Considering their target is to avoid a last place finish in the First Division, Salthill Devon will be hoping to register a rare victory when Wexford Youths visit Drom this Sunday. Having only won once in 19 matches, Salthill are unsurprisingly the basement boys of Irish football at the moment, but they feel they can nick a result against a Wexford outfit that sit only three points above Paul 'Ski' McGee's side on the table.
Wexford did cause an FAI Cup shock when beating Derry City so they are a team with potential, but Salthill know that they must glean a victory. Before the break Salthill started well away to league leaders Shelbourne, but Alan Matthews' team came thundering back, eventually recording a comfortable triumph.
Nine defeats in a row, including the Cup loss to Sheriff YC, mean that Salthill must take something from Sunday's contest and McGee will be looking for strong displays from Brian Geraghty, Eugene Greaney, Ronan Conlon, and Gerry Dolan.
On Saturday evening Mervue United travel to Ballybofey for a clash with a Finn Harps team that has endured a disappointing spring and summer. Harps are third bottom in the standings, but they have a decent squad on paper and Johnny Glynn is aware that Mervue will need to continue the type of form they showed in their last encounter with Waterford United.
That game, dominated by Mervue, somehow ended in a draw, but Mervue have made progress this year and if they take any dividend from the trip to the north west they will remain in seventh place, which is more than satisfactory because of all the youth in their ranks. Rory Gaffney's departure for Limerick FC is an obvious blow so Mervue will trust that Ger Hanley, Martin Conneely, Pat Hoban, and John Moutney continue their good form.
