I’ve got that Friday feeling. Now that the Ryan Tubridy league (sponsored by Airtricity) is back the end of the week can’t come quick enough.
Football fans are creatures of habit and the ritual of season ticket, scarf and sarcasm is one that many supporters of the domestic game observe almost religiously.
Finish work (if you’re lucky enough) collect the kids, meet the lads, head for the ground and soak up the atmosphere as you await another ninety minutes of sheer heaven or hell.
This is the tradition that gets passed down from generation to generation but like Mass attendance in this country it’s a tradition that can so easily wane.
The Ryan Tubridy League (sponsored by Airtricity) needs loyal disciples but like the change to Saturday evening service the shifting of fixtures can cause consternation.
The Lucy Kennedy League (it’s easy to make the switch) is but a week old and yet incredibly there are only two games on in the Premier Division on Friday. What’s that all about?
Galway United host Bray at Terryland Park and Sporting Fingal will hope to re enact the FAI cup final performance and result as they play Sligo Rovers at Santry.
So what exactly are the footie fans of the Greater Dublin Metropolis, the followers of Bohemians, St. Pat’s, Shamrock Rovers, UCD, Bray, Shelbourne, Drogheda or even Dundalk supposed to do? You would love to think they would travel out to the Morton Stadium but with the lack of a LUAS or a DART you know that’s not going to happen.
Yes I know that Bohemians are playing Glentoran on Saturday in the Setanta Cup and while I wish the competition well I don’t believe it should be allowed deprive fans of their Friday night fix.
Which is more important to the powers that be; an exciting Premier Division competition that finally people were looking forward to, not least because of the addition of a new title sponsor, or a cross border competition for television that no one quite gets because of the unfortunate and irregular timing of the games across the seasons and the sad loss of Derry and Cork.
Speaking of which (and in a seamless segue that Ryan would be proud of) I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Derry last Friday for the clash of the two ex clubs who each had a turbulent end and a remarkable resurrection.
For a First Division fixture the three thousand plus fans created a Premier Division atmosphere and we had a long but happy day with the teams and the fans for a feature for the first MNS of the season.
The Derry Social club was electric with atmosphere but sadly we made our excuses and left as the road to Dublin beckoned. Friday turned to Saturday as the supporters of the two second cities shared a common love of their club and their roots.
My thanks to Stephen Kenny and Tommy Dunne, the respective managers of Derry and Cork, for their courtesy and professionalism as we shared some private moments with their teams. Barry Molloy and Greg O’Halloran too deserve praise for proving that a television camera is nothing for a player to be afraid of and for showing the easy eloquence that Irish people should never shy away from.
Because of the scheduling of the Premier Division, but to be fair in the main because of our good friend Coilin’s wedding (he got sense he’s marrying a Cork woman!) we’ll be in Cork for the historic first ever Cork City Foras Co-op game as the fans’ club host Waterford United.
Stephen Henderson, the wily Waterford manager, will be out to spoil the party for FORAS and it should be a fascinating encounter. I only hope that Coilins’ wedding is half as good as Hendo’s which, for the moment, remains top of the table.
By the way what sort of a man chooses to get married in Cork an hour before Ireland kick off against Wales in the Six Nations at Croke Park? I’ll let you decide.
Sunday means an early start and a leisurely trip to Louth for the Dundalk v Drogheda derby.
Another two proud clubs who each have had their difficulties in recent times. At the moment Ian Foster’s Dundalk look like they might be in slightly better shape than Alan Mathews’ Drogheda but time will tell.
The one advantage of the fixture chaos this weekend is the scheduling of matches early next week. Originally I thought it would be Monday but for whatever reason the two Premier Division matches, Shamrock Rovers v St. Patrick’s Athletic and UCD v Bohemians are now on Tuesday.
It seems a strange decision to put games on against the competing attraction of the UEFA Champions League (and by the way I think Jose Mourinho’s Inter will overcome Chelsea at Stamford Bridge!) but nonetheless I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the students of UCD, who had such a good start to their Premier campaign, take on the champions Bohemians at the Belfield bowl.
By the way Monday Night Soccer is now on Twitter and so am I. You can follow the weekend’s action including relevant wedding comparisons, a Karl Spain comedy encounter and a Power of Dreams gig as well as all the latest from Ryan Tubridy and Lucy Kennedy (it’s easy to make the switch) by following Corktod on Twitter.com.
Wherever you watch it enjoy the footie!
Tony O'Donoghue is soccer correspondent for RTÉ
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