Archive for the ‘ Sport ’ Category
Bray Wanderers –v- Longford Town 7:45
Longford Town travel to the Carlisle Grounds to face Bray Wanderers.
Bray Wanderers enter this game determined to claim all three points. A win here could see them climb out of the relegation zone if results elsewhere go their way. The two week break may have given Bray the time to regroup and ensure that the rest of the season is more successful than the opening three months. Continue reading
The Football Association of Ireland have paid their respects to Bill O’Herlihy, who passed away last night aged 76.
The popular presenter was a household name for decades for his work on RTE’s football coverage since the early 1970s.
During his time with RTE, he covered ten World Cups and ten Olympic Games before retiring last Summer. Continue reading
Despite dominating throughout and creating chance after chance, Hibs were unable to claw back the two goals required to take the play-off semi final to extra time, and they will spend next season in the Scottish Championship.
Head Coach Alan Stubbs made one change to the starting XI that lost 2-0 in the first leg at Ibrox on Wednesday with Dylan McGeouch replacing Scott Robertson who dropped down to the bench. Continue reading
Bohemians –v- Bray Wanderers 7:45
Bohemians host Bray Wanderers at Dalymount Park.
Bohemians will look to bounce back from their surprising 5-3 defeat against Galway last week. That result put a big dent in their title ambitions, leaving them 11 points behind. A win here will help make up for some lost ground, but Bohs must feel the title is beyond them at this point. Continue reading
Hibs hopes of promotion hang by a thread after losing 2-0 to Rangers at Ibrox tonight in the 1st leg of the play-off semi-finals.
Head Coach Alan Stubbs made two changes to the starting XI that beat Falkirk 18 days ago, with David Gray replacing the injured Fraser Forster and Fraser Fyvie taking over from Martin Boyle.
Since then, the Hibs players have had a week’s training session in Spain whilst Rangers have had two tough games at Palmerston and Ibrox. Continue reading
Dundalk –v- Derry City 7:45
Derry City travel to Oriel Park to face league leaders Dundalk.
Goals from Daryl Horgan and John Mountney gave Dundalk a 2-0 away win against Longford Town last week. That result maintains the Louth side’s unbeaten streak and keeps them top of the table. They face a tricky tie here, but Stephen Kenny will feel they have enough to get all three points against his former charges.
A 2-0 home defeat against Galway United did Derry City no favour last week. They now face arguably their toughest match of the season. The Candystripes will need to be at their best if they are to avoid defeat. Lose and they may be drawn into a relegation battle they will wish to avoid.
Prediction: Home win
Galway United FC –v- Bohemians 7:45
Galway United host Bohemians at Deacy Park.
Goals from Padraic Cunningham and Jake Keegan gave Galway an impressive 2-0 away win against Derry City last week. Manager Tommy Dunne would want to see his side use that momentum and gain back to back wins. If Galway could gain all three points, it could see them rise as high as sixth in the league.
Goals from Derek Prendergast and veteran striker Jason Byrne gave Bohemians a 2-1 win over bottom side Limerick last week, a result that lifted them into fourth place. Bohemians are currently enjoying their best season in nearly a decade and will feel that if they keep up this form they will be real contenders for a European place next season.
Prediction: Draw
Shamrock Rovers –v- Longford Town 8:00
Shamrock Rovers face off against Longford Town at Tallaght Stadium.
A 0-0 draw with St Patrick’s Athletic on Monday denied Shamrock Rovers the opportunity to move up to second place. Currently third with 24 points, eight behind Dundalk, Rovers cannot afford to drop any points if they wish to have serious title ambitions this season. A win here would be the perfect start.
The 2-0 defeat at the hands of Dundalk last week would have been an unsurprising result for Longford Town. Despite that defeat, Longford still sit in sixth position. They could cement that position further with a win here. That result will not be an easy task, but with home field advantage it is well within Longford’s capabilities.
Prediction: Home win
Bray Wanderers –v- St Patrick’s Athletic 5:45
Bray Wanderers host St Patrick’s Athletic at the Carlisle Grounds.
