WE HAVE GART LOT MORE TO DO
Dundalk v Shamrock R 7.45pm
BRIAN GARTLAND admits it doesn’t feel like title-chasing Dundalk are in the home straight.
But he knows they will be the red-hot favourites to past the post in first place if they beat Shamrock Rovers tonight.
There are still two months of the season to go – but the Lilywhites only have eight league games left.
With FAI Cup rounds taking place every other weekend, league games have been a stop-start affair.
Dundalk lead arch rivals and reigning champions Cork City by three points and are chasing a remarkable 14th straight league win.
Bohemians set a league record of 15 in the 1923/24 season and Stephen Kenny’s charges have that in their sights.
Gartland said: “I suppose the run-in is on but you don’t start thinking about it until you are closer to the time.
“If we can get over the line this week, then you get into the next league games and you come to the Cork game (September 21) and that will be the big run for the league.”
Having crashed out of Europe and then surrendered in the EA Sports Cup final to First Division Cobh, Dundalk are back on track.
They notched back-toback league wins away to Bray and Sligo Rovers and dumped Finn Harps out of the FAI Cup on Friday to book a quarter-final spot.
Gartland said: “It was the end of the world there for a few days when we lost the couple of games.
“But it shows how well we’re going that we only had two bad results, bad performances and it’s a big thing. We didn’t get run into the ground at training or anything old school like that – it would just kill morale.
“We’re after having 13 league wins in-a-row so you’ve got to take the positives from that and go forward.
“It would be nice to beat the record but we haven’t thought about it. You could go and win 15 or 16 and then lose and not bring the league home.
“Nobody remembers that – just who won the league. The league is the prize you want.”
On tonight’s clash Hoops boss Stephen Bradley said: “We always do well up at Oriel Park and I’m sure tonight will be no different.”
Stephen O’donnell is out for Dundalk and Karolis Chvedukas is a doubt while Luke Byrne and Sean Boyd are injured for Rovers.