| League points the target in cup rehearsal |
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| Thursday, 17 August 2006 | |
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SLIGO Rovers manager Sean Connor will banish all thoughts of an F.A.I. Cup dress rehearsal as he targets another home win against Bray Wanderers at the Showgrounds on Friday night next. (Kick-off 7.45pm).
bu Michael Moran , courtesy, The Sligo Champion The two sides meet in next week’s third round tie at the same venue, but Connor’s only concern ahead of the cup encounter with the County Wicklow side is securing maximum points. “The league game is the only thing on my mind at present. We got a fantastic result in Drogheda and I want to build on that momentum to keep us pushing on in the top half of the table,” said Connor. “Some of the teams above us could quite easily drop points in the weeks ahead, as Drogheda have been doing of late, and that gives us the opportunity to stay up there,” the manager added. Connor does admit, however, that he would be happier if the two teams were not coming face to face just a week prior to the F.A.I. Cup clash. “In reality, I would prefer to be playing anyone else at this time. The result of the league match will mean nothing in terms of the cup, but the sides will know each other inside out. “We will prepare professionally, as always, and take the Bray match on its merits,” he explained. Back in July, Rovers beat Bray two-one in the Carlisle Grounds, Darren Mansaram grabbing a late winner, with Adam Hughes also on the scoresheet. Wanderers have struggled in the the league this term and have also lost the services of a number of players, including striker Eamon Zayed, who joined Drogheda recently, and former Rovers defender, Wesley Charles, now at Galway United. “They are always a dogged sort of side, but we should be capable of beating them,” Connor maintained. The Rovers boss is hoping to be in the position of having the proverbial ‘selection headache’ ahead of Friday night’s game, with midfielder Conor O’Grady returning from suspension and Chris Turner also available, after his call up to the Northern Ireland under-21 squad for their European Championship qualifier away to Romania. Meanwhile, it is a case of ‘wait and see’ if goalkeeper John O’Hara will be fit. “John had a problem with a ligament in his knee, and is fine apart from not being able to strike the ball fully in recent weeks. We will keep monitoring the situation, but there is no point in us rushing him back and aggravating the situation further, especially when Richard Brush is a capable deputy,” said the manager. Connor reports that striker Paul McTiernan also suffered ligament damage to his ankle and while he has resumed running, he may be out of action for a number of weeks yet. “It was a pity for Paul, as he was just finding his feet in the Premier Division. He was beginning to score goals and he gives us attributes that our other strikers don’t have. “Paul is unconventional in a positive way. Defenders simply don’t know what he is going to do,” Connor went on. Sean Flannery is also out long-term, though the manager feels the overall situation is improving. “The squad is coming together and we have a bit of strength now and competition for places. That is a good thing,” he said. Turning his thoughts to Rovers dramatic draw with Drogheda on Sunday last, the Rovers boss was delighted with the outcome. “It makes a change for us to get a goal in the 94th minute, as St. Pat’s caught us cold in the Showgrounds like that earlier in the season and Limerick and Dublin City did the same in the past. “I felt we showed a lot of resilience to come from behind twice. We never gave up and bounced back. We got two fantastic goals, easily contenders for ‘goal of the season’. “We went there with a definite plan. We played 4-5-1 in the first-half to contain them. I believe their full-backs don’t have the same movement as those at Cork or Shelbourne and they eventually resorted to putting aimless balls forward,” he said. “Okay, they had a lot of possession in the first-half, but Richard (Brush) didn’t have a save to make. I was disappointed we let in an early goal in the second-half, but it was a good strike. “We fought back well and equalised, but then let in another goal almost immediately. However, the players reacted as I would expect and kept going right to the very end, with Keith Foy getting a great strike to earn us a point,” he reflected. |
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