City clubs bidding to bounce back from last weekend’s league losses

SALTHILL DEVON and Mervue United and will look to finish the third series of First Division Airtricity games on a high when they face Wexford Youths and Finn Harps respectively this evening (Friday).

Mervue United had a disappointing trip to Cobh Ramblers last weekend when they were defeated 3-2 after Martin Deady scored a dramatic injury-time winner for the home side.

When Mervue and Wexford met in the opening series of games, Mervue comprehensively won the home fixture on a 4-1 scoreline. However, in the return fixture in June, Youths reversed that result with a 2-0 win at Ferrycarrig Park.

On this occasion, Mervue will be without offensive duo Ryan Manning and Jason Molloy, both of whom are suspended, and that may necessitate a rethink on the way Johnny Glynn and his side approach this game.

“We are missing Jason and Ryan and, obviously, they are two big losses. They are our two leading goalscorers. But, you know, we have lads there sitting on the bench who have been waiting for a chance to get in so some of those will get that opportunity this weekend.”

One of those who should come back into the reckoning is Gary Curran, who missed the Cobh game with a calf injury, but Gary Kelly (groin) is still doubtful while Michael McSweeney, on the bench against Cobh after returning from injury, has emigrated.

McSweeney, who has taken up a teaching post on the Continent, is the second player to have emigrated from the squad after Mike Elwood left for New York earlier this season.

Salthill Devon, meanhile, will travel to Ballybofey to face Finn Harps this evening (8pm). Like Mervue, they too enter this weekend’s fixture on the back of a defeat after they lost 4-1 at home to Waterford United last Friday. Going into this one, Salthill will be encouraged by having won their last league meeting, 2-1, against Harps at home, having lost the first meeting of the season to the same opposition 1-0.

Both sides have players missing through suspension, with Salthill Devon forced to field without Michael Harty and Finn Harps shorn of the services of Michael Doherty.