Shelbourne v Dundalk (Premier Division)
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Friday 24th June – 7:45PM KO
Irish football returns once again where Dundalk very much announced themselves as potential title challengers on Friday night when they turned over defending Champions Shamrock Rovers in a 1-0 win at Oriel Park. That result saw the Lilywhites close the gap on Rovers to just five points with Dundalk holding a game in hand.
Dundalk’s home form has been sensational since spectators were allowed back into the grounds at the end of last year with Stephen O’Donnell’s side winning 8 of their 10 home matches so far this term. Nobody has lost fewer games (2) than Dundalk this season and they’ll need to call on that solidity when they travel to Tolka Park on Friday night.
While Shelbourne will come into this encounter off the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Dublin rivals Bohemians last time, they managed to hold Dundalk to a 1-1 draw here earlier in the season while it took a stunning header late on from John Martin to separate the sides when they met at Oriel Park.
In the six matches since, Shels have only conceded more than one goal in a game against Shamrock Rovers with Damien Duff’s men winning four of those six games.
Dundalk are unbeaten in their last 8 matches, winning 7 but they’ve won their last 3 games in a row 1-0, and given how Damien Duff likes to set his sides up, this could be another tight encounter between the sides.
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Prediction: Dundalk Draw no Bet, 1.57 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Waterford FC v Bray Wanderers (Division 1)
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Friday 24th June – 7:45PM KO
Despite going unbeaten during their time as caretaker bosses, Gary Hunt and David Breen have been overlooked for the manager’s position at Waterford with former Aldershot chief Danny Searle being appointed manager. How that will go down within the Blues dressing room remains to be seen given Waterford were on a bye week last weekend but one thing’s for certain, Searle couldn’t have asked for a more ideal first opponent than Bray Wanderers.
The Seagulls are in disarray on and off the pitch with last weekend’s 5-1 defeat at home to Galway the latest in a series of low points for the County Wicklow club this season.
Waterford went into the mid-season break on a 6-match-winning streak and are scoring goals for fun. As a result, Waterford now finds themselves just nine points off the top and with a game in hand so a good start after the break is vital if they wish to maintain any hopes of getting involved in the title shakeup.
The Blues thumped Bray 4-1 when they last met while they ground out a 1-0 win here at the RSC in the side’s first meeting of the campaign. Nobody has scored fewer goals than Wanderers this season (16 in 18 matches) and with this Waterford side scoring more than double that amount this season, this could turn ugly once again for a rudderless Bray Wanderers.
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Prediction: Waterford -1, 2.10 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Cork City v Cobh Ramblers (Division 1)
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Friday 24th June – 7:45PM KO
A 13th defeat of the season proved to be the final straw for the Cobh Ramblers hierarchy who parted ways with manager Darren Murphy following the 3-0 home loss against Wexford. That result came off the back of a humiliating 5-2 defeat against bottom side Athlone Town the week previous, a result that saw Athlone pick up their very first win of the season.
In contrast, Cork City have lost just once this season but Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to an impressive Longford Town side saw the Rebels miss the chance to return to the top of the table after Galway’s 5-1 win against Bray the night previous.
Cork were probably fortunate to come away from Longford with a point but even if they deliver the same sort of performance here it will be far too much for Cobh Ramblers to cope with. While Cobh gave their local rivals a scare in the 3-2 defeat at St.Colmans Park earlier in the season, Cork ran out 2-0 winners at Turners Cross earlier in the year and it would be a major surprise if a similar result doesn’t occur here.
Ramblers performances have tanked since that brave display against Cork in April with the Rams winless in the 7 matches since and concerning two or more goals in their last 6 consecutive matches.
Cork City are the second-highest scorers in the division and have an incredible defensive record having shipped just 9 goals all season (league-best). In truth, this should be an easy night at the office for Cork even if it is a local derby.
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Prediction: Cork City -1, 1.40 on Betfair (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
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