The Dugout

Stephen O’Donnell and Alan Mathews

I would like to welcome Stephen Bradley, his players and the officials of Shamrock Rovers to Richmond Park for this afternoon's Premier Division fixture. Rovers have picked up where they left off before the season was halted and are well placed for the remainder of the campaign. They have a strong squad and represent a stern challenge, but it's one that we are very much looking forward to.

After starting back with a good point in Dundalk, we were disappointed to lose here against Derry City a few days later. For a number of reasons, it just didn't come together for us on the evening. Having addressed those reasons, we bounced back with a good win against Finn Harps, and I was pleased to see Georgie Kelly notch his first couple of goals for the team.

We travelled to Ballybofey for Monday's FAI Cup tie in good spirits and hopeful of getting the result needed to ensure we would be in the draw for the next round. However, we weren't at our best and it was Harps who went through. sloppy goal, the players tried to remain positive as there were still 86 minutes left to put things right. However, the performance wasn't there for us on the evening, and while we were disappointed to be eliminated from the Cup, we have discussed where we fell short and moved on. With the games coming regularly, there is nothing to be gained from dwelling on a defeat.

Before the game in Finn Park, I had the opportunity to speak with a number of Pat's fans who had made the journey to Donegal. Unfortunately, the conversation took place through the bars of a gate as no spectators were permitted into the ground.

When you see that level of commitment from fans –travelling all that distance when they can't even gain access to the ground – it makes you even more determined to get a good result. Unfortunately, we couldn't deliver it, but I was extremely heartened to see such devotion, as were the players.

I have been very pleased with the application of the players during training, even if the results have been inconsistent. We are striving to develop a culture of hard work and consistency, and a good result today would provide the ideal foundation to build towards that.

After starting back with a hectic schedule of four games in ten days, today's game is our first game in six days. I'm hoping that break from the sheer intensity of competitive football will stand to the players and that there will be more of a refreshed look to our performance.

Once again, we know that you will be tuning in to watch the game and that is something we have talked about during team discussions.

These remain challenging times for the entire country and it is our objective to put a smile back on the face of Pat's fans today. I can't guarantee that we will win, but I can promise that the players will deliver an honest and committed performance.