in their seventeenth run-out of the year. While the Railwaymen play at Wexford, there are four more interesting games that will go ahead tonight.
Bray Wanderers vs Finn Harps
Last Friday, promotion contenders Bray suffered an unexpected 2-1 loss against Wexford and fell down to third place in the table. In their third home game in a row, the Seagulls want to show a reaction against a struggling Finn Harps team, which is without a win in six games. The Donegal side will hope to get a result comparable to the first match against the Wanderers in March, when the Harps were able to come up with a glorious 5-0 victory.
Prediction Bray Wanderers 3 Finn Harps 1
Cobh Ramblers vs Treaty United
The Rams showed a good reaction after their loss against Dundalk two weeks ago and beat Athlone Town 3-2, which was their sixth win in the last seven games. However, the upcoming opponent will probably be a tough challenge for the hosts. Treaty United recently celebrated big wins against UCD (4-0) Longford (5-1). It is safe to say that the Shannonsiders will travel to St Colman’s Park with increased self-confidence.
Prediction Cobh Ramblers 2 Treaty United 1
Kerry FC vs Longford Town
In their 2-0 loss at Dundalk, the Kingdom showed a decent performance, especially during the first half of the game. Now, Colin Healy’s side aims to come back to winning ways against an opponent that should be more at their own level. Just like Kerry, Longford has collected fourteen points so far, three of them in a contested first leg in March which ended in a 3-2 for the Midlanders.
Prediction Kerry FC 1 Longford Town 0
UCD vs Athlone Town
After some eventful days, the visitors, who released five players from their squad two weeks ago, put out a solid effort in their 3-2 loss against Cobh Ramblers. At the same time, UCD beat Finn Harps 2-1, ending their small barren run with two losses and one draw. If they want to keep up with the promotion spots, the Students would be wise to bring in the three points against the backmarkers.
Prediction UCD 1 Athlone Town 1
Wexford vs Dundalk
Wexford ended their recent crisis (three losses and one draw) with a 2-1 win at Bray. Will they bag another surprise result this evening against the table-toppers? Dundalk may not embody the most attractive style of football right now, but they are still undefeated this season and lead the league with a six point-margin. Although the Lilywhites certainly would like to continue their run, the pressure is (currently) not too high for Ciarán Kilduff’s side.
Prediction Wexford 1 Dundalk 2