Over 9,500 expected in Tallaght Stadium

SHAMROCK Rovers entertain Bohemians in the league this Friday before what will be a very large attendance, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

Nine and a half thousand tickets have been sold for this eagerly awaited clash making it the highest attendance for a league game this season by almost 2,000.

This figure may rise further, as Shamrock Rovers posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday that 10% of tickets remained available for sale.

Given the intense rivalry between the two Dublin clubs it is also envisaged that there will be a significant security and Garda presence at the game.

However, preparations for Bohs are less than ideal having only recently appointed Alan Reynolds as manager.

Reynolds took his first training session and held his first press conference as manager on Wednesday afternoon, and will take charge of the team for the first time at Friday’s game away to Shamrock Rovers.

The form of both clubs has been indifferent this season. Bohemians are in sixth place in the league on seven points with their arch-rivals only one place behind on six points.

Only St. Patrick’s Athletic and Drogheda United are below these teams in the league and occupy the relegation spots.

Rovers did manage to find some form of late with some notable results including a hard-fought away win to Galway United which was preceded by two draws.

However, Bohemians’ form recently has proven unreliable with their last three games in the league being a win preceded by two losses.

Meanwhile at the top of the table Shelbourne are on 16 points, with Derry in second spot on 11, followed by Sligo in third on 9, Waterford in fourth on eight and Galway in fifth place on 7 who are ahead of Bohs on goal difference by just one goal.

In last year’s league Rovers had a convincing 3-0 win at home against Bohemians in September while the home fixture for Bohs against Rovers in the 2023 league yielded a 2-2 draw.

The last time Bohs have beaten Rovers was in the league in September 2022 which finished on a 1-0 scoreline to the Northside team.