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Tag: Shamrock Rovers

  • From Title Thrills to Relegation Spills: The League of Ireland’s Latest Chapter Concludes 

    From Title Thrills to Relegation Spills: The League of Ireland’s Latest Chapter Concludes 

    By Aidan O’Boyle

    Another year of chaos. Nothing new. The League of Ireland delivered yet again just like Shamrock Rovers, who stumbled over the line to get their 5th title in 6 years.

    The Champions season started how it ended, with a defeat. After a slow start to the season with just the one point in three games, the south Dublin side went seven games unbeaten. That run was ended by bitter rivals Bohemians in one of the games of the season in late April. 

    That sore loss clearly gave them a push as they then went 11 games without defeat with 8 of those being wins. But back came Bohs to defeat them for the third time that season and end the strong run. 

    Another eight games unbeaten in the league which included them finally getting a win over Bohs, thrown in with a few nice cup and European qualifiers wins, set up Shamrock Rovers for a straightforward stroll to the title. 

    However, they made it a little bit uncomfortable on themselves with three consecutive defeats before finally securing the title with a 1-0 win over Galway United in front of their adoring fans. 

    The Shamrock Rovers team and backroom staff celebrate. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.

    Pat Shelly a lifelong Shamrock Rovers fan was delighted with his teams’ title win. “The lads made us sweat a bit, but we did it. We had some excellent unbeaten runs this season. Hopefully we do the double now.” 

    The double in question was the league and cup double. Their opponents in last weeks FAI Cup final on Sunday were Cork City. The Leesiders had a horrible league campaign ending it relegated and with an abysmal four wins in the league. They were desperate to end on a high note with a cup win and give their fans something to smile about. 

    However, it was not to be as Shamrock Rovers completed the double with two second half strikes from Rory Gaffney defeating a spirited Cork.

    Seanie Maguire celebrates scoring Cork City’s first goal in their cup semi-final win. Photo: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

    Derry City and last season’s champions Shelbourne ended their seasons on a positive note securing European football for next season. 

    Shels who finished third will be playing in the Conference League qualifiers. Losing Damien Duff halfway through the season didn’t help but Joey O’Brien steadied the ship with a great end to the league season going six unbeaten including massive wins against Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians. 

    Shelbourne fan Jack Dinan was relatively happy with the season “We’re playing in the Conference league group stages and did decent in the league. A few new signings with the prize money from Europe will set us up nicely for next season.” 

    Derry whose last league defeat was on the 3rd of August against the league champions, finished second which confirmed Conference League football for next season. However, a Shamrock Rovers cup win upgraded them to Europa League football which is a big boost to the The Candystripes.

    Bohemians’ fans were also in the unfamiliar position of supporting their arch-rivals. They were handed a Conference league qualifier spot after Rovers completed the double.

    A mixed season from Bohs seen them exit the cup in the 3rd round and hang onto 4th place in the league with a comprehensive 4-1 win over Drogheda on the final day ending their run of four league games without a win. 

    St. Patricks Athletic won’t be playing European football next season as they finished their season with three stalemates. This, coupled with a shock semi-final exit in the cup at the hands of Cork City, meant it was a dismal end to the season for The Saints, who also said goodbye to their teenage prodigy Mason Melia as he departs for Spurs in January. 

    Despite finishing sixth in the league Drogheda United had an “absolutely fantastic season” according to their manager Kevin Doherty. After finishing ninth and in the relegation playoffs last season it was a more consistent year for The Drogs this time around. A loss on the final day against Bohs ended their European dream. 

    Drogheda manager Kevin Doherty was positive about his teams season. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile. 

    Sligo Rovers and Galway United both avoided the relegation playoffs at the expense of Waterford who played Bray Wanderers in the playoff last Friday. 

    Relief was the overriding emotion for Waterford fans and players as goals from Conan Noonan and Sam Glenfield broke Brays hearts again in what was their second playoff defeat in two years.

    Galway avoided the dreaded play-offs after producing a performance the late Ollie Horgan would have been proud of with a hard fought 1-1 draw on the final day of the season against Waterford.

    Sligo Rovers struggled with the loss of several key players, but a breakout season for 19-year-old Owen Elding helped soften the blow. Having occupied the bottom of the table for a period, seventh in the league isn’t a bad finish in hindsight for the West Coast team. 

    While many fans won’t be happy with their teams’ season, neutrals will all be saying one thing: More of the same next season please.

  • Airtricity League title evades the capital – 2014 Season Review

    As another year of Irish league football comes to an end, the time for reflection for managers, players and fans has arrived. Whether your club has won the league, embarked on a memorable cup run, exceeded expectations or spectacularly failed to live up to them, little will change the love we feel for the club we support. Here’s a round-up of all the Dublin-based Premier Division clubs for the 2014 season.

    Bohemians

    Dalymount Park will welcome back First Division football next season. Photo: Jack Pollock
    Dalymount Park will welcome back First Division football next season. Photo: Jack Pollock

    After retaining their SSE Airtricity Premier Division status in 2013 with a 10th place finish, the Gypsies pushed on in the 2014 season to surprise everyone at Dalymount Park and finish in a commendable 7th place.

