Preview: Rovers host St Patrick’s Athletic on Saturday

The Bit O’ Red are back in action tomorrow night as we take on St Patrick’s Athletic at The Showgrounds (7.45pm).

Rovers are currently in fifth place, four points behind St Pat’s who are in third.

Rovers come into the game on the back of two defeats in Dublin last weekend against Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers. The visitors are in better form recently with four points from their last two fixtures, winning in Drogheda and drawing 0-0 in Derry last Monday night.

The game will see the return of former Rovers’ striker Eoin Doyle for the first time since his departure at the end of the 2011 FAI Cup Winning season and another former player, Tim Clancy takes charge of them for the first time at The Showgrounds since taking over in the winter.

Manager Liam Buckley:

‘’We were bitterly disappointed not to pick up any results over the weekend last week. I thought we didn’t start well in Tolka Park against Shelbourne and some mistakes on our part cost us a couple of goals. The second half was better but, overall, we know we need to do better.

We started much better on Monday night. I thought we passed it well at times but just couldn’t create any clear-cut chances in the first half. Even in the second half we created more chances and could have had two or three goals ourselves.

They are probably the best team in the league and when they can bring on the four quality players they did at half-time that changed things.

The atmosphere at our last home game was brilliant. It really spurred the lads on and I’d ask all supporters to get behind us again and hopefully we can get a positive result on the night’’.

In team news, Bit O’ Red ‘keeper Edward McGinty should return from injury. Shane Blaney and David Cawley will return but Max Mata is expected to miss out having hobbled off on Monday. Jordan Hamilton and Nando Pijnaker are also doubts.

The game kicks off at 7.45pm and turnstiles open from 6.30pm.