Action continues on Friday night in the League of Ireland Division as the title-chasing St Patrick's Athletic take on bottom of the table Longford Town in what is a vital clash for both sides in the top tier of Irish football.
Longford are heading to this one knowing that their life in the division is not far from over should they fail to win, which would mean they are relegated just one season after returning to the league.
𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩!We last hosted @LongfordTownFC at Richmond Park back in April ⚽️@sportsfile were there to capture all the action as we won 3-0 📸 🎫 𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙏𝙎 👉 https://t.co/cikipeFnTB#StPatsFC | #Saints2021 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/8Z9U4TC1TC— St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) September 2, 2021
𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩!We last hosted @LongfordTownFC at Richmond Park back in April ⚽️@sportsfile were there to capture all the action as we won 3-0 📸 🎫 𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙀𝙏𝙎 👉 https://t.co/cikipeFnTB#StPatsFC | #Saints2021 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/8Z9U4TC1TC
They currently have just one win in 15 games and their only hope now is if Dundalk catastrophically fall off the wagon.
This in itself looks unlikely, given the 16-point gap on Longford and how they also have two games in hand to stretch that lead to a potential 22, which would no doubt officially relegate the club.
Longford are also the victims of the most goals conceded in the division too, with their 45 let in and just 16 scored on their own behalf, which makes them one of the most out-of-form teams throughout Europe’s first divisions.
Their last win didn't even come in the league, as they beat Bangor GGFC back in July in the FAI Cup, so you have to track back to all the way to the middle of March to recall their first and only win in the league, as they triumphed over Derry City 2-0 on home soil.
To make matters worse for Longford, that FAI Cup win now means nothing as they were beaten by University College Dublin A.F.C last week to boot them out of that competition too - UCD are third in the division below.
On the other hand, while there is pain and misery in Longford, over in Dublin, St Patrick’s Athletic have managed to squeeze into the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Cork City last week, and they return to league action with a chance to close the gap on Shamrock Rovers.
The Saints will need Finn Harps to turn the Rovers over for them to regain a bit of control in the title race, as the league leaders currently have two games in hand over the second-placed side.
There shouldn’t be too much in this game and Forebet predicts a game of over 2.5 goals in favour of St Patrick's Athletic, who should win to nil and heap more misery on Longford, and they are, in reality, destined for relegation once more.