Aaron Doherty
Another rollercoaster weekend in the League of Ireland that had 30 goals in 9 games, a waterlogged pitch, 2 derby’s and late drama in 3 different games. Monday afternoon we also seen our first managerial casualty as Martin Russell was surprisingly sacked by Limerick. With just 6 games played, Limerick have 3 defeats, sit in 7th but have a game in hand so the decision to sack Russell was a baffling one after last season’s success.
Back to the pitch and Dalymount Park were Conan Byrne scored his 100th goal in superb style with a strike from inside his own half that helped St Pats to comprehensive away win. Shamrock Rovers needed a late goal to see off Finn Harps at home while Bray end Derry City 100% record with a 3-2 win. Cabinteely where 4 minutes from going top of the first division but Athlone fought back and scored 2 in the remaining minutes to steal a point.
Dundalk got back to winning ways with an easy win over rivals Drogheda while Cork show no signs of slowing as they put Limerick to the sword at Markets Field. Galway vs Sligo had to be postponed after heavy rain flooded the pitch and will be replayed tonight.
Here is what we learned.
The Saints building confidence.
Things looked bad for Liam Buckley’s Saints after 5 games as they picked up just 1 point that left them rock bottom. The quality of past seasons that led them to the league title and the FAI Cup success has long gone and the budget slashed. The manager has had to rebuild again but without the quality that was on offer in previous years so the task at hand has become that bit harder.
St Pats needed to pick up their first win soon and they got that with a 2-1 win over rivals Shamrock Rovers last week. A win that they built on, and again in another Dublin Derby when they dispatched Bohemians 4-0. The win over Rovers has giving the Saints the confidence they needed to kick start their season. Talisman Christy Fagan got his 1st goal of the season and the fans will hope he can kick on now. The Inchicore side face Limerick this week before heading to Galway and Buckley will hope his side can pick up maximum points from both games.
Drogheda in free fall.
The jump back into the premier division started so well for Pete Mahon’s side having won their opening 2 games but since beating St Pats they have lost 5 straight and now sit 10th. In this run they have conceded 14 goals and only scored 3 times. They are having major problems defensively, which champions Dundalk exposed at ease this weekend.
Dundalk got in so easy down the left hand side that left Colm Deasy powerless to stop it. Pete Mahon will no doubt be working on his defensive problems this week and with games coming up against Shamrock Rovers, Limerick and Finn Harps, he will need to get it right.
First Division Round up.
The second tier is becoming interesting this season with just 1 point separating 4 sides after 6 games. Cabinteely were minutes away from been top of the pile for the first time but defensive frailties let them down, however they did extend their unbeaten run to 4 games. This seasons favourites Waterford failed to break down a solid Longford Town on Saturday but still sit top. They are joined by Cobh Ramblers who beat UCD at home to move into second on 11 points.
Owen Heary has got his second win of the season after dispatching winless Wexford at home. A win over Cabinteely this weekend will see Shels leapfrog them into 4th place. Wexford remain winless after 6 games and don’t look like getting one anytime soon. They host joint strugglers Longford this weekend and both sides will certainly go for it to get the vital 3 points.
Statistics.
After this weekend’s games 6 clubs remain without a draw while Wexford and Galway remain the only 2 clubs without a win. Cork City have the best attack in the league with 18 goals while Waterford have the best defense in the country having conceded just 3 times. There have been 124 goals in the premier division and 64 in the first. Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne have the worst discipline in the country and have 38 yellow cards between them. Cork (7) and Waterford (5) have the longest unbeaten run at the moment. Wexford, Bray Wanderers and Shamrock Rovers are the only sides yet to keep a clean sheet this season.