ST PAT'S boss Pete Mahon believes that it's time for Irish football to ditch the 10-team league system and allow more teams back into the top flight.

There are four games in tonight's round of fixtures in the Premier Division, the clash between St Pat's and Sligo Rovers the pick of the bunch as the live TV cameras will be in place.

In past seasons, a Derry City-Shelbourne tie at the Brandywell would have been the main event, but as both clubs are slumming it in Division One there's little real interest in that tie.

The Premier Division has been run as a 10-team league for five of the past nine seasons, and this term Pats stand a very good chance of landing their first title since 1999, but Mahon feels it's time to admit that the system is not working.

"There are too many games, too much familiarity and I think we need to make a change if the league is to have a future," Mahon said as he prepared his side to face Sligo, the timing of the fixture underlining his point.

"We play Sligo tonight for the third time in 11 days, as we played them over two legs in the Setanta Cup last week. Between the league, the Setanta Cup, League Cup and FAI Cup, we could play nine or 10 times this season and that's not healthy.

"I think we need to realise we are in a different era and a different situation now. When we moved to a 10-team league a few years ago (2002), the plan was to have a league of elite teams with a good geographical spread, people like Cork, Derry and Drogheda would have been key to that. They were part of the 'magnificent ten' as some called it.

"But times have changed. Cork and Derry are in the First Division after they had money troubles. Drogheda had financial problems as well and I think we need to face up to the fact that we need to have a 16-team league.

"I think we have too many games. We had a match last Tuesday and the Tuesday before that. We have another game next Monday as well as tonight. With all the cup matches on our plate we have a midweek game every week for a couple of weeks and that's not easy," added Mahon.

"Bohs, Rovers and Pats will play each other so often this season we'll be fed up with each other, so we need to make a change to the way we run things."

At this stage last season Pats had lost four times and conceded 12 goals under Jeff Kenna, but now Pats have lost only once, let in two goals and keeper Gary Rogers has kept an impressive six clean sheets.

"We're still a work in progress and I won't let anyone get carried away," said Mahon. "Of this squad, only Damian Lynch and Stuart Byrne have won medals in their careers. The rest of the players have won nothing and they are very eager to change that this season. I don't know if we'll win the league. There is a long way to go, but I feel we can win something this season and it's nice that we have reached the Setanta Cup final.

"We have a good group of players here and there is a good attitude. We don't get too despondent if we lose and we don't lose our heads with excitement if we win a match."

The steely nature of the Pats defence was recognised this week when centre-half Conor Kenna was named as the player of the month by the Airtricity Soccer Writers Association of Ireland, but much of the credit for the good start to the season is down to keeper Gary Rogers.

The Meath man's ability was repeatedly questioned by Saints supporters last season but the ex-Drogheda player has been revived under Mahon.

Sligo head for Dublin tonight to take on Pats as the only unbeaten team in the league, and Mahon is expecting a testing night against Rovers, who were beaten 6-2 on aggregate by his team in the Setanta Cup semi-final.

"I saw the reaction of the Sligo players after we beat them 2-1 up in Sligo on Saturday and they were really hurt, so they will be keen to get revenge and beat us tonight. I'm sure they can't wait for this game," said the Saints boss.

"I think we deserved to win the semi-final but it was harsh on them to concede six goals against us, so they'll want to make amends at Richmond Park."

Sligo plan to hand a Rovers debut to former Cameroon international Joseph Ndo, who has finally been given permission to play for them after issues over his work permit were cleared up.

Next Fixture

vs BOHEMIANS

Date: April 24th (7:45pm)
Competition: League
Venue: Richmond Park
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Team	Pld	Pts
Shamrock Rovers	12	25
St Patrick's Athletic	12	23
Dundalk	12	21
Bohemian FC	12	20
Derry City	12	14
Galway United	11	14
Shelbourne	11	13
Sligo Rovers	12	11
Drogheda United	11	10
Waterford FC	11	4