If we win, we will go down in history at this club - Lee Grace

Last Friday Lee Grace got on the scoresheet and helped secure another clean sheet for the Hoops - their 25th in all competitions this season - in the 3-0 home win for Shamrock Rovers over Cork City.

It means the Hoops are carrying momentum into this weekend’s FAI Cup Final against Dundalk, with four wins and a draw from their last five games, all without conceding a goal.

The Hoops defence has been miserly all season racking up 21 clean sheets in the league and conceding a mere 21 goals, and they have only let in one goal in their four FAI Cup games to date.

Rovers’ defensive solidity has been aided by the partnership between Lee Grace and Pico Lopes and the pair are looking to get their hands on their first piece of silverware with Shamrock Rovers this Sunday.

The duo have played all bar three games together this season with Lopes missing the recent game against Finn Harps as he was making his international debut for Cape Verde against Togo.

“We set the club record of 20 clean sheets last year and our target between the defenders and goalkeepers was to beat that this year and we did,” said Grace when he spoke with extratime.ie in the build-up to the FAI Cup Final.

“Pico is a top professional and a top player. He deserves his international call up. I’m buzzing for him and he got the chance to make his international debut for Cape Verde and then play in a friendly against a Marseille side with Dimitri Payet.”

The only goal Rovers have conceded in their FAI Cup campaign so far this year was against Grace’s former club Galway United.

The Tribesmen held a half time lead in the second round tie and while Rovers got an equaliser on 54 minutes, the Hoops needed an injury time winner from Grace to set up a memorable semi-final in Dalymount Park.

“We left it late against a Galway team who played very well that night. They restricted us to just a few chances here and there. We kept plugging away and I got my header at the end and I couldn’t believe it went in.”



The Hoops hadn’t won away to Bohs since May 2017 but Rovers were well worth their 2-0 semi-final win. “In Dalymount, we hadn’t won there in so long and so that was the right time to do it. The fans were unbelievable that night.”

Rovers have failed to beat Dundalk this season, drawing at home in March and losing the three remaining matches – albeit by a single goal in each of those defeats. 

“We know we aren’t too far off. The 1-0 defeat in Tallaght I thought we were much the better team and even the Dundalk lads were saying that themselves but they still won the game.

"It doesn’t matter how much you dominate the ball you need to win the game. It is one goal here or there. We beat them last year so we know how to beat them.” 

Dundalk are going for some history of their own this weekend, looking to join Derry City as the only other club to have won a league, FAI Cup and League Cup treble.

At Rovers the focus is on winning their 25th FAI Cup but their first since the club left Milltown in 1987. Grace wants to be part of a team that can write their name in Irish football history.



“The gaffer has said to us, you can be as good a team as you want, be as good a footballing side but if you don’t win anything, you are never going to be remembered. You have to win something.

"If we win, we will go down in history at this club because it is 32 years since the cup was last won here.”

    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