Saints eye second spot as Dundalk visit

Stephen Kenny comes up against the side he won four Premier Division titles with tonight as St Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk go in search of points at Richmond Park.

Kenny, who went on to manage the Republic of Ireland at under-21 and then the senior national side, is still hoping to challenge Shamrock Rovers for the title this campaign.

The Saints have faltered on too many occasion and are eight points behind the leader, albeit with one less game played.

With the teams around them all in European action, it's a major chance for both sides to make ground.

Kenny said: "Dundalk have had a terrific season. They're in contention for the European places and rightly so. They've performed really well this season.

"They're a high-energy team and they play on the front foot. We know the type of game we are going to get. It is going to be a real good game of football and we're ready."

Pat's have won 10 out of 13 matches at home this campaign, with results on the road more of a problem.

Kenny admits tonight's fixture is a big opportunity: "This is our game in hand if you like. It's one we want to win and Dundalk will be tough opponents."

Kian Leavy returns for Pat's, with an otherwise unchanged squad from their victory over Wexford.

Dundalk returned to winning ways in the Club Orange FAI Cup last week against St Mochtas. It was a welcome break from league matches for the Lilywhites as they had lost three on the spin beforehand.

With two of the playes key to their brilliant season so far departing in Eoin Kenny, son of Stephen, and Gbemi Arubi, Ciaran Kilduff brought in Cian Dillon this week from QPR in a bid to find more goals.

He is likely to make a debut tonight.

Kilduff said of this game: "It’s a good opportunity to get our league form back to where it was a couple of weeks ago.

"We freshened things up last week with the FAI Cup game. A lot of the lads needed a break, so we’re looking for plenty of energy from the start.

"Our travelling support has been brilliant all season and we’re hoping for more of the same on Friday night.

"We know we’re coming up against a top team. It’s third versus fourth in the Premier Division and you don’t get any easy games at this stage of the season. This certainly won’t be one of them.

"Pat's are having a very positive season and they’ll be looking to continue that form, especially at home. We know we’ll have everything to do, but our focus is on ourselves.

"We’ve got some new players in the building and hopefully they can hit the ground running. We’ll travel to Richmond Park with a lot of positivity and we’re looking forward to the challenge."

Two more matches take place on Saturday in what will be a pivotal day at the bottom of the table.

The four sides in the mix to avoid the drop face off with just seven points separating them in total.

Galway United will look to stop Waterford FC's dramatic climb towards safety.

United have reeled off three home victories in all competitions since moving to Pearse Stadium, while the Blues are resurgent under Graham Coughlan.

Later in the evening, managerless Sligo Rovers host Drogheda United.

The Bit O' Red are in crisis with John Russell departing and the club sinking into the automatic drop position.

The Boynesiders have failed to reach previous heights this year and will be eager to take points in this match to extend the lead on their opponents.

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