Dundalk and Pat's two teams seeking a change in fortune

As we brace ourselves for tonight's clash between St. Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk, both teams find themselves in a somewhat precarious position early in the season. The narrative so far has been one of unexpected stumbles, with each club desperately seeking to regain their footing.

Pat's have undoubtedly endured a tougher start in terms of fixtures. Their campaign has kicked off with Galway, Derry and Waterford away and Bohemians at home. Dundalk, on the other hand, haven't had as challenging a schedule, on paper that is, but still find themselves grappling at the wrong end of the table.

All the above is irrelevant of course. Just look at Shamrock Rovers' slow start, which, despite being a recurring theme, hasn't dented their image as title favourites in my eyes.

Dundalk's current phase of transition is noteworthy. The club is navigating through the waters of new ownership, casting a shadow of uncertainty over its future direction for those of us looking in from the outside.

Yet, their performance in the season opener against Rovers in Tallaght was impressive. Dundalk had a golden opportunity to extend their lead to 2-0 in the second half, a miss that galvanised Rovers with the confidence needed to claw themselves back into the game - an opportunity missed.

The subsequent results for Dundalk have surprised me, defensively they have conceded a lot of goal-scoring opportunities in their last two home games, with Galway and Sligo having 14 shots on target across two matches a concern undoubtedly at the forefront of Stevie O'Donnell’s mind heading into tonight's game.

Pats' resilience shone through in their season opener against Galway, triumphing in tough weather conditions that tested their defensive mettle. In conditions