Conceding a 98th minute equaliser is painful in any game but when you’ve been 2-0 up and are just moments away from a first win of the season, Athlone Town’s two late goals must have been a real punch in the gut for the Treaty United players.

Treaty United have always been regarded as one of the most difficult teams to play against in the First Division which makes the goals they are conceding presently a big concern. Tommy Barrett’s side are yet to keep a clean sheet this season and now come up against a Waterford team who put 17 goals past them in 6 H2H matches last season.

Waterford come into this game licking their wounds as well after the Blues threw away an early 2-0 lead at home to Bray. The sending-off of on loan Fleetwood midfielder Chris Conn-Clarke was a huge turning point in the game but with title rivals Galway already seven points clear at the top, pressure is coming on these Waterford players to start performing.

With the attacking options Waterford have and the defensive errors Treaty have made in recent weeks, this looks a good opportunity for the Blues to start a winning sequence.

Having lost 9-1 to Galway the week previous, credit must go to Kerry FC boss Billy Dennehy for being able to steady the ship and get an encouraging performance out of his inexperienced team as Kerry FC pushed Wexford FC in what was ultimately a 2-1 defeat on the road.

Returning to home soil now where they’ll be backed by a big home crowd at a venue where they successfully recorded their first ever League of Ireland point against Treaty United at the start of the month, this could be a good opportunity for Kerry FC against an Athlone Town side who are on a three match winless streak.

A late comeback at home to Treaty last week should have picked spirits up in the Athlone camp but given they are yet to keep a clean sheet this season the likes of Leo Gaxha will fancy his chances up against the Midlanders.

Kerry are also yet to keep a clean sheet and have had some gaping defensive holes exposed at this level so there’s a good chance we’ll see plenty of goals in this one.

Queen’s Park can take a sizeable step towards promotion to the Premiership on Friday if they can negotiate a potentially tricky home match against Arbroath. With the odds of 1.83 on the home side, they should be backed to claim the three points.

QP have a very solid home record this season, despite playing at Ochilview. Nevertheless, they have successfully made it home, with only two defeats coming in Stenhousemuir this season. Indeed, they have picked up wins over Cove Rangers and Inverness in their last couple of matches at the venue, with their last defeat coming way back in October, when they experienced their worst wobble of the season. Incidentally, this was also when they drew 1-1 with Arbroath.

Certainly, the visitors will not make life easy. They have drawn their last four matches, although it is worth stressing that two of these draws came away against Cove Rangers and Hamilton, who stand eighth and 10th in the table respectively. Indeed, Dick Campbell’s men have not lost on the road since October. They have not, however, played a side in such good form as Queen’s Park, with the possible exception of Dundee, which was a game they won 4-2 largely thanks to a first-half red card.

Indeed, the head-to-head record suggests that this is a game that QP should get the better of. They have won two of three meetings between the clubs this season, including a 4-1 win over the Red Lichties the last time they met, which was a couple of days before Christmas.

Falkirk and Kelty is a game that should produce goals on Friday night, with the home side in desperate need of a win to maintain their slim hopes of securing the League One title. These were pushed into jeopardy last weekend as they were surprisingly beaten 1-0 away to Queen of the South, but when it is considered they had qualified for the Scottish Cup semi-finals only five days earlier, perhaps the hangover was understandable.

On Saturday, home boss John McGlynn will expect a reaction from his team against Kelty. Falkirk have typically produced lots of goals at home this season, with their 14 matches yielding an average of over three per game. Only one of their last six home fixtures in all competitions has failed to produce at least three goals.

Against Kelty, meanwhile, the Bairns should be capable of finding the net. The Fife club come into this match likely missing two of their most experienced defenders in Jason Thomson and Jordon Forster, and without these players they have conceded 10 goals in their last three matches, including an embarrassing six away to Airdrie on March 11.

The last two matches between these clubs have produced at least three goals, with Kelty’s shock 3-2 win in October one of just two home defeats Falkirk have suffered this season. Falkirk and over 2.5 goals at 2.1 looks a nice bet, but that previous result does mean it should be treated with some caution. Goals, though, look certain.

Finn Harps claimed heir first win of the season away to a dreadful Longford Town side last Saturday but in truth, Harps weren’t much if any better and only for a late penalty scored by Ryan Rainey the game had 0-0 written all over it.

The Donegal men have scored one goal from play all season and it’s easy to see why, they lack in any real direction or style and could be in for a long season.

Cobh Ramblers have made a really solid start, especially compared to past seasons, but their limitations were probably exposed against one of the divisions top sides in the form of Galway United last time out.

The Ramblers have drawn blanks in two of their last three matches with Shane Keegan’s side heavily reliant on the individual brilliance of attacking midfielder Jack Doherty. When you stop Doherty playing you appear to stop Cobh playing and that’s sure to be the message hammered out on the Harps training ground this week.

You must also factor in that Cobh Ramblers round journey of 864km is the most gruelling in the League of Ireland and you couldn’t blame a part-time team for being slightly sluggish off the back of an almost 6 hour one way bus trip.

Guaraní’s winning run was ended by Sportivo Trinidense in a hard fought draw, but they return to their home stadium Dos Bocas where they have taken maximum points in their last three league matches. Guaireña continue to falter and have scored just once in their last five games picking up two points on that run.

Hernán Rodrigo López continues to wait on a return from injury of leading scorer Facundo Barceló who could make the bench but certainly won’t start this game. In his stead Federico Santander has supported Néstor Camacho well, the latter grabbing the equalizer last week. Rodrigo Muñoz was an important figure in goal, making eight saves against Trinidense, and the whole backline have improved greatly especially in the 2nd half of games only conceding once in the second half in the last six matches.

Roberto Torres can’t find a winning formula, the club have won just once this year against lowly Tacuary, and his side are plagued with injuries. The latest news is that striker Nildo Viera will undergo surgery, things are so desperate up front that 40 year old Carlos Duarte made his first start since September in the last match. They will also be missing goalkeeper Aldo Pérez who earned a call up to the Paraguay national team.

Guaraní have won three of the last five home games against Guaireña, scoring seven in the most recent three at Dos Bocas. Their home record this season is similar, they average 2 goals per game in the three home matches to date. Guaireña have conceded four in three away games and without their starting GK there are big question marks over replacement Leandro Finochietto who has just one top division game under his belt.