A big bank holiday weekend of action in the SSE Airtricity League is behind us. Here's what we've learned;
1) Dundalk are the team to beat
2 fine wins over the weekend against teams in the bottom 4 keep Dundalk on top of the league and they've now opened up a 5 point lead on 2nd place Cork City (albeit with a game more played). They're the league's top scorers with a remarkable 42 goals in 16 games. Orchestrated by Richie Towell, the attacking talents of Daryl Horgan and Pat Hoban are flourishing. They've a big test in their next league game when the Champions visit Oriel Park but it'll be hard to see past them for the title if they win that.
2) Sligo Rovers won't be winning the league
A sixth defeat in the league should put paid to any hopes Sligo Rovers had of re-gaining the title they last won in 2012. In 6 games against the top 4 Sligo have picked up only 2 points. They're now 10 points behind 4th placed Shamrock Rovers. Sligo may well go on a sustained run winning games but it's hard to see all the top 4 dropping enough points to let them claim top spot. For Shamrock Rovers, the win copperfastens their place among the title challengers. After the cup break they host Cork City looking to overtake them.
3) When Pats click, they're brilliant going forward
11 goals over the weekend for Pats with Conan Byrne and Christy Fagan scoring 4 each. They were clearly helped by slack defending by Derry City and Drogheda United but when Pats attack in numbers they can be breathtaking. Last night's 6-0 win over Drogheda was their biggest home win since January 1981. It was the 5th consecutive home game where they have scored at least 3. The league's top 2 scorers are now Fagan (13) and Byrne (10). Defensive problems still exist but scoring goals won't be an issue at home.
4) Robbie Horgan and Owen Heary must be under pressure
Drogheda United conceded 10 goals over the weekend and they've now lost 9 of their last 10 league games. Last night they played with only two recognised defenders and one of them started in midfield. It's clearly a tough job but Robbie Horgan is a first time manager and he won't be given much more leeway by the Drogheda board. Drogheda's only win in that time was over Bohemians. Owen Heary's side have no wins in their last 9 league game, and no wins at all at home this season. No one other than Jason Byrne has scored in those 9 games. If Bohs are knocked out of the cup on Friday, could Heary be under pressure too?
5) Referees are again in the spotlight
Last night Dundalk were leading 4-1 when Andy Boyle gave away a penalty. He received a yellow card and UCD converted to make it 4-2 with 16 minutes left. The referee (and neither his assistants or the UCD team) noticed that he had already booked Boyle 25 minutes previously. You can see by Boyle's reaction in the Vine above that he knows the second yellow should lead to a red card. How this is dealt with by the league may have important ramification for the title race. If Boyle is suspended, he'll miss Dundalk's clash with St Pats in 11 days.
