It would be a great way to kick off the Bank Holiday weekend if Cork City can secure a win tonight against Longford and remain at the top of the league.

Gary Cronin’s men come to the Cross on the back of a scoreless draw against Treaty United and are full of confidence having gone seven games unbeaten and they will no doubt want to keep that run going.

City come into the game after securing a 3-2 win over local rivals Cobh Ramblers last weekend and they too will be confident in front of what they hope to be a packed Turner's Cross.

While Colin Healy’s men didn’t have a great performance against Cobh last weekend, it was an important three points and was all that mattered at the final whistle as the win could have gone either way.

City scored great goals but also conceded two sloppy goals, one from a set-piece and one from a Dave Harrington mistake and this would have been unusual but disappointing for Healy. 

The tight pitch at St Colman’s Park did not suit Healy's style of play and there’s where I hope will be the difference. The bigger surface is where City do damage. Cian Bargarry, Cian Murphy and Darragh Crowley were very limited in their runs in Cobh and I expect their form to resume tonight playing on one of the best pitches in the country giving them plenty of space to run at the opposition.

The last time these sides met back in March, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. A disappointing result for City who had dominated possession in that game. 

However Gary Cronin’s men have shown their quality since and sitting third on the league table at the moment, proves they are a tough side and Healy’s men will need to be 100% this evening to gain all three points.

COMPETITIVE

Healy has a fully fit squad to choose from. The return of a few lads from injury has made the squad more competitive and hopefully, we'll see that in the coming months when the players have upped their game, which begins on the training ground.

With more players competing for a place on the starting XI, the tempo at training is raised and this is evident on match night.

City are in great form and I expect them to have a little too much for Longford tonight. At home this season they have been dominant with only one loss, scoring eight and only conceding two. They will hope to keep that form going tonight against a Longford side who will be a big challenge for City. 

They too have had a good season to date. Longford's record away from home has been exceptional, not losing a game and scoring six and Cronin’s men will be confident again tonight coming to the Cross.

I expect this to be a tough and close encounter but the home support will play its part as usual.