    Having only secured safety in the final weeks of the 2013 season, this campaign was a far more productive effort under now departed boss, Owen Heary. The 38 year-old, who spent seven years with the Phibsborough based club as a player and manager, guided his team to the latter stages of all three domestic cups. Bohs reached the semi-final stages of the EA Sports Cup, only to lose out to Shamrock Rovers 0-2. The FAI Cup brought more heartache, as the side were narrowly defeated by St Patrick’s Athletic despite threatening a late comeback in their quarter-final tie. The lesser acclaimed Leinster Senior Cup also saw the club excel, before being convincingly beaten by rivals Shamrock Rovers once again at the quarter-final stage.

    Dinny Corcoran ended the season as the Gypsies’ top scorer, as he bagged 13 league goals to ensure relegation was never at the forefront of his teammates’ thoughts. Summer signing Jason Byrne also provided the goals for Heary’s men, but at 36 years of age, time is running out for the Dublin-born striker to break the League of Ireland’s all time scoring record of 235 goals, currently held by Brendan Bradley. Byrne still needs just over 20 goals to match Bradley’s feat.

    Shamrock Rovers

    Photo: Shamrock Rovers FC
    Shamrock Rovers narrowly missed out on European qualification for next season. Photo: Shamrock Rovers FC

    Having previously secured a domestic cup treble in the 2013 campaign, Rovers were expected to improve on their 5th place finish and to challenge for the league title. However, the Hoops were to end another season without qualifying for Europe.

    Midway through the season, manager Trevor Croly left the club by mutual consent as the club decided he was no longer the man to take the club forward. Pat Fenlon, the former Hibernian boss, took over the reins as the club desperately tried to secure European football for the first time in four years. With their league form proving indifferent, the cups took on more importance as the club searched for an alternative route into Europe.

    The Hoops surrendered their EA Sports Cup to Dundalk, who claimed a 3-2 victory in a pulsating final. The club also lost its grip on their two remaining trophies, as they exited both the Leinster Senior Cup and the Setanta Sports Cup at the semi-final stages. Most painfully, Pat Fenlon’s side saw their last opportunity to qualify for Europe pass them by, as they lost to Derry City in their FAI Cup semi-final replay. The FAI Cup was high on the list of priorities for boss Fenlon, with the club having gone 27 years without claiming the trophy.

    Gary McCabe ended the season as the club’s top scorer with seven goals, as the Tallaght-based club struggled to find a prolific scorer. Goalkeeper Barry Murphy was named as the club’s Player of the Year.

    St Patrick’s Athletic

    Richmond Park Image
    Fans of St Pat’s can look forward to some Europa League action in July 2015. Photo: Fionnsci

    In claiming the SSE Airtricity Premier Division title in 2013, St Pat’s finally shook off their tag of ‘nearly men’. However, Liam Buckley’s side failed to recapture their title-winning form in 2014, as arguably the best squad in the league vastly underperformed to seal only a 3rd place finish.

    In light of their league triumph, the Inchicore club’s struggles in the cup competitions were largely overlooked last season. This campaign, in contrast, will be remembered for their exploits in both European and the domestic cups. Having gained a remarkable 1-1 draw in their Champions League second-round qualifier first-leg against Legia Warsaw, those at Richmond Park began to dream of a fairytale meeting with Scottish giants, Celtic. Unfortunately, those visions would remain imaginary, as the Polish champions thrashed St Pat’s in the second-leg, to end their chances of progressing.

    Liam Buckley and his players did claim the Leinster Senior Cup after beating First Division side Longford Town in the final. With Europa League qualification secured through their final league position, St Pat’s head into the FAI Cup Final on November 2 with little to fear, as they go in search of more silverware.

    Christy Fagan marked a memorable personal campaign with 20 league goals; Conan Byrne and Chris Forrester also reached double figures. Keith Fahey also enjoyed a fine campaign as he made his eagerly anticipated return to the League of Ireland.

    UCD

    UCD. Photo: Ed Scannell
    UCD’s future in the Premier Division remains in their own hands. Photo: Ed Scannell

    The perennial target for the Students is to remain in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division and they still have a chance of extending their five-year stay. In 2013, UCD sealed their safety after finishing in 9th place and in doing so, avoided the uncertainty of a relegation play-off. However, Aaron Callaghan’s side were not so fortunate this time around, as they will have to wait until Halloween night before their Premier Division status is decided.

    With the club’s target of survival the only real aspiration for management and players, cup competitions always prove to be a thankless task at the UCD Bowl. The Students exited all domestic cup competitions in the early rounds, as they lived up to their low expectations. Striker Cillian Morrison left the club in July to join Cork City, in what has become a familiar scenario for UCD as they continue to lose their best players on an all-too regular basis. The likes of Michael Leahy, Craig Walsh, Dinny Corcoran and David McMillan have all left the side in the past 12 months. However, management encourage the club’s best players to move on, in order to further their careers at more ambitious sides throughout the division.

    Time will tell if UCD are to prepare for life in the Premier Division once more, or whether they will finally endure relegation to Irish football’s second-tier.