It’s a busy weekend ahead for the First Division teams, with matchdays being scheduled for Friday and Monday. Tonight, the most interesting clash might take place at Oriel Park, where league leaders Dundalk welcome an opponent they haven’t really been comfortable with so far this season.
Athlone Town vs Finn Harps
In the end, Ian Ryan’s debut as the Athlone Town manager was at least partly successful. Thanks to a late equaliser by Cole Omorehiomwan, the Town accomplished a 2-2 draw against Kerry. Tonight, Ryan wants to claim all three points for the first time with his new team. The chances aren’t too bad, given the fact that the visitors are without a win for eight weeks. Last Friday, however, the Harps showed some decent morale by coming back after a halftime deficit and acquiring a 1-1 draw against Wexford.
Prediction Athlone Town 1 Finn Harps 2
Dundalk vs Treaty United
The Shannonsiders are kind of the bogey opponent for the table-toppers in the course of this season. In the first two encounters, United were able to wrest away two draws from the Lilywhites. The Limerick side now hopes to be the first team to beat Dundalk during this campaign. Meanwhile, the hosts, who recently announced the signing of former Athlone Town player JR Wilson, will be eager to show a reaction after last week’s rather disappointing performance against UCD (1-1).
Prediction Dundalk 3 Treaty United 2
Kerry FC vs Bray Wanderers
Against Athlone Town, the Kingdom missed the three points in an unfortunate way by conceding the equaliser in the 89th minute. Still, Kerry were able to put together some respectable results under new manager Colin Healy, losing only one out of five games. It will certainly be a challenge to confirm this trend against a third-placed Bray Wanderers team, which will be keen to erase their recent 2-1 defeat at Treaty United from memory.
Prediction Kerry FC 1 Bray Wanderers 2
UCD vs Cobh Ramblers
By grabbing a point at Oriel Park against league leaders Dundalk, the Students proved once more that they can be a really tough team to beat. Cobh will probably need a top-notch performance if they want to come out as the winners at UCD Bowl. Last Saturday, the Rams weren’t able to reach their maximum. The consequence was a 1-1 draw at Longford.
Prediction UCD 0 Cobh Ramblers 2
Wexford vs Longford Town
In their last seven outings, the hosts only collected five points and dropped out of the playoff zone in the table. Wexford are currently sixth-placed and want to keep up with their better-positioned opponents by beating a Longford side that hasn’t won in five games. However, the Midlanders recently gained some confidence by celebrating a surprising 1-1 draw against Cobh Ramblers.
Prediction Wexford 3 Longford Town 1