Concerning Shamrock Rovers form makes points against St Pat's vital - Paul Corry

Shamrock Rovers may have come away from their European campaign with plenty of credit but their start to the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division season raises some concerns ahead of a "vitally important" clash against St Patrick's Athletic on Friday, according to Paul Corry.

A 2-1 defeat at Sligo Rovers on Monday has left Stephen Bradley's injury-depleted side bottom of the table, albeit having played a game fewer than all but Cork City at this incredibly early juncture of the season.

While it's too early to make any longer-term judgement about the Tallaght-based outfit's prospects for the season, Friday's looming home encounter with the Saints takes on an increasing degree of urgency, considering how strong some of the expected frontrunners, like Stephen Kenny's side and reigning champions Shelbourne, are likely to be.

"There are a lot of questions being asked of Shamrock Rovers at the moment and you feel for them in the sense that they didn't really have much of a pre-season - they had to juggle the European games," former Rovers midfielder Corry told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.

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"But it's vitally important that they get a win pretty soon and they get a big win just to kickstart things and to get over that bad start that they've had.

"You can't afford for Pat's or Shels to get out in front, whether that be six, nine, 12 points ahead because they have more quality in their squads