Full-time at Tolka. A Ringsend derby that was starved of many clear-cut chances, where Shels set up incredibly well and refused to give Rovers an inch. Damien Duff will be happy that his side successfully executed their game plan to a tee, while Rovers remain eight points adrift and dreams of four-in-a-row are starting to look like fantasy.

Corner for Shels as the hosts have all the momentum on their side.

Shels look to be going for a late snatch and grab. 5 minutes of injury time to be added on.

Liam Burt on for Graham Burke.

As it stands Rovers are eight points off top dogs Bohemians in the league.

Towell off for Johnny Kenny.

Sean Kavanagh comes off for Trevor Clarke while Kyle Robinson replaces Jack Moylan.

Neil Farrugia looks to be coming off. It's been a disappointing night for the winger who's failed to produce any real moments of quality.

Towell gets another chance, taking a shot down centre of box, leaning back slightly. The shot bobbles right into the hands of Kearns however.

Towell produces a powerful shot arcing for the top left corner, Kearns getting a solid hand on the ball and pawing it out for a corner.

Leavy scored against Bohs last week, could he get a second Dublin derby goal in the space of seven days?

Another sub lined up for Shels, Kian Leavy warming up, likely to replace Caffery or Matty Smith.

Evan Caffery flashes a shot 20 yards out that flys past Mannus\' left post.

Johnathan Lunney looks to have cramped up and is ushered off the pitch, likely to be replaced by Brian McManus.

Byrne whips in a looping ball for Gaffney to get on to. Gaffney's header fails to challenge Kearns, going straight down the middle.

Shane Farell picks up a knock after receiving a tough challenge. He's gone off the pitch momentarily.

Back underway at Tolka, Lee Grace replaces Daniel Cleary for The Hoops while Kameron Ledwidge steps in for Paddy Barret.

Half-time at Tolka. The game's been stuck in a definitive deadlock and it'll be interesting to see what changes the two managers implement to try break their team's shackles.

Gaffney released on the left wing, cuts inside and unleashes a shot that\'s blocked by the outstretched leg of Luke Byrne.

Damien Duff must be taking queues from Diego Simeone's great Atletico Madrid sides as again Jack Byrne proves unable to cut through the Shels defence, his pass deftly intercepted by JR Wilson.

Shels are doing an excellent job at staying compact and well-disciplined. Rovers seem unable to produce a real threat as they dawdle around Shels box and look unable to produce a moment of magic.

Rovers are continuing to commit more men forward as Shels look blunt and sloppy in their play-making.

Kearns again nervy in his decision to leave his line. A non-threatening pass from Jack Byrne sends him flying off his line before Gaffney catches the ball way before Kearns and almost pulls off a lob from 35 yards out.

Badly overhit cross from Richie Towell goes spiralling into the stands.

Daniel Cleary carded for a poor challenge on Molloy.

20 minutes in and there's been no clear-cut chances as of yet. Rovers looking the better team but as we've seen so far this season, The Hoops have been incredibly liable in their defending and struggled to convert their dominance over games into points.

Shels look content to soak up the pressure and conserve the energy, letting The Hoops midfield knock it between each other while applying no real press.

Not the most assured performance from Kearns so far. Gets stuck in no mans land defending a cross and is lucky that Rory Gaffney is penalised for a high foot.

Gavin Molloy has briefly exited play to deal with what looks like a wrist injury.

Towell finds the ball on the ball on the edge of the box and goes for the half-volley. Unfortunately, he's unable to challenge his inner Paolo di Canio and slices the ball wide to the jeers of the home fans.

Graham Burke catches the ball on the left side of the box and draws a good save from Conor Kearns.

Rovers are moving the ball along nicely so far, but we're yet to see how they've been in their defensive phases. The Hoops showed extreme frailties against Cork on Monday, conceding four at home.

Evan Caffery swings in a deep free-kick into Rovers box but fails to clear the first man.

The hosts get the play under way.

Despite it remaining bitterly cold in Drumcondra, the sleet's cleared up and after a momentary inspection this afternoon, the pitch has been deemed good to go.

A couple of changes to Shels' starting XI from last Monday. Matthew Smith, Shane Farell and Lee Byrne come in as Kian Leavy, Andrew Quinn and Kameron Ledwidge make way. Talisman Sean Boyd still out of the squad as he continues on the recovery trail from an injury.

Rovers will be happy to see Pico Lopes return from suspension as he slots back into the heart of The Hoops' defence and frees up Gary O'Neill from a makeshift back three and places him back in the midfield. Bradley will hope that O'Neill will plug the gaps in the centre of the park when Shels enter their attacking phases and try exploit a Rovers defence that's conceded eight goals this campaign.

It's a sold-out night at Tolka, and Duff is keen for his side to put on a show. "People have said it to me, hardcore fans, people here for years, they’ve commented on the atmosphere, the electricity at Tolka, the kind of buzz created in the Riverside last Friday has been too rare here over the past 20 odd years. This is such a special place, it’s built for big nights. We want to bring them back every time we play here and I’ve said it before many times, the fans have lifted us, now we’re doing everything to return that feeling to them, make them proud, and give them a reason to rock the place every Friday night.”

Since Damien Duff's appointment as Shels manager in late 2021, they've gained a reputation of a scrappy team, a group of lads always up for a fight. Monday's 2-1 loss to Dundalk did little to flip that stereotype, as shortly after full-time a large-scale altercation broke out between players on the pitch. The Drumcondra side have only picked up four points from four points, the exact same start to the season as their previous campaign, but Duff believes his team has progressed massively in the past twelve months: “I hope it’s there for people [progress] to see. We’ve had a few hard luck stories which ties in with last year a bit," he said. The main difference is we know there’s a lot more to come. The players are receptive to coaching and hungry for hard work, they’re great guys to work with, and the big thing for us is we’re seeing them making improvements. “We’ve started well and strung some decent performances together, but that’s not enough. Now it’s about turning good displays into points on the board. We want to bring a winning mindset to the club, we’re not about finding solace in narrow defeats after a good performance, we won’t be content with competing."

Bradley on Shels: “It’ll be a difficult game for us, I’ve no doubt about that. I’ve watched all their games and you can see that they’re very well organised. Damien always has them well organised so it’ll be a difficult game, and throw in that it’s a Dublin Derby and that they’re in good form. It has all the makings to be a really good game.”

Rovers hold just three points to their name so far in this campaign, and they come off a whirlwind 4-4 draw with Cork City on Monday night that saw Sean Hoare salvage a point at the last gasp. Speaking on the match, manager Stephen Bradley said: " Definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, it was the strangest game I’ve been involved in. It was 4-4 and it could have been 6-6 or we could have won 8-6, it was one of those type of games. A really strange game with lots of opportunities for both teams that you don’t get very often.”

Welcome along to tonight's coverage of the Ringsend derby, where Shels will welcome Rovers to Tolka. Both teams have been far from perfect this season, three points for either side could provide a significant boost in turning their seasons around.