Rovers look for first win
Rovers will be hoping to get their first win of the season against Longford Town on Friday night, kick-off at Tolka Park is at 8pm.
The Hoops earned an away point at UCD in the season opener last week and will be hoping to go one better against Town, who were beaten by St Pat's at Flancare Park last Saturday.
For Town, Dessie Baker is out for six weeks with an ankle injury, while Gary Deegan is still suspended.
Striker Ger Rowe is the latest addition to the Rovers' casualty list as he picked up a hamstring injury during the game against UCD last Friday.
But the good news for Hoops' boss Pat Scully is that last season's top scorer, Tadhg Purcell, may be on the verge of a return to first-team action against Longford Town.
"Ger suffered a hamstring injury at Belfield and that means he's out for the next fortnight," Scully reveals. "It's only a slight one so we don't see him out for any longer.
"On the other hand, Tadhg Purcell has a decent chance of making the bench for the Longford game. He played 20 minutes for the reserves on Tuesday and came through okay.
"But we're still going to be without Ger O'Brien, Paul Shields and Eric McGill," he adds. "It'll be another two or three weeks before any of them are going to be back in contention."
There is also a question about the fitness of striker Andy Myler, who has a recurring back problem. Scully sees his chances of playing against Longford as "50-50, but he should be okay".
