| Rovers won't be awestruck |
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| Thursday, 27 July 2006 | |
 Despite having to joust with high-flying Dublin side, Shelbourne FC, who have won seven consecutive eircom League Premier Division games and scored 11 goals in their last two fixtures, Sean Connor, the Sligo Rovers boss, remains pragmatic.
Article courtesy of the Sligo Weekender“We will prepare for the Shelbourne game as we have done for every other game this season,” said the manager of this Friday’s fixture in Tolka Park (kick-off 8pm). “We have had them watched – we know what their strengths are. We have looked at their key patterns of play, their set-pieces – both for and against – and we have tried to look for any weaknesses,” Connor maintained. “The thing about Shelbourne is that you can’t afford to stand off them and let them play. We have to squeeze the wings, get in their faces and make it very difficult for them.” Shelbourne, recently knocked out of the UEFA Intertoto Cup by Danish side Odense BK, currently lead the eircom League Premier Division standings – six points ahead of fifth placed Sligo Rovers. Connor, whose own charges have won six of their last seven Premier Division games, including two successive away wins, knows that gleaning a result in Shelbourne’s base represents an onerous task. “We have to compete, man for man, all over the pitch. If you do that you will take whatever result going because, undoubtedly, they [Shelbourne] have got the best quality squad in the country.” Shelbourne manager Pat Fenlon boasts two of the eircom League’s most prolific strikers – Jason Byrne and Glen Crowe – and both were on target in their side’s 6-0 demolition of a hapless UCD on Friday night. Byrne, a Republic of Ireland international, has scored 11 times this season. Connor has his own in-form striker – Darren Mansaram, who has scored winning goals in successive games. Mansaram’s partnership with Matthew Judge, who has been playing well of late, will continue against Shelbourne. But Connor hopes that neither forward picks up an injury against the former champions. Top scorer Paul McTiernan, presently recovering from an ankle injury, is unlikely to feature until the end of next month and another striker, Sean Flannery, is also ruled out. Flannery, who hit nine goals in Rovers’ run to last season’s First Division title, has been hampered by an ankle complaint and the prognosis is bleak. “We are waiting on some results but it is not looking very positive. I would say chances are that he [Flannery] will miss a good part of the remainder of the season – if not all of it.” “The player himself is down about it and I am disappointed because I have a lot of time for Sean – he is a good lad and he works hard. He does a very good job for us whenever he is in the team.” Flannery’s possible absence could force Connor to scour the market for a striker before the close of the eircom League transfer window at the end of this month. Having already bolstered his squad with the acquisition of Harpal Singh, a left-winger, and Seamus Coleman, a right-back, Connor is also hopeful of signing another midfielder. “It was great to look at the bench in Bray and see the likes of Jamie MacKenzie, Gary Curran, Richard Brush and Harpal Singh. All those players could be starting. We need to add to that – we need to have more competition in the squad.” “The transfer window closes next Monday [July 31] and we have a couple of players in the pipeline but, again, it will be determined by finances.” Connor’s charges were inactive last weekend due to the postponement of their scheduled tie against Premier Division champions Cork City. Damien Richardson’s outfit play Red Star Belgrade at Turners Cross tomorrow [Wednesday] evening in the UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round (first leg). Cork City asked that last Saturday’s trip to The Showgrounds be postponed so as to give them a break ahead of their European task – only last Wednesday they were in action in Cyprus against Apollon Limassol – and Rovers agreed. |
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