It has been an incredible seven days in the League of Ireland and now the real fun begins.
Stephen Kenny is back, Dundalk are in interim mode once more, Shelbourne remain top after one win in eight and the top four are separated by just six points as the halfway point approaches.
There is genuine excitement at the prospect of a Kenny-led side in the run-in taking on the likes of Shamrock Rovers and Derry City.
Tonight he begins a new chapter against a former club.
Derry City have been improving in recent week in their own quest for honours. They may be cursing their luck at the prospect of the bounce for the Saints ahead of the fixture.
From a neutral point of view the prospect of a multi-faceted title run-in could bring great attention to the league at a crucial time.
Kenny’s return will only help that potential scenario.
Meanwhile the champions travel to Oriel Park looking to return to winning ways having been unusually poor in defence in recent games.
With just one win in their last five, it has not been an impressive year thus far for the four-in-a-row winners.
Nevertheless the sides around them are simply not taking advantage so there will be little panic in Tallaght.
How the Lilywhites wish they could be in such a position.
Brian Gartland was part of their interim management team before Noel King was appointed.
Both departed this week for differing reasons, leaving Liam Burns in the dugout tonight.
With Kenny ruled out, it remains to be seen who takes over. A tough job awaits to even just get to the relegation play-off.
One of their few season high points came against the Hoops on the opening day. What followed has been utter turmoil and some relief would be welcome back in Louth.
Leaders Shelbourne have struggled for victories in the last six weeks. In a sign of how quickly a side can move up the table, fourth-placed Waterford can move to within three points of top spot if they come out on top in Tolka Park.
The Blues were struggling until a run of three victories catapulted them up the table, moving clear of the relegation zone.
They’ll be confident of causing Shels more difficulties.
It wasn’t a major shock to see Galway United draw 0-0 last week. Their record of eight goals scored and seven conceded in 15 games is quite remarkable and quite a contrast to the drama going on around the league.
The conservative approach is working for the Tribesmen as they face another relegation rival in Drogheda United at Weavers Park.
Tonight’s televised game sees two bottom half sides, Sligo Rovers and Bohemians, meet in The Showgrounds.
Tonight’s games were the first round of fixtures in the league and saw these sides play out a 2-2 draw.
Declan Devine did not survive much longer, but John Russell has battled away to strengthen his position.
Alan Reynolds is becoming concerned at how poor results have been since after he opened with four wins in five games. Since then they’ve picked up a single point and will see this game as a chance to turn the tide.
St Patrick's Athletic v Derry City, Richmond Park, 7.45pm
Outside of the fanfare around the return of Stephen Kenny, this is also an important spell for the four sides in European action this summer.
Two matches from July are brought forward to allow them some rest time when preparing for a European game.
It means the Saints, Derry, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne will be busy this weekend as they clash on Monday.
Given the way the fixtures fall, Derry face the hardest test in the coming days.
A trip to Inchicore on Friday is followed by another journey to the capital on Monday for a crunch game against the champions.
City boss Ruaidhri Higgins has admitted that the early season schedule has been challenging, while also bringing positives.
"It feels a bit strange that by the middle of May we'll have played both St Pat's and Shamrock Rovers three times each, but I suppose the flip side is that we've only got to play them each once more in the league with both games at the Brandywell.
"We've done well in recent weeks taking 11 points from a possible 15 and just as importantly we're now getting players back into the squad, which is great given the schedule of matches.
"Patrick McEleney, Michael Duffy and Sadou Diallo all came back in recent weeks and Cameron Dummigan is very close too, and we'll see how he's looking for Friday night.
"Obviously we still have one or two who need their minutes managed, but this is as good as things have been on the injury front for quite a while."
Derry issued their media bulletin prior to the announcement of Kenny's return.
But even with the confirmation on the new man in the dugout for the home side, Higgins is only interested in how his own side are performing.
"We really liked how we finished the game against Bohemians last weekend and we want more of the same.
"I know I'm repeating myself over and over when I'm asked about results elsewhere on any particular night, but to be completely honest, none of that matters to us.
"Maybe with five or six matches to go if you're still in the mix then you start looking at those things, but until then, all I'm interested in is looking after our own consistency."
Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers, Oriel Park, 7.45pm
It's unique that a manager even admits it’s a strange time at a club, but Liam Burns couldn’t kid anyone this week.
The 4-1 loss to Waterford last week has been followed by two departures.
He will take charge tonight, a fourth management head in 15 games if you count the Brian Gartland and Burns period as one.
Noel King oversaw just four games, and a fifth management will come soon.
Burns has to pull something out of the fire knowing Shamrock Rovers will be fired up after dropping more points last week.
Burns said: "It’s obviously been a bit of a strange week for everyone at the club but our only focus over the past few days has been on getting the team ready for Friday night.
"Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers is one of the biggest games of the season and after two tough away games in Drogheda and Waterford, we’re looking forward to getting back to Oriel Park.
"Our home form has been good, we haven’t conceded a goal in our last five games at Oriel, and we’ve had a good record against Rovers in recent years so that’s something we need to try and build on.
"We need to make it one of those nights where everyone comes together and gets behind the lads on the pitch and if we do that, we’re more than capable of getting a good result."
