AIRTRICITY LEAGUE:SHAMROCK ROVERS manager Michael O'Neill may well have new signing Karl Moore available for this evening's televised Dublin derby at Dalymount but given how long it is since he played competitively it is highly unlikely he will feature against Bohemians.
Moreover, the Northerner has a string of problems to contend with as he attempts to pick his side up from Tuesday’s Champions League defeat and refocus them, for a while at least, on the defence of their league title.
Moore, who left Galway United by mutual consent at the start of the transfer window, has completed his move to the Dublin club after returning to Ireland from a brief holiday. The 22-year-old winger, who previously played for UCD after spells in England with Manchester City and Millwall, will further add to O’Neill’s attacking options out wide.
The visitors will have to make changes given Chris Turner and Pat Sullivan are suspended. Gary McCabe is also a doubt, having picked up a knock in the game against Copenhagen, while Ken Oman, Karl Sheppard and Stephen O’Donnell are all ruled out by injuries.
The game is a tough one for Rovers after the busy schedule they’ve had in Europe but O’Neill insists it is “exactly what we need”, in the wake of Tuesday’s defeat.
Bohemians will look to pick up where they left off in the league prior to the break when they had a run of four wins but they too have problems going into the game.
Anto Flood and Stephen Traynor are out injured, while Mark Rossiter is a doubt. Robert Bayly seems likely to feature despite having spent the week on trial in Scotland with Inverness, and Aidan Downes looks set to make his first start since signing for the club.
Like Rovers, Derry City are also in contention to go top this evening and given Galway United’s form of late as well as their goal difference, their prospects of pulling it off look bright enough. Stephen Kenny, whose players provided the backbone of the Airtricity League side in the Dublin Super Cup last week, is without Daniel Lafferty due to suspension, while Gareth McGlynn is out with an injury sustained in the invitation tournament but Kevin Deery is available again.
United still have Johnny Keane and Seán Kelly out, while Korean defender Yob Son joins them on the treatment table. New-signing Laurence Gaughan could feature.
Bray Wanderers, meanwhile, have four players suspended for the visit of Drogheda United this evening. Derek Prendergast, Dave Webster, Chris Shields and Shane O’Neill are all out for one game but there is some good news for Pat Devlin with Gary Shaw and Stephen Brennan both reckoned to be fully recovered after long-term injuries and Conor Murphy back from international duty in Bucharest.
United have Jack Flynn and Colm O’Brien injured and Brian Gannon suspended.
