As we brace ourselves for tonight's clash between St. Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk, both teams find themselves in a somewhat precarious position early in the season. The narrative so far has been one of unexpected stumbles, with each club desperately seeking to regain their footing.
Pat's have undoubtedly endured a tougher start in terms of fixtures. Their campaign has kicked off with Galway, Derry and Waterford away and Bohemians at home. Dundalk, on the other hand, haven't had as challenging a schedule, on paper that is, but still find themselves grappling at the wrong end of the table.
All the above is irrelevant of course. Just look at Shamrock Rovers' slow start, which, despite being a recurring theme, hasn't dented their image as title favourites in my eyes.
Dundalk's current phase of transition is noteworthy. The club is navigating through the waters of new ownership, casting a shadow of uncertainty over its future direction for those of us looking in from the outside.
Yet, their performance in the season opener against Rovers in Tallaght was impressive. Dundalk had a golden opportunity to extend their lead to 2-0 in the second half, a miss that galvanised Rovers with the confidence needed to claw themselves back into the game - an opportunity missed.
The subsequent results for Dundalk have surprised me, defensively they have conceded a lot of goal-scoring opportunities in their last two home games, with Galway and Sligo having 14 shots on target across two matches a concern undoubtedly at the forefront of Stevie O'Donnell’s mind heading into tonight's game.
Pats' resilience shone through in their season opener against Galway, triumphing in tough weather conditions that tested their defensive mettle. In conditions like that, you won’t find a better partnership in the league to deal with your box being bombarded than Joe Redmond and Conor Keeley.
Yet, their journey has been far from smooth, with a contentious penalty decision tipping the scales in a tightly-contested match against Bohemians, and an impressive but ultimately unrewarded performance against Derry in the Brandywell.
The Inchicore team's recent encounter with Waterford highlighted the unforgiving nature of this league, where individual errors and challenging conditions can conspire against even the most prepared sides.
We've seen in previous seasons how irrelevant bad starts to the season can be, Rovers being the prime example. My first season at Bolton Wanderers was more than just a rough beginning; it was an awful first half of the season that saw us sitting in 20th place after Christmas, the lowest in the club’s history.
Yet, a pivotal period during an international break allowed us more training days. Ten days followed of much needed intense, boring, repetitive training sessions which led us to an extraordinary turnaround and eventual promotion. O'Donnell and Jon Daly are undoubtedly scouring for that moment that could steer their seasons back on course. A period for adjustment and course correction can lead to significant change.
I can't speak for playing under O'Donnell but I've seen first hand the ability of Daly. His attention to detail, man management and ability to set his side up to win games is as good as I've come across, just look at last season.
He challenged for the title up to the final weeks and won the FAI Cup. All this, while taking advantage of the wonderful Pat's academy and showing faith in his young players.
As both teams prepare for a big game at Richmond Park, Dundalk's poorer start places them as the underdogs. Both teams will be eager to rectify their course and with Pats playing at home in front of a sell out crowd, I'm leaning towards a Pat's victory.
This match isn't just about the three points, it's about setting the tone for the remainder of the season. Friday's encounter is more than a game; it's a chance to reignite their campaigns and perhaps, signal a turning point in their fortunes.
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