Robbie Benson scored for the Lilywhites last week but he misses out through suspension. That’s a big loss for Dundalk given their lack of goals. Scott High, Ciaran McGuckin, Dara Keane and Robbie Mahon are injured.
Stephen Bradley was adamant his side should have come away with three points against St Pat’s.
He rued defensive issues and repeated his belief there is no concern about the season to date.
"We’re doing okay. But we can be a lot better, there’s no doubt about that. But people keep talking about the title race as being the tightest in years, it’s been like this for years. People forget last year Bohs were so far ahead, the year before it was Derry were far ahead and the year before it was Sligo far ahead.
"We’ve had this for years, so I don’t know why every year people say it’s the tightest it’s ever been. It’s actually not, it’s always like this. Anyone who expects any different is silly and naïve. This league is competitive, it’s tough and it’s always like this right up to the last round of games.
"I don’t see this as being any different. You look back through the years, we’ve gone into the break always behind. It’s just about staying focused, we want to be better than what we have been already, there’s no doubt about that. We want to win more games, have more points. We’re doing okay, but there’s still a lot more to come."
Rory Gaffney and Darragh Burns miss out. Aaron McEneff and Richie Towell are doubtful. Lee Grace and Dylan Watts are closing on a return. Seán Hoare and Gary O’Neill will return next month.
Shelbourne v Waterford FC, Tolka Park, 7.45pm
There will be a feeling of celebration at Tolka Park after the passing of Dublin City Council's motion to grant Shelbourne a 250-year lease for the ground.
The campaign to save the stadium was against the odds and represented a barely believable turnaround.
With the home secured, the club back in Europe and topping the table, Shels fans are in dreamland.
A return to winning ways would really top it off and they look to repeat their top four finish or go even better.
Shane Griffin is the only absentee for the game this evening.
Reflecting on the draw with Drogheda last Friday, Damien Duff felt on a different night they could’ve left Tolka Park with all three points:
"What gets me fired up is when we’re flat. We dominated the game against Derry away on the Monday, the same against Drogs, and created chances. But the flatness last Friday at times, I can’t get my head around. I’ve been drilling it all week with the staff and players, energy, energy, energy.
"We can’t afford to go into games flat. I’ve said it about the league; you won’t get a positive result if you don’t come into games with the right mentality, showing hunger, desire, application and work rate and just all energy for 100 minutes plus. That’s what we need to bring on Friday.
"The big thing I want to see tomorrow is us not wasting any minutes, I pulled the lads over after 15 minutes of the game last week and that was my message to them.
"Look it’s on us, the staff; we’re responsible as well. How can we get them going if it’s needed? It’s collective; we’re all in this together. I think there’s a lot of teams in the same boat in this league. Playing well, but dropping points, that’s the nature of this season."
Duff has praised Keith Long for bringing Waterford to such a high position as a newly-promoted side.
"They are in an awful better shape than when we came up in 2022, full credit to them they have proper quality top-end of the pitch and some real X-factor in attack, people that are game-changers, and we have to be aware of them and how dangerous they will be."
The Blues boast the best away record in the league so far this season with 14 points picked up from their eight games away from home.
Barry Baggley and Connor Evans miss out through injury. Ryan Burke, Kacper Skwierczyński and Adam Queally are back in contention.
With confidence high, Long is ready to take the game to the leaders.
"We want to go to Tolka Park and play well – we will need to against the league leaders. We are looking to improve performances every week in a collective effort to get better as a group.
"The boys have shown they are capable so it’s about building that consistency piece – week in, week out."
Sligo Rovers v Bohemians, The Showgrounds, 7.45pm - RTE2 and RTE Player
Sligo Rovers begin a more difficult period knowing their squad could be about to change drastically in the coming weeks.
Max Mata became the first loanee to depart the club after it was agreed to let the striker return to his parent club for a lengthy rest period.
That was agreed back in February when the deal was sealed, so John Russell knew he would be down an attacking option for six weeks before the July window opens.
Rein Smit and Wilson Waweru have just one goal between them and goals have been difficult to come by at times.
Ed McGinty, Ollie Denham and Fabrice Hartmann are also due to depart The Showgrounds – with all three playing a big part in their season so far.
It means the first months of the season were crucial for Sligo. Changes are likely if they can't extended some of those loans and replacing them on one of the smallest budgets in the division will prove very tricky.
John Mahon (Achilles), Nando Pijnaker (ribs), Will Fitzgerald (foot) and Simon Power (groin) will also miss out again this weekend.
Teenager Owen Elding is pushing for a start, although it’s likely Smit or Waweru will step up to replace Mata.
Russell has praised his side for coping with a number of players on the sidelines.
He said: "I was delighted with the player's reaction over the last few games. Particularly considering all the players unavailable to us.
"We’ve now kept back to back clean sheets and we’ve shown a real improvement in our general play. I do feel there is a lot more to come from us this year which is exciting
"I am sure the supporters can see the fight and desire in this group of players and we will need to show that again to get a result on Friday."
Paddy Kirk will be back for Bohs after missing the game in Derry through suspension.
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