 So, Gavin, welcome back to the airwaves of Highland as we talk League of Ireland's soccer once again and obviously we're going to start with Fun Harps. They are on the road along for town on Saturday night. No better way to go down as far as Bishop Gate off the back of a victory. What did you make of that one against Slago last week? It was very much a badly needed one by the Harps boys, Gavin. It was a huge one. I think going under the game, Waterford had played earlier in the day and had beat Bowes 1-0. So, I'd say there was a lot of pressure on Harps to get a result down there which is never easy down in Slago. I watched the game on Watch LoA and I thought Harps done very well. I thought part of the last 15-20 minutes there were more than a match for Slago. Obviously, Mark McGinty made an absolute wonder save at the end of the game to save the points. But overall, I think Harps could be justified in saying they deserved to get the victory. Could you see that one coming over the last couple of weeks, Gavin? No, certainly not. They were on a bit of a rut. They were struggling to score goals, giving us silly goals. Once you're in that sort of run of form, it's very difficult to see positivity, very difficult to see an extra result. I suppose, especially a way to slide over third in the table and going quite well, you wouldn't be pan-picking that as a game where you're going to go and get three points. Yeah, and it's amazing the way the pendulum can swing, Gavin. You're on a rut, you're going to Slago, confidence possibly low and then all of a sudden you get a result which you deserved. And the whole mindset has changed now this week as we head to Bishopsgate to play Longford. It has, I have no doubt, to be a step in the step of the players and going on the great fixture to back that up, to get an all three points away to Longford would be huge. And I think Fanhurst will go down there justifiably favourites for the game. And if they do, and all results go away, they'll bounce back out of the bottom two, which would be huge, like, logically for the run on. Yeah, it's what kind of game you expect. And even though Longford are bottom of the table, they have just won one all year, there are a lot of draws there, eight. And so there is, and they have been unlocking games, Gavin, as well. And if you weigh them up the matches, particularly they played against the league leaders and defending champions, Shamrock Rovers, it's not going to be a case of you're going to Longford thinking it's going to be an easy three points. No, there's no such thing. And you hear Ollie every week talking about it. There's no such thing as an easy three points that you are. And every single game or tight, they're fine lines, fine margins, a lot of games, you will see that the team that scores gets the first goal, goes on and gets a victory. Certainly don't lose many games. You know, so you could go down there and Longford could go one up and maybe hang on or whatever, like, but I do expect Harps to go and go for the game and try and take the three points because if not, then maybe we're running games and Waterford might pick up a couple, we're back to square one after, and we're losing momentum from the slag game. So it's a huge weekend for Harps and one, I think they will get the three points in. Mark Coyle has been solid in the middle. He's not about this week. Is there ample replacements for him? Maybe not like for like. I suppose Ryan Connelly is there. He came on the other night. Probably doesn't look fully fit. Ryan Rene, who I'd like to see get a few games, get a few starts, possibly might come in for Mark, as I say, hopefully he does. But there's nothing really else like Mark in terms of the energy and the work rate and the ball one on the ballad is that he brings to the team and it has done all year. So he will be a miss, but I'm sure it's an opportunity for somebody else. It's at the same time. Listen, there's 12 points between these two teams at the bottom of the table, which is a big gap. A lot of people now would see Harps has been the firm favourites to go into that playoff spot. But don't rule them out just yet, Gavin. We know that Oli Horgan is very good at pulling rabbits out of the hat. So is an all surprise. Look, Waterford have turned things around massively. If you look four or five weeks ago, Longford and Waterford were dead and buried and it was just, no, they were gone. So they've pulled three or four results and polished them right up above Harps. They've signed a few players that seem to be decent. Again, they could turn around. Harps could go on a run of three or four games and then Waterford, dead and buried again or they could drag. I don't think they will drag on that back on there, but you just never know. So I would safely say it is a two-horse race between Waterford and Thun Harps for the playoff position, but I wouldn't rule Harps out. As for Waterford, they're playing on Friday night against Patricks Athletic. Is that a tie they're capable of winning on Dublin? A few months ago, definitely not at the minute. Yeah, there's no reason why they can't. They're on a great run of form. Probably a form table. They're probably as good as they are. They've four ones and they're defeating their last five. So that's top of the table material. So there's no reason why not, but obviously Patricks are going well and they're going for the league. So it'll be a tough, tough ask