Bray Wanderers suffered their ninth defeat this season when they lost 4-2 to Drogheda United last time out. Trevor Croly has now stepped in to take the reins in what the Wicklow side will hope will be an upturn in fortunes. They face a difficult proposition here against a side with title ambitions but will feel they may just have enough to cause an upset.
The 0-0 draw with Shamrock Rovers on Monday was a result that did St Patrick’s Athletic no favours. They are now in fifth position, ten points behind Dundalk. Liam Buckley and his team need a real run of wins if they are to have any chance of getting back into the title race. A win here against an out of form side would be the perfect start.
Prediction: Away win
Limerick –v- Cork City 6:30
Title hopefuls Cork City face Limerick in an all Munster clash on treaty soil.
The 2-1 defeat to Bohemians last week still leaves Limerick in search of their first win of the season. Currently sitting bottom of the table, Limerick need a win and quickly. It would seem unlikely that that win should occur here but Limerick will need to believe it is only a matter of time.
A goal from Karl Sheppard and a hat-trick from Billy Dennehy gave Cork City a 4-1 win over Drogheda United on Monday. It leaves them four points behind Dundalk albeit with an extra game played. Manager John Caulfield will still feel his side have what it takes to push Dundalk all the way and win their first league title since 2005.
Prediction: Away win
Sligo Rovers –v- Drogheda United 7:45
Sligo Rovers face off against Drogheda United at the Showground’s.
After their 3-2 defeat to Cork City last week, Sligo Rovers find themselves sitting just above the relegation zone in eighth place. Owen Heary will feel this game against an equally out of form team is the perfect opportunity to move themselves up the table. Lose and the gap between the relegation zone and the rest of the league becomes much larger.
The momentum from Drogheda United’s 4-2 win against Bray last week was tarnished after their 4-1 defeat against Cork City on Monday. Despite Monday’s defeat Drogheda will feel that they have turned a corner and will enter this game full of optimism and expectancy.
Prediction: Draw
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Martin O’Neill has named a provisional 33 man squad for Ireland’s upcoming Three International Friendly against England in Aviva Stadium on Sunday, June 7, and UEFA Euro 2016 Group D qualifier against Scotland in Aviva Stadium on Saturday, June 13.
Today’s provisional squad announcement sees the inclusion of Brentford’s Alan Judge and Aberdeen’s Adam Rooney however Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish has opted to remain omitted from the squad until further notice. Continue reading
Bohemians –v- Limerick 7:45
Bohemians host bottom side Limerick at Dalymount Park.
A late Adam Evans equaliser gave Bohemians an important 1-1 draw with Cork City on Monday. That result leaves them fifth but still apart of the chasing pack. The Dublin side will be fully expecting to take all three points here, but will be wary of facing a side who have an impressive track record away from home.
Eleven games into the season and Limerick have still yet to record a win. Their 1-1 draw with Sligo Rovers last week put another point on the board but fans and players alike will see it as two points dropped. They face an uphill task to take anything away from this game against an in form side. But Limerick’s biggest results have always come away from home. Continue reading
Hibs ended the season in style with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Falkirk this afternoon. Goals from Martin Boyle, Jason Cummings (pictured) and Dominique Malonga secured second place in the Championship and Hibs now await the winners of Queen of the South and Rangers in the play-off semi final in eighteen days time.
Head Coach Alan Stubbs kept faith with the starting XI that beat Alloa athletic at Easter Road last Saturday but was able to include David Gray on the bench after his early return from injury.
Hibs went into the game knowing that a victory would be enough to stay ahead of third placed Rangers who faced Hearts at Tynecastle, and grabbed an early lead when Scott Allan sent a superb through ball into the path of Boyle who slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Boyle almost added a second two minutes later when he charged through on goal but Jamie MacDonald did well to clear the ball.
Falkirk then applied some pressure and there was some nerves amongst the large travelling support when the news came in that Rangers had taken the lead and then added a second against Hearts.
