Watch Sligo Rovers v Shamrock Rovers at 1:45 pm on Saturday on RTE Two and RTE.ie. Second-half radio commentary on RTE Radio 1, with text updates on RTE.ie
This weekend sees the most-eagerly anticipated game of the Airtricity League season to date. The pretenders to the throne Sligo Rovers host reigning champions Shamrock Rovers and even though it is the first meeting of the sides this year, there is a lot riding on the game.
Both clubs appointed new managers for this campaign, with Ian Baraclough and Stephen Kenny having very contrasting fortunes in the beginning of their new roles.
For Sligo Rovers manager Baraclough, things could not have gone any better. Sligo are unbeaten in the league and are sitting pretty at the top of the table.
I am sure if you asked him on the first day of the season he would not have foreseen his side taking a four-point lead after ten games. The former Scunthorpe manager will not be complaining.
Baraclough's transition to Airtricity League football from a career in England has been seamless. He has made a huge impression on all of the Rovers players and the people of Sligo, both on and off the pitch.
The professionalism and hunger to succeed has been greeted with a warm welcome from everyone in The Showgrounds, with the results obviously making it a smooth process.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Kenny. He has found the first series of matches very difficult at the helm of the Hoops.
A heavy defeat to St Patrick's Athletic in the league, plus another convincing loss to Derry in the Setanta Cup in Tallaght have not helped his cause.
Those results were compounded by the two very disappointing draws in their last two league games against Derry and UCD respectively.
The match with the Students where the Hoops led 2-0 at half time, only to be pegged back in the second half with an injury-time equaliser, didn't go down well with the Tallaght natives.
So whilst Baraclough and Sligo come into this match on a high, Kenny faces the task of lifting his side for a game they dare not lose.
It really promises to be a fantastic game. With Shamrock Rovers facing the possibility of being eight points behind their fiercest challengers, I feel the pressure is very much on them to get a result.
I know it is still early in the season but psychologically it could have a huge effect on both teams for the rest of the year. Sligo know that if they claim the three points, it really would put them in a fantastic position for what lies ahead.
Breaking it down, the two top centre forwards in the league will go head-to-head. Gary Twigg and Danny North have been on fire so far this season. They have reached double figures already in all competitions.
They are the reason both teams will be fighting for that title at the end of the year. I have so much admiration for Twigg. He has been scoring freely for several seasons and his desire this campaign is very impressive and a huge positive for his manager Kenny.
North has done an equally impressive job because when signing for a new club with a reputation as a goalscorer, you are under pressure to perform.
He has answered those questions in style and a potential partnership with Mark Quigley, that is beginning to bear fruit as we saw in Sligo's third goal against Drogheda United last week, must be very exciting for Baraclough.
I am unable to split both of those players but where I feel Sligo have an edge is the defensive partnership of Gavin Peers and Jason McGuinness, along with goalkeeper Gary Rogers.
They are rock solid and concede very few goals. It is what championship winning teams are built on as we have seen with the Hoops in recent seasons.
This is an area where Kenny has major problems as Shamrock Rovers are shipping goals very easily. They have plenty of good defenders but it just hasn't clicked yet and that must change soon.
I tipped the Hoops at the start of the season and that is not going to change now.
But if they don't win on Saturday there will be a lot of uncertainty over their chances of securing top spot come the end of October.
It's going to be fiery so let's hope it lives up to all of our expectations.
James McClean claimed a deserved place in Ireland's Euro 2012 squad this week, along with all the other former League of Ireland players.
There are six players in the squad that started off in the domestic game. It is an absolutely brilliant reflection on the league and hopefully the clash of the Rovers shows the best it has to offer again.
Until next week,
Alan
Alan Cawley will join John Kenny for second-half commentary on Sligo Rovers v Shamrock Rovers on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
