The decision was the correct one though and it seemed to ignite something in the Cork players who had been poor up until that point. They looked a much better side in the second half, scoring twice, but only Alan Byrne’s goal would stand. Should Cork build on their second-half display last week they could be in with a shout here, however, if they play to the level of their opening three defeats, they won’t get close. Prediction: St Patrick’s Athletic 1-0 Cork City Finn Harps vs. Dundalk If you ask the managers around the League of Ireland which ground they dread going to the most, you’re likely going to get Finn Park as a response. The Ballybofey ground is a notoriously tough place to pick up results and they’ve got the statistics to back that up.
Goalkeeper Brian Murphy - who is in great form of late - will be key in this fixture, something Derry City manager Declan Devine alluded to as he looked ahead to the game. If Waterford allow Derry to control the ball, they’ve shown early on they can hurt sides. The home side will want to make a dogs of this game.
League of Ireland Predictions | Dublin Derby Day | Can Finn Harps continue fine home form? | OffTheBallSo, last week was a bit of a swing and miss with the predictions. I didn’t get any of the results correct but I did predict that a game would be called off due to the weather. So, that’s something, right? We enter League of Ireland game week five with optimism. The weather has been much better this week and we’re not due another storm this weekend so all going well we should have a full fixture list. Here’s how I see this week’s games going. Waterford vs.
Since the mid-season break, only one side have managed to even score against Ollie Horgan’s men. In eight games, they’ve won five, drawn two and lost to St Pat’s. Those kinds of numbers will surely give Horgan confidence going into a game against league title holders Dundalk. Last year, Dundalk did manage to score three goals in this fixture, however, Harps were at their lowest ebb. Vinny Perth will likely throw everything at this game having lost to Shamrock Rovers last week. Dundalk played some good football in Tallaght but overall came undone with thanks to the brilliance of Jack Byrne.
Photo by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile St Patrick’s Athletic vs. Cork City It hasn’t been the start Stephen O’Donnell would have wanted for his first full year in charge as manager. An opening day defeat at home to Waterford was followed by a win away to Sligo Rovers but the Saints were poor in their defeat to Dublin rivals Shelbourne. Cork City finally got their first win last week after losing their opening three fixtures. Neal Fenn’s side were 1-0 victors at home to Finn Harps. The score may flatter to deceive slightly though, Harps boss Ollie Horgan was livid with the linesman’s decision to overturn their goal just before halftime.
Overall, Derry City have a better squad and at this early stage, the better form. I’d expect them to come out on top. Prediction: Waterford 1-2 Derry City 28 February 2020; Walter Figueira of Derry City celebrates after the the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Derry City and Bohemians at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry.
LOITV coming soon