Setanta Cup final/Shelbourne v Linfield Tolka Park: The loss to suspension of skipper Owen Heary will be a substantial loss, but Colin Hawkins and Stuart Byrne could both fill in at right back while Fenlon also has the option of giving a competitive debut there to former youth international Stephen Brennan.
A quarter of a century after they beat Athlone Town to win the last all-Ireland soccer tournament, Linfield travel to Tolka Park tonight looking to pick up precisely where they left off. If you believe the pre-match banter from the northerners they have next to no chance of upsetting the Dubliners, but the manner in which they overran Glentoran to reach this first final of the Setanta Cup badly undermines the Irish League side's claim to rank outsider status.
David Jeffrey's side will hardly be short of motivation either. During Roy Coyle's time in charge of the Belfast club it once one seven trophies in the one season. This year there is just one to date - the County Antrim Shield - and a victory this evening would put a much needed gloss on what has been, by Windsor Park standards, a grimly disappointing year.
The Linfield boss, who describes the game as the "biggest challenge" of his eight and a half years in charge, arrives with a full squad to choose from, but seems likely to content himself with much the same side that outplayed the new northern champions on Tuesday.
"The spine of our team - Alan Mannus, Noel Bailie, William Murphy and Glenn Ferguson - will be crucial," he says, before going on to mention just about everybody who played a part in the midweek win as having an important role to play tonight.
Tim Mouncey's performance at the Oval will almost certainly have caught the eye of Pat Fenlon as he plans for the game with the Linfield midfielder scoring an outstanding goal and exerting a crucial influence throughout in the derby game. If he and his team-mates play as well this evening, then they will certainly be in with a shout.
Shelbourne will, however, start as favourites for as Jeffrey has been at pains to point out all week, the strength of their squad, combined with the fact that almost all of them are full-time, should give them a slight edge.
"Both teams are one game away from being able to call themselves the best team on the island. The only thing is that to win this competition, you only have to play five games, so it's more of a cup competition than a league," said Shelbourne's midfielder Stuart Byrne. "In our particular league I think we have proven we are the best. I suppose the natural progression is for us to show we are the best team on the island."
Elsewhere, the manager has to decide whether to accommodate the likes of Joseph Ndo, Gary O'Neill and Glen Crowe in the side or stick with the players that draw at United Park last Friday night.
Shelbourne v Linfield Tolka Park, 7.30 On TV: Setanta Sports
