SOCCER: AIRTRICITY LEAGUE:DERRY CITY go into this evening's televised game against Shamrock Rovers looking to close the gap on the league leaders to just one point but the build-up to the game has been overshadowed by the ongoing Eamon Zayed affair and the impending departure of City winger James McClean for England.
A decision on the FAI’s investigation into allegations a Shamrock Rovers player made a racist comment to Zayed has been made but is being kept under wraps until this evening’s game is out of the way. Meanwhile, City officials are angered by the decision of Rovers fans not to travel to the Brandywell in their usual numbers.
Representatives of the Dublin supporters claim the decision was because of their inability to guarantee the safety of those who travelled or the buses they were supposed to go in, a claim vehemently denied by the northerners.
McClean, meanwhile, will be watched this evening by Reading boss Brian McDermott and the club’s head coach Nick Hammond and with Everton, Blackpool and Watford all having visited Drogheda to watch him last week even manager Stephen Kenny admits there is a sense of inevitability about the 22 year-old leaving. City are understood to want €278,000 plus add ons, more than twice what has been offered.
City will be hoping McClean has another big performance this evening, given Kenny has been hit by the loss of four senior players, with Eddie McCallion and Gareth McGlynn suspended and Barry Molloy and Kevin Deery injured. Emmet Friars and Stephen McLaughlin are expected to start, with James Henry and Thomas McMonagle in the reckoning.
Rovers will be without Conor McCormack (suspended) and Karl Sheppard (ankle).
Bohemians will be aiming to record a fourth successive league win for the first time since the tail end of their last successful title campaign in 2009 when they take on Galway United at Dalymount and while the latter have lost their last 15 games on the trot, Seán Connor’s knack for putting one over on his former club means it’s not exactly a foregone conclusion.
Johnny Keane, Seán Kelly and Enda Curran miss out again for United, while Shaun Maher was on the verge last night of joining Limerick. Robert Bayly, Glenn Cronin and Lee Dixon are suspended for the hosts but Owen Heary and Mark Rossiter should return.
Robbie Creevy’s return means UCD boss Martin Russell finally has a full squad to choose from for the visit of Bray Wanderers, who are without Dane Massey and Danny O’Connor (suspended), in addition to Joe Kendrick who left for Stockport County this week.
