Sligo Rovers play their first game under new manager Gerard Lyttle against Drogheda United tonight in United Park in the final game of the first series of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division.
The Bit O’ Red will be without John Russell who serves a one game additional ban for a red card against Shamrock Rovers.
Rovers have no injury concerns.
Lyttle said: “We have had a really good week of training. There has been no days off and double sessions as well and you get a vibe off players. You see by body language and eye contact and it’s a good bunch of players with talent and it will be difficult to choose an XI.
“Declan McIntyre has been a breath of fresh air in his help to me and we have been doing our preparation on Drogheda. The supporters here have been terrific to me, everywhere I go people stop you on the street and wish you well. That’s important because we are a community club and it’s what Sligo Rovers are all about. We are all looking forward to Friday.
“It was good to see the team last Saturday and Declan made some changes in the game too so I saw different aspects of the squad too. We have some short-term targets that we have set ourselves. One or two wins can make a big difference as the table stands and we’ll be aiming to start that on Friday. It’s going to be a difficult game because Drogheda have shown what they are capable of by some of the wins they have had. We can’t wait to take on the challenge.
