League Preview: Shamrock Rovers - v - Derry City

SHAMROCK ROVERS

The Hoops will be playing their first home game of the season and in front of a packed new 2,000 seater south stand for the first time in Tallaght Stadium on Friday night when Derry City are the visitors (kick off 8pm). The singing section for the home fans will be in the new stand as the East Stand will now be home to visiting fans.

“I think the new south stand is going to be a positive, having our fans there,” said Hoops Head Coach Stephen Bradley. “If you think back throughout the years, it's stands behind the goal that fans fill and when teams are shooting into it, it always gives them that extra edge and the will to go and score. It'd be great to see a full stand and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

“We're obviously looking forward to playing our first home game and hopefully there's a big crowd in Tallaght. There's been good crowds around the league in the first round of games and hopefully we'll be the same tomorrow, I'm sure we will.” 

Glenn Cronin will be calling the shots from the Rovers bench in Tallaght as Stephen Bradley is serving out the second of his two-match suspension following his red card against Waterford during Rovers’ final home game of last season.

Down in Waterford last Friday night, the Hoops came away with all three points thanks to an injury time winner claimed by substitute Orhan Vojic with the substitute scoring on debut deflecting Ethan Boyle’s shot home for the victory. 

“It was great to win it in the last minute,” said Bradley. “There's no better feeling, especially a tough game away to Waterford in the first game of the season with the conditions and a big crowd.” 

Jack Byrne and Aaron McEneff also made their first competitive starts and performed excellently with Byrne in particular capturing the eye of those in attendance in the RSC. The remaining players in the starting XI were all part of Bradley’s 2018 squad.

“I think one of the positives of not having a big turnaround in the group is that the new players have understood what it means very quickly, how we work and what's expected here. 

“Waterford didn't dominate in any way. But you're away to a team that had a really good season last year and I'm sure will be strong this year, so you expect there to be patches in the game where you're on the back foot. 



“It didn't surprise me that our three subs came on and did well, that's the competition we want. It was great for Aaron Greene to get his first goal (since returning to the club). I thought he was excellent, he worked the back line really well, held the ball up and was a nuisance for them all night. The goal was just reward. 

“There was a debate amongst the players the next day about who scored the winning goal but Orhan Vojic was adamant after the game that he'd scored. It didn't look like it to me at the time but when you actually see it back from the camera behind the goal, he definitely flicked it into the corner. It's probably hard to see from the normal TV angle. 

It was three wins for Rovers and a scoreless draw in the Brandywell when the teams met last season but Bradley isn’t reading too much into that.

“Derry are a totally different team to last year, I think they'd maybe only one or two players against UCD that finished the season last year. So there's no point in looking at last year's games. They played really well in their first game, won 3-0 and it should have been 5 or 6.

"They were really dominant and played with a fantastic energy. They moved the ball really well. They'll come here with no fear and looking to win the game, so I think it's going to be a tougher game than last week"

DERRY CITY

It was a super start for Declan Devine on his second coming to the managerial role with Derry City last Friday. His team earned all three points with a 3-0 home win against UCD last week and are fully focused on finding their first win over Rovers since 2017.

"We spent a while on Saturday scrutinising our own performance (from the UCD game) and then immediately started preparing for a tough run of games," said Devine.

"Stephen (Bradley) has assembled a quality squad and we know the size of the challenge that Rovers will provide, so we have to be ready".

Devine has essentially a full squad to call from although Darren Cole is a doubt as he picked up a knock in last Friday's opening night win over the Students.

The 3-0 win was secured thanks to goals from David Parkhouse, Eoghan Stokes and an own goal from Liam Scales.

"We brought in a lot of versatile players ahead of the season so I have every faith in our options" he said. "We're entering a busy and testing couple of weeks so it is vital to have that versatility available."

After the trip to Tallaght on Friday, the Candystripes are back at home on Monday night when they will face Waterford in league action.

During the week Devine confirmed that Ciaron Harkin, man-of-the-match last week, has extended his stay in the Branywell till the end of the 2021 season. 

"We've never made any secret of the fact that we're building for the future and this is fantastic business for Derry City Football Club. I'm quietly confident that 'Jackie' won't be the only player to commit his future here in the coming months."

 

Referee: Robert Hennessy

 

MATCH STATS

Derry City scored just the one goal against Rovers across the four league matches the teams played against each other last season. In Tallaght Stadium, the Hoops beat the Candystripes 6-1 and 2-0 and they grabbed a 1-0 in the Brandywell when the teams last met with Dan Carr getting the winner.

Aaron McEneff scored three goals against Rovers in 2017 – he got two strikes in the Candystripes 3-1 win in Buncrana in May along with another goal in Derry’s 2-0 win over Rovers in Tallaght the following August.

McEneff was the top scorer for the Candystripes last year with ten league goals. That was the same number Dan Carr got but Graham Burke, who scored four against Derry in last year’s 6-1 win, was top scorer for the Hoops with 13 despite leaving Rovers in the summer transer window.

 

BETTING

Shamrock Rovers 1/2; Draw 11/4; Derry City 11/2.

 

PREDICTION

1-0 home win for the Hoops

 

Shamrock Rovers

Injured:None

Doubtful:None

Suspended: None

 

Derry City

Injured:None

Doubtful:Darren Cole

Suspended:None

 

    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