2019 Season Preview: Shamrock Rovers

Manager: Stephen Bradley

Stadium: Tallaght Stadium 

The home for the Hoops has an increased capacity this season to 8,000 following the completion of the new south stand. The club have re-arranged the supporter set-up in the ground to suit. 

The singing section for home supporters will be located in the new 2,000 seater south stand while away fans will now be located in the East Stand directly opposite from their previous position.

2019 Players in: Jack Byrne (Kilmarnock), Aaron McEneff (Derry City), Orhan Vojic (VfL Wolfsburg), Leon Pohls (Eintracht Norderstedt)

2019 Players out: Gavin Bazunu (Manchester City), Aaron Bolger (Cardiff City – on loan), Luke Byrne (Shelbourne), Ally Gilchrist (Derry City), Kevin Horgan (Galway United), David McAllister (retired), Emmanuel Lawal (Wexford), Brandon Miele (St Patrick's Athletic), Gary Shaw (St Patrick's Athletic), Dean Williams (Athlone Tone – on loan)

Extratime.ie Key Man: Jack Byrne 

As if Rovers didn’t have enough quality in midfield, the eye-catching acquisition of 22-year-old Jack Byrne means Stephen Bradley has added to his wealth of options in the middle of the park.

Byrne played in the UEFA Youth League with Manchester City before getting a 27 game spell in the Dutch top division with Cambuur on loan. Subsequent moves to Blackburn and Wigan (both on loan) and SPL side Kilmarnock were hampered by injuries and managerial change and he is relishing to get back playing regularly.



Extratime.ie One to Watch: Orhan Vojic

Do clubs need a 20 goal a season striker to win the league? Well looking back over the last ten years, the league’s top goalscorer has played with the champions on five occasions (including in four of the last five years).

Rovers may have enough quality in their midfield that they mightn’t need someone to bang so many in but it certainly would help.

Dan Carr scored ten in the league for the Hoops last season – with Graham Burke who played half a season with the Hoops top scorer on 13.

Carr has been deployed more in a wide role in a front three and so it may fall to 22-year-old Orhan Vojic who signed this week to provide the goals. 

Strikers Dean Dillon and Sean Boyd will be looking to get game time but Aaron Greene is likely to start in the number nine slot while Vojic gets back his match fitness.



The Bosnian youth international striker, born in Austria, netted five goals in six starts and 25 sub appearances for Wolsfburg’s reserve team over the last two seasons

How they did last season:

League: Third

Yet again Rovers were off the pace in the league, were never in the title chase at any stage and yet finished the season strongly to secure Europe – five years in a row they have managed that feat. 

If the club had Alan Mannus or Gavin Bazunu in goal at the start of the season, it may have been different. Once Tomer Chencinski departed and Kevin Horgan dropped down the pecking order, with Lee Grace and Pico Lopes in front of the either Mannus or Bazunu, the Hoops were super solid. 

The final 15 matches of the league campaign saw them only concede five goals and keeping 11 clean sheets.

Across the season they kept 11 clean sheets at home (only bettered by Cork City’s 12) and nine away from home (Dundalk kept one more) with their total of 20 clean sheets in the league just one behind Dundalk.

FAI Cup: eliminated in first round

The cup curse continued for Shamrock Rovers in 2018 with a painful night for the Hoops in Drogheda in August. They were eliminated at the very first hurdle by First Division opposition when former Rovers B team player Chris Lyons scored the only goal of the game against ten man Rovers.

EA Sports Cup: eliminated in second round

The Hoops lost 1-0 at home to Longford Town in Rovers first and last appearance in the 2018 addition of the League Cup.

Europe: Eliminated after extra-time in the First Round Europa League Qualification Round

With 16-year-old Gavin Bazunu in goal, the Hoops came close to progressing in Europe at the expense of AIK Stockholm.

The Swedish side, who would go on to win their own domestic league season, required an extra-time goal in the second leg played at the Swedish National Stadium to eliminate Rovers 2-1 on aggregate. 

What to expect this season:

The talk around Tallaght is of a possible title tilt and with the departure from Dundalk of manager Stephen Kenny and Cork City losing some key members of their 2018 squad (such as Kieran Sadlier) maybe Rovers can mount their first title challenge since the departure of Michael O’Neill from the club in 2011. 

With less churn in the Rovers squad this season, Stephen Bradley has a squad of players that he has brought to the club and has shaped over the last few seasons. 

They may though fall just short though as while the Lilywhites lost their talismanic manager, they have retained all of their key players and questions marks remain about the requirement for Rovers to have an out-and-out goalscorer in their team.

The Hoops fans would love to give Dundalk a run for their money and some even believe that one day, maybe this season, Rovers might win a magical 25thFAI Cup.

Title Odds: 3/1

First game: Waterford (a)

 

    About Macdara Ferris

    Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile