Shamrock Rovers set to bring unbeaten record to Oriel Pk on Friday

Macdara Ferris reports from Tallaght Stadium

Stephen Bradley’s Shamrock Rovers team take their 33 league game unbeaten record on tour to Oriel Park on Friday. 

The Hoops have won their last three league games against the Lilywhites including a 4-0 win the last time Rovers went to Oriel Park. However, Dundalk are the team who inflicted Rovers’ last loss in a domestic game [the 2020 FAI Cup Final], their last loss in a league game [September 2019] and the last time Rovers lost a home league game was to Dundalk in June 2019. 

“It won’t be an easy match,” was Stephen Bradley’s assessment of the trip to Dundalk when he spoke with extratime.com in Tallaght after Rovers’ 1-1 draw with Derry City last Saturday. 

“They have a talented squad with a lot of players from around the world including international players. It will be a difficult game. We will go there to win and take all three points.”

The FAI Cup holders have won just the one league game at Oriel Park this season whereas Rovers have won four and drawn one away from home. Dundalk sit seventh in the table, 16 points behind the league leaders and four points above the relegation play-off position.

“However things are going up in Dundalk at the moment, they are still a very good side with very good players,” said Hoops midfielder Gary O’Neill. “We are going to approach it as if it is the Dundalk side that were winning leagues and cups. We have to be on it and we will have to be ready.”

Rovers sit six points clear at the top of the table and are carrying some injury concerns coming into the game.

Unavailable at present are Neil Farrugia and Sean Kavanagh, while Joey O’Brien, and Aaron Greene were not part of the Hoops squad last week against Derry in a game where Dylan Watts came off early with a hamstring injury.

The Hoops bench last weekend had an average age of just 20.4. There were five teenagers - Aidomo Emakhu (17), Conan Noonan (18), Cole Omorehiomwan (18), Adam Wells (18) and Max Murphy (19), along with Darragh Nugent (20) and Dean Williams (21). The more senior players were back-up goalkeeper Leon Pohls (24) and defender Sean Gannon (29). Emakhu came off the bench for his league debut in that game.

O’Neill said that “It is a testament to the Academy when you look at the bench and the young lads on it. Aidamo [Emakhu] made his debut and he has been brilliant in training. There are no worries with those lads coming off the bench, they are good enough to step up. We have a few injuries but the squad is big enough to deal with it.” 

Stephen Bradley is certainly willing to give youth their chance. “Those players have been in with us for quite some time and Aidamo has been excellent. I’m sure it will be the first of many. He deserves his chance,” said Bradley.

“We have given 22 debuts [from the Academy] and that will continue. If players are good enough they will get their chance.”

Managerial view of contROVERSial goal in Tallaght https://t.co/zQkIGoS5fKpic.twitter.com/pAEg2zb3zP

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) May 16, 2021