Our Cup runneth over

Shamrock Rovers v St Patrick's Athletic

It's been 45 years since a team in St Patrick's Athletics shirts swigged the victor's hooch from innards of the FAI Cup - a stunning statistic for a team which has won four league titles since then (or five if we're just talking about on the pitch wins). And so who better for the cup cabbages to meet in the semi-final than the cup specialists of Shamrock Rovers?

Cold and calculating as us betting types are, we simply take all of the history and baggage of Pats and Rovers past cup exploits and set them aside. Such things will have a bearing on the game so small as to be irrelevant to all but the romantics and journos.

What will have a profound bearing on the game however is Shamrock Rovers' personel crisis. Pat Scully is without a well documented 11 players for this game through suspensions and players being cup tied.

The Supersaints are in a rare patch of form at the moment, arguably superior to their early season run as they are now finding the net with impunity - a task that seemed well beyond them only a few weeks ago. The Inchicore side are without dead ball specialist Keith Fahey and possibly also full back John Frost, but those absentees of course are but a drop in the ocean compared to Rovers' headaches.

The money is down on the Premier side to oust the First Division title chasers.

9/4 Shamrock Rovers
9/4 Draw
EVS St Patricks Athletic



Sligo Rovers v Derry City

Treble hunting Derry City gave Sligo a 4-0 pasting at The Brandywell only a fortnight ago and are in fine form coming in to this tie. However it was at the hands (feet really) of Sligo that Derry suffered one of only two league defeats this year as they went under 3-1 at The Showgrounds.

There are doubts over the fitness of Harpal Singh and Keith Foy for Sligo - both key players. Derry on the other hand seem to have a squad capable of dealing with almost any absence.

This trophy is all that Sligo are competing for at this stage of the season and everything they have done in the past few weeks is in preparation for this tie and a chance to reach their first FAI Cup Final since 1994. It's also the first time Sean Connor's men have been featured on live television this season (and quite a few before it) so it will be a massive occassion for the club and the fans.

I don't think Sligo have quite to nous to outscore Derry, but I expect them to put up a good performance and force a replay.

9/4 Sligo Rovers
9/4 Draw
EVS Derry City

Pats to put Doolo in the Drog house

Cork City v Longford Town
Friday night's live game sees Alan Matthews goal-shy Longford outfit travel to take on a Cork side which put six goals past Bray last weekend. Matthews misfiring miscreants are further dulled by the absence of Davy Byrne and Danny O'Connor - both sent off last week in the 4-1 cup defeat to Pats.

Cork are without last weekend's hat-trick hero as Roy O'Donovan sits this one out having tallied too many bookings. It looks like Longford are just not capable of scoring enough goals to win this game. Cork's late surge for the title will require them to take maximum points here if it is to have even an outside chance of success. Home win.

4/11 Cork
3/1 Draw
13/2 Longford Town



Derry City v Bohemians
Stephen Kenny welcome's his former students to The Brandywell who are yet to find a new mentor. It's hard to see where Bohs are going to summon the motivation from to raise their game to a standard where they can compete with Derry. The home side should keep the momentum in their title challenge with a business-like win.


4/9 Derry
13/5 Draw
6/1 Bohemians



St Patricks Athletic v Drogheda United

This is an interesting tie. The enthusiasm at Richmond Park last week was palpable as Pats gave Longford a 4-1 drubbing. It was as if Pats had been saving up their goals to spend in one big splurge, and Johnny McDonnell's side played with an attacking verve which has been sorely absent over the last few months.

Drogheda are crucially missing Declan O'Brien tonight - their primary source of goals in what has been a very low scoring season for a team we all believed had real title hopes. The Drogs can be expected to struggle to score. This a game to side with the narrow outsider and back the Saints for a win.

13/8 St Pats
2/1 Draw
6/4 Drogheda



UCD v Bray Wanderers
The Students of UCD do draws - plenty of them; scoreless draws a speciality. But if ever the Belfield boys were going to score, it must be tonight against a Bray side that has conceeded a flood of goals throughout the season - 52 in 24 games to be precise.

It's a brave man who would back UCD to win at 4/6, you simply couldn't have enough confidence that they will score. Hmmmm, best watched.

4/6 UCD
12/5 Draw
7/2 Bray Wanderers



Waterford Utd v Shelbourne

Waterford's revival under Gareth Cronin was cruelly punctured by some odd officialdom at Dalymount recently. Unfortunately the Blues will continue to suffer the effects of that this evening as they miss Ger McCarthy and Alan Cawley both of whom were sent off against The Gypsies. Also absent is James Chambers - on loan from tonight's opposition.

Title hunting Shels are at full strentgh, and against a depleted Waterford side it's unlikely they'll return to Dublin without three points.

11/2 Waterford
12/5 Draw
1/2 Shelbourne