Match Preview: Athlone Town vs Cork City

Athlone Town will welcome league leaders Cork City to Athlone Town stadium on Friday night in what will be a busy few days for The Rebel Army.  

City currently sit top of the First Division twelve points clear of third placed Athlone, but with a fixture against second placed UCD at Turners Cross on Bank Holiday Monday, the squad know the importance of carrying momentum into that top-of-the-table clash.  

Athlone Town are not to be underestimated though, with the team on a run of eight games without a loss and are still unbeaten at home this season.  

City come off the back of a 1-1 draw to Treaty United at The Cross, as City’s only goal came from Evan McLaughlin, who scored an early penalty to notch his fourth goal of the season so far.  

City’s last encounter against Athlone was at Turners Cross in March, with City coming away with a 1-0 win thanks to a Charlie Lyons header.  

Speaking at his weekly press conference in Bishopstown, manager Tim Clancy touched on Friday’s opponents: “They've been very good, they're on a really good run, if you look at the game on paper it is a very tough game, and it was a tough game back in March, but our away record has been exceptionally good in the second round of games”  

In terms of injury news, Tim Clancy confirmed Cathal O’Sullivan suffered a knee injury in training, with the seventeen-year-old expected to return to action at the end of June. Malik Dijksteel is also back in full training, and may feature in the squad for the first time this season in the coming weeks.  

Jaden Umeh’s injury against Treaty was a point of concern for many City fans, as he was stretchered off the field in the second half, but Clancy provided an update on the young attacker: “We’d like to hope he’ll be available for Friday [against Athlone], I don't think there is any damage there, it was just a knock he got. It looks like there is no serious issue.” 

Friday’s fixture will be refereed by Eoghan O’Shea, with Fintan Butler and Christopher Daly his assistants, and Marc Lynch as fourth official.  

Tickets  

City fans making the trip to the Midlands can purchase their match tickets on the official Athlone Town FC website.  

How can I watch? 

The game will be streamed live on the official League of Ireland streaming platform, LOITV! An individual match pass costs just €5. Fans can also avail of LOITV’s new Half-Season Pass, which gives you access to over 275 games across the Men's Premier Division, Women’s Premier Division, and Men’s First Division.