Two teams looking to avoid being dragged towards the relegation zone meet on Friday when St Patrick's Athletic host Bohemians at Richmond Park in the League of Ireland Premier.
The home side sit eight points above the drop zone but have played at least twice more than those below them, while the visitors hold a five-point lead over the bottom two with games in hand on those around them.
Match preview
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After recording second, fourth and third-placed finishes in the last three seasons, St Patrick's have failed to meet expectations in 2024 having amassed just 27 points from 23 matches, leaving them in sixth heading into this one.
While they currently trail third by just four points, the Saints have played at least twice more than those around them, meaning they could drop down to within two points of the relegation zone once the games in hand have been settled.
Former manager Jon Daly was sacked in early May after the disappointing start to the campaign, but the appointment of Stephen Kenny failed to provide the instant 'new manager bounce' that St Patrick's would have desired.
Kenny's men failed to win in any of the opening three matches before eventually securing his first victory against Bray Wanderers in the Leinster Senior Cup, and that result has been a platform for the Saints to build upon in recent games.
Two wins and a draw in the following four league outings see St Patrick's enter into this fixture against Bohemians with just one defeat in their last six across all competitions, including a 2-2 draw with Friday's opponents in that time.
The Saints will be looking to follow up on an impressive win against third-placed Shamrock Rovers last time out, courtesy of a 96th-minute winner from Brandon Kavanagh, with another positive performance as they look to start a late surge up the table.
Due to matches against Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers being postponed, Bohemians have had plenty of time to dwell over back-to-back defeats from their only games in the last month.
A positive start to the campaign initially saw Bohemians in third place after 11 matches, but just one win and five losses in their last eight fixtures has seen Alan Reynolds's side slip down into eighth place.
They have just a five-point lead over the relegation zone but do hold the advantage of two games in hand on a majority of those around them, meaning they could climb as high as fifth with two victories.
Despite their bad run of form heading into this meeting with St Patrick's, they will take solace from the fact they have lost just one of the last four trips to Richmond Park, winning two and drawing one in that time.
Their away form has also been their biggest strength this year with 12 of their 24 points coming when on the road, placing them sixth in the away table, while their home results have them in bottom place in the home table.
Team News
St Patrick's are expected to be without both Anthony Breslin and Ryan McLaughlin in the defensive areas, but Conor Keeley could return to the side after being forced off with injury at half time in their game against Drogheda United at the beginning of the month.
Attacking duo Ruairi Keating and Kavanagh both scored off the bench in their 2-1 win against Shamrock Rovers last time out and are expected to play from the beginning in this one.
Mason Melia has impressed in his second season of senior football at the age of just 16, and the forward is expected to keep his place in the starting 11.
As for Bohemians, they are carrying no fewer than four injuries into this game with both Brian McManus and James McManus recovering from ankle and foot injuries that are set to keep them out for a number of weeks.
Keith Buckley has been unavailable since October 2023 after sustaining a medial collateral ligament injury, and Robert Cornwall joins him on the treatment table after suffering a cruciate ligament injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season.
St Patrick's Athletic possible starting lineup:
Rogers; Sjoberg, Redmond, Keeley, Turner; Forrester, Lennon; Melia, Leavy, Kavanagh; Keating
Bohemians possible starting lineup:
Chorazka; Miller, Mills, Carroll, Kirk; Flores, McDonnell; Grant, Clarke, Rooney; Akintunde
We say: St Patrick's Athletic 2-1 Bohemians
While St Patrick's have been far from impressive this year, a recent upturn in form has seen them lose just one of their last six across all competitions. In comparison, Bohemians have won just one of their last eight and with back-to-back 2-1 losses in their most recent outings, we expect this one to also end 2-1 to the hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
