St Patrick's Athl. are seeking a fresh start with Interim Manager Mark Connolly taking charge for the first time. The team faces Sligo Rovers at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, looking to revive the positivity around the Brandywell. Connolly has stepped into the hotseat following the departure of Tiernan Lynch earlier in the week.
What happened?
The Candystripes fell to a shock 4-2 home reverse to Waterford last time out, despite decent performances against seeded teams in CSKA Sofia and HNK Rjieka.
Why it matters for St Patrick's Athl.
The new boss will be hoping his side can replicate the performance in the second half in Inchicore when they took a point on the road against St Patrick's Athletic and may feel that they should have stolen the game in the closing stages.
What comes next?
Injury wise, the new boss does not have his sorrows to seek. Darragh Markey is a long-term absentee, whilst Carl Winchester and Kevin Dos Santos are a number of weeks away from being available for selection. James McClean has been managing a chronic hip injury since his return which has limited his game time. Brandon Fleming suffered a broken jaw in the 1-1 draw to St Pats and is unlikely to feature for at least a couple of weeks. Christy Grogan continues his recovery from the ankle injury which he suffered in the win over Tolka Rovers. Gavin Whyte continues his return but it is unclear when he will be available for first-team selection.
However, with City active in the summer transfer window, there are still plenty of resources at disposal for Connolly. Whilst Rob Slevin may have departed for Coleraine on loan, Patrick McClean may move to left back to cover Fleming's absence. Conor Barr, Cameron Dummigan, Jamie Stott, and Christy Grogan are options in the centre of defence. Brooklyn Lyons Foster, one of those summer signings, is likely to continue at right back, with Barr or Cotter also options there. Nick Twisk is likely to continue in midfield, whilst Dummigan, O'Reilly, Oliyanka, Chapman, and Clarke may join him in the engine room, depending on the formation that the new boss opts for. On the wings, captain Michael Duffy has been one of the bright lights in a disappointing season with Burns or Cotter likely to occupy the other side.
City have looked a more complete side since the return of Liam Boyce from injury, but needed further reinforcements in this area following recent departures. Tyler Smith arrived last week and saw game time off the bench but is likely to need more game time before he is in contention to start. Jamie Clarke has also been deployed in a withdrawn striker role and his goal secured a share of the spoils last week; he may be deployed off Boyce.
St Patrick's Athl. are currently 2nd in the Premier Division, with 44 points from 26 games, 12 wins, 8 draws, and 6 losses. They are 7 points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers. Their recent form is 1 win, 3 draws, and 0 losses in their last 4 games, and they are unbeaten in the last 4. Their next fixture is against Shelbourne, who are 5th in the table, away on August 9th.
