Tickets for Friday’s televised match are still available. Kick-off is at 7.45 pm and coverage is on RTE2

It’s almost two weeks since Rovers drew 1-1 with Shels.  Any additional comments on your initial post-match feeling of frustration in not winning in Tolka Park?

“Not really, I’ve watched it back and feel what I felt after the game that we were very good for large parts of it. We should win the game quite comfortably, but we gave up a goal in the last minute, a free header from a corner which is very rare for us, but for large parts we were very good and deserved to win.”

Justin Ferizaj left Rovers for Serie A team Frosinone this week. He burst onto the Rovers scene last season with some eye-catching European performances. Do you think Serie A will suit Justin’s game and ability?

“We make a lot about certain types of football suiting certain types of players and vice versa, that’s been thrown out a lot over the years. But I really think it all comes down to a player’s mentality and attitude regardless of where they’re playing, and I hope Justin has a good career.”

RTE’s cameras are back for this Dundalk game and Virgin will cover the next two, Bohs in Tallaght and Derry away. While it is hoped we will continue to attract big gates for those games, are you pleased these games at the business end of the season are being shown to a wider audience?

“I think Virgin’s coverage has been really good any time they’ve done games. It’s great they’re showing more games and the more exposure the league gets in general, it can only be a good thing. I hope it won’t affect our gates too much, our home gates have been good even when they’ve been live on television, and I hope that remains the case.”

With it being two weeks since the last game, was a friendly organised to keep match sharpness up to speed or was there an internal XI v XI game?

“We were able to play a game in-house with a lot of the younger boys from the 17s and 19s involved, which was really good to see them mixed in with the first-team squad, so we had a really good game. Eoin Donnelly (club strength and conditioning coach) is brilliant at managing the players’ loads and understanding what they need and where they are, so last week was actually a really good training week. We would rather have had a competitive game and be playing in the Cup but it wasn’t to be, but we had a really good week’s training and that in-house game.”

Finally, who remains on the unavailable list for the Dundalk game?

“Everyone bar Jack Byrne is fit again; Jack is still a little bit away. Neil Farrugia got the ‘all clear’ this week, so he could be involved against Dundalk. Trevor Clarke has trained now for two weeks, the Shels game was a bit soon for him, but he’s back now which is great. Lee Grace and Seán Hoare are also back and had a good week’s training.”