Hands up. I owe Sligo Rovers midfielder Eoin Doyle an apology. As I casually voiced over the midweek Sligo-Bray match in studio at the start of this weeks programme, I credited Doyler’s goal to Raf Cretaro.
The Tubercurry Tornado has been scoring enough goals of his own without me having to give him Eoin's goal as well. The only excuse I have is that it was a crowded goalmouth and the lights at the Showgrounds are not the brightest in the league, but having said all of that, I still have no excuse.
I've given myself one hundred lines, detention, and no chocolate biscuits with my tea for the next week by way of compensation to Eoin (who's proved incidentally, to have been a shrewd acquisition from Shamrock Rovers by Paul Cook).
Speaking of letting the side down this week, our director, ‘Little Kev’, shamed the whole of the RTÉ Sport department by being the first player knocked out of the Boylesports media Texas Hold'em tournament in Dublin last weekend. This was in conjunction with the International Poker Open which was being held in Dublin and drew huge numbers from all over Europe and beyond.
Kevin was knocked out of the tournament by Tyrone footballer Sean Cavanagh, who might be a four-time All Star, but wasn't a star in our Kev's books. In fact, if Spillane, Brolly and Co slaughter Sean next summer on the Sunday Game Live, you can rest assured that Kevin has prompted them to get stuck in. In fact he told Sean after the game the other night to expect the worst!
It was nice to have Ray Houghton in studio this week, and he's already indicated that he'd like to go to some League of Ireland games next season. Kenny Cunningham is another who's been to a few games this term. He's currently doing a FIFA coaching course with a number of team managers here, and is interested in how their teams are faring, and who the up and coming players in the league are.
Ray seemed cautiously optimistic about Ireland’s chances in the play-offs, without being overly confident. When we spoke to the French journalist from France Football magazine, it was heartening to hear him talk about a certain degree of uncertainty in the French camp about manager Raymond Domenech, and the fact that Ireland were definitely the team the French wanted to avoid, as Gerard Houllier had said to Tony O'Donoghue in Zurich earlier in the day.
Those two matches will be huge revenue earners for the FAI, with demand for tickets, and the television rights likely to boost the coffers of the association, which hopefully in the long term will have a ripple effect on the domestic game.
There's no doubt that if Ireland do somehow qualify for the finals next summer, the upswing in interest in football in Ireland would have to have some benefit for the League of Ireland.
I think the bookies have it about right, pricing Ireland at 2-1 to make the finals, France 1-3 favourites, but we've all seen odds on favourites turned over in the past, and it would be nice to think that this could be another occasion.
As I write this on Monday night after the programme, Shamrock Rovers are two points clear of Bohemians at the top of the table with four games to go. With a full series of matches on Tuesday night, there's a possibility that things will have changed by the time you read this.
The question still remains at this moment about whether Cork City will travel to Dublin to fulfil the fixture against Shamrock Rovers because of unpaid wages. I wrote about this last week, and it remains a stain on the game here, if this situation is allowed to fester.
The next few days could have a big say in the outcome of the title race with the Hoops and Bohs both playing two matches in the next four days (Tuesday and Friday). My hope remains that the race goes right down to the last day of the season on 6 November.
With live coverage of the games on all RTÉ platforms, it promises to be an unmissable night (unless you're at a game, but even then you could record our coverage). It's important to note that many supporters will be watching the coverage on RTÉ.ie from all over the world and celebrating or drowning their sorrows from Anchorage to Uzbekistan and beyond.
Last year when we were still broadcasting Friday Sportsnight on the radio, we asked listeners to the show to email us from wherever they were listening in the world on the web, and we were astonished to get countless emails from literally the four corners of the globe. Those supporters are sure to be watching the title run-in every Friday on RTÉ.ie.
This weekend, it's not just about vital league points, but we also have the FAI Ford Cup semi-finals on Friday and Sunday. Sligo Rovers versus Waterford United on Friday night should be very interesting, with Premier versus First Division. On recent form, the vote would have to go to the Bit O'Red, and I'm not just saying that to make it up for misidentifying Eoin Doyle!
Sunday afternoon’s game is equally intriguing, with Liam Buckley's Sporting Fingal at home to Bray Wanderers. I suppose it's a nice distraction for Bray not to worry about the relegation dogfight, and hopefully they'll play with a sense of freedom in those circumstances, but as Shamrock Rovers will testify, Sporting are not to be underestimated and this one is very hard to call. Replay perhaps?
Unfortunately, with respect to Sporting, the surroundings at Morton Stadium are not very conducive to a big atmosphere, but hopefully the fans who are there from both sides will make it a colourful and noisy occasion. It's certainly a great chance for Fingal to get to within one match of winning silverware for the first time in the club’s short history.
It's the business end of the season for all clubs now, and hopefully the local supporters will come out in big numbers to get behind their teams as they push for titles, fight off relegation, or even go for a win in the Cup that may not have been anticipated earlier in the campaign.
You hear managers regularly in interviews talking about the part that the supporters played in a good result. Fans really can be the 12th man (or the ninth man in Dundalk's case), and now is the time to stand up and be counted. Enjoy the games, and shout yourself hoarse.
See you for the live game on Sunday afternoon, and MNS on Bank Holiday Monday.