Within a minute however Hibs doubled their advantage when Allan picked out Cummings and the youngster calmly rounded the keeper and tapped the ball into the net from three yards.
Just after the break Jordon Forster picked up an ankle injury and was replaced by Gray.
The game then became ill-tempered and Malonga was booked for a late challenge on McCracken. Ex Hibs midfielder Tom Taiwo then left Boyle lying on the turf with a solid challenge and the goalscorer was forced to leave the pitch to be replaced by Sam Stanton.
With 12 minutes remaining Hibs wrapped things up after breaking out from a Falkirk corner. Cummings won possession and sent an inch perfect through ball into the path of Malonga who coolly slotted the ball past MacDonald sparking jubilation from the Hibs fans behind the goal.
In the 84th minute Fraser Fyvie replaced Cummings who left the field to a standing ovation.
The news that Hearts had scored two late goals was irrelevant.
Falkirk: MacDonald, Duffie, McCracken, Grant, Dick, Kerr, Vaulks, Taiwo, Alston, Sibbald, Baird. Subs: Muirhead, Smith, Bowman, Cooper, Blair, Shepherd, Morgan.
Hibs: Oxley, Forster, Hanlon, Fontaine, Stevenson, Robertson, Craig, Alan, Boyle, Malonga, Cummings. Subs: Cerny, Stanton, El Alagui, Gray, Martin, Fyvie.
Attendance: 7672
Photo by John Preece
Galway United –v- St Patrick’s Athletic 7:45
St Patrick’s Athletic travel to Deacy Park to play Galway United.
Goals from Ryan Connolly, Padraic Cunningham and a hat-trick from Enda Curran gave Galway an emphatic 5-0 away win against Bray Wanderers last week. That win, their second in three games has lifted them up to eighth in the league. They face a much tougher challenge here but remain confident they can get a result.
St Patrick’s Athletic helped themselves to a 3-0 win against Sligo Rovers last week courtesy of a brace from Aaron Greene and goal from Chris Forrester. That result keeps them fifth, eight points off the top. Disrupted momentum has been the story for Pats this season, a run of positive results could lift them back into title contention.
Prediction: Away win
Shamrock Rovers –v- Drogheda United 8:00
Shamrock Rovers host Drogheda United at Tallaght Stadium.
Shamrock Rovers will have been disappointed with the 1-1 draw with Limerick last week. That result prevented them from moving into second place and four points behind Dundalk. The Dublin side will look to get back on track this week and get themselves closer to the top. Given their opponents current form, not many would bet against them.
Drogheda United suffered their sixth defeat of the season in a 3-0 home defeat against Longford Town last time out. Still without a win since March the Louth will be desperate to gain all three points. They face very tough opposition here and will need to find that early season form or they will facing yet another defeat.
Prediction: Home win
Longford Town –v- Derry City 7:30
Longford Town take one Derry City at City Calling Stadium.
A goal from David O’Sullivan and a brace from Mark Salmon gave Longford a 3-0 away win against Drogheda United last week. That result sees them sixth. They could mover further away from the bottom half of table with a win here. Their opponents will no doubt make things difficult but with home field advantage Longford may just have the edge.
Derry will have been disappointed with last week’s result. The 2-1 home defeat against Bohemians has left them seventh in the league. A win here will see them rise to sixth but with one win in their last five, the candystripes will have their work cut out for them.
Prediction: Draw
Sligo Rovers –v- Limerick 7:45
Limerick travel to the Showgrounds to face Sligo Rovers.
The 3-0 defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic on Friday was Sligo Rovers fifth of the season. With only one win to their name all season, Sligo need to turn things around and quickly if they want to avoid a relegation battle this season. A win here could be just what they need to climb the table.
Despite the impressive 1-1 draw with Shamrock Rovers last week, Limerick still find themselves bottom of the table still searching for their first win. They may not have a better opportunity to break their duck than here against a side struggling with form. Limerick have always had better away form, if such a trend continues it may bode well for them.
Prediction: Draw
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