for Waterford, but they won't rule it out. The transformation of Derry City has been very impressive under Rory Higgins to say the least. They played stunning football, I think it's the best way to describe it last week, and they're one against Rother, their best performance of the season. It's amazing how League of Ireland football can turn around so quickly over a short period of time because Derry were in the bottom two, bottom three at one stage, and now they find themselves in a hunt for a European place. Yeah, it does show the fine lines and the fine margins, like with much of the same squad that Declan Devine had, Rory Higgins inherited. And like if like if a switch overnight, they just look like they're playing with for freedom. They'll play with a lot more energy, a lot more charisma, and they look like they really are enjoying going to play matches. And as a credit, they were Rory Higgins and the staff that has come in and given them that optimism, given them that way of playing. And I heard an interview with Rory during the week and I alluded to that, that they're buying Andy what he's doing and they're understanding and believing in it, and you can see that in the results. Yeah, a few months back we were, I was convinced that Van Harve would finish above Derry this season, you know, and the turnaround has been nothing short of brilliant. Yeah, and they're not shy away from Dundalk on Sunday either, that's for sure. They won't both Dundalk play in today in Europe as well and depend on results. Like Dundalk's eyes are firmly focused on Europe at the minute because of their league position, because of the way things are going for the season. So if Dundalk, if everyone goes right, they probably won't be playing a false draft on Sunday. So again, there's no reason to rule out a Derry victory there. Yeah, Bohemian's also in European action this week. Slager Rovers will be hoping Bose have a European hangover as well come Sunday. But Slager were aside that haven't found their form in the last month or so that they did it in the early part of the season. But they get something out of Dublin, it'll be a big bus for Liam Buckley, say. Again, it's one of them things, both Bose and Europe that Slager will be hoping to get a result. But since the mid-season break, Slager seem to come back with a foot off the gas. Maybe a few things aren't going their way. They've been unlucky, but you know, they were the form team before the break. They looked like real title contenders, but at the minute they've dropped well off the pace and you can see them sort of fighting for Europe or on the table at this point. Yeah, and just one other fixture at the weekend as well. Defending champion, Shamrock Rovers, who have a game in hand at the top, leading by three are going to Drojda and you expect Rovers to make the short trip home back to Dublin and back to Talla with the full points out of that one because Drojda are one of those sides was up at the other end, the top end of the table at the start of the season and now they've dropped down a handful of places that they have given. Yeah, and probably expected with the squad depth and stuff coming up from the first division, but they had a brilliant start to the season. Shamrock Rovers, we all expect to push on now in the latter half of the season with the squad, with the depth they have. I watched the game in the Brandywell over the one a few weeks ago, a great game of football in the 4-2, but at half time in the second half, they were bringing on players at Gretchen Tau and Aaron Green and players like that. That's the depth and the level of players that they have, so you'd expect Shamrock Rovers to go there and push on them on the three points. Just finally, Gavin, before we let you go, we'll talk also to Senior League. Cup's going to start now at the end of the month. How's the training going for you guys? Has there been much disruption or are you happy where you're at at the moment? Look, there has been disruption. There's no truth about it. With Colwood, we had a we had a good run up to the FA Cup game and then we played a summer cup in there, which we won, which was good preparation as well. But since that, it's sort of depth because it's very difficult to get families at the minute, very difficult to get players out. But it's two weeks till we start, so we're still confident that we'll do well and we'll be prepared and ready, but it's not being ideal. It's not ideal, but at the same time, it's not ideal for other clubs as well. Do you think that you have good enough prep done where you were involved in that FA senior cup and you were involved in the competition in that or Kenny? Maybe that you were prepping for an FA senior cup. Does that give you a wee bit of a head of front of the other teams that I'm trying to say? I hope so. Time will tell. Again, it is the same for everybody. There's nobody. Everybody's struggling. The junior league started this week, so that rules out. Friendlies out for the next couple of weeks. The junior teams, the leagues in the north have started, so it was difficult to get friendly there. So it is the same for everybody. But again, it's not ideal. We're looking forward to getting back on the pitch and play competitive football. It's been a long time without it. The boys will be ready and we'll be chomping at the bat once we are starting. Lesson gap. It's always good to talk to you. Thanks for joining us.