SOCCER:AS HE made his way home from London yesterday, Shamrock Rovers manager Michael O'Neill described the demands being placed on his players, who face the prospect of four matches in the next 12 days, as "unrealistic". Still the Northerner accepts that he and his team simply have to soldier on if they are to successfully defend their league title.

Stephen Rice, who scored the goal that gave the Dubliners the lead for 10 minutes at White Hart Lane on Thursday evening, believes the prize is big enough to keep everyone going through the last month of the campaign and the team, he believes, will be properly focused when Drogheda United arrive in Tallaght for tomorrow afternoon’s Premier Division game.

“We are professional footballers and we are six games away from winning the league, what more motivation do you need? The league is the priority. This (the Europa League) is great but I’d take the league over it any day.”

Despite his heroics in London, Rice could yet find himself rested tomorrow as O’Neill tries to juggle his resources. The manager suggests that the six players who started the game against Spurs on the bench all stand a reasonable chance of being involved from the start this time while one or two of those who didn’t travel to England could feature.

Ken Oman is back training but highly unlikely to be fit enough to start while Jim Paterson is a doubt for the game having picked up a knock during the first half of the Spurs game.

United have Mark O’Brien suspended but Gavin Brennan and Alan McNally are available again after missing the games against Sligo Rovers due to one match bans.