Andy Lyons makes the move to Shamrock Rovers

On Monday Shamrock Rovers announced the signing of Andy Lyons on a multi-year deal from Dublin rivals Bohemians.

The Republic of Ireland under-21 international made 58 league appearances for Bohs after joining the Gypsies from Bray Wanderers in 2016.

The full-back made his league debut for the Dalymount side in April 2018 scoring three goals in all competitions during his four-year spell, including a superb solo goal to give Keith Long’s side a 2-1 win over Rovers in the FAI Cup last August.

The Naas native earned his maiden under-21 International cap for Jim Crawford’s side away to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Lyons also played all six games of Bohemians’ UEFA Conference League run and says the pull of European football was too good to turn down at Shamrock Rovers.

The player was out of contract at Bohemians and the club will be due compensation from Shamrock Rovers.

“There was a bit of interest from the UK but I just felt that the next step for me was a full-time club, and the league champions – there’s no better place to go,” he told his new club’s media team.

“They’ve won trophies and there’s the European factor as well. They played six games last season and obviously this year we’re hoping to win a few games in Europe and push on to that next level.

“My time at Bohs was brilliant and I’ve a lot of friends there. I think not getting Europe with Bohs was very disappointing and my experience last year meant that I just really want to go back there and experience that again. It’s about making that next step for me in my development in my career.”

The Hoops are preparing for their President’s Cup tie with St Patrick’s Athletic on February 11^th and Lyons who already met his new teammates in training on Monday morning is delighted to make the move to the defending SSE Airtricity League Premier Division Champions.

The 21-year-old had options in the UK but after talking to Stephen Bradley he decided to move across the Liffey.

“I’m absolutely buzzing to get the deal over the line. It’s a massive club, obviously in everything they’ve shown in the last few years with their league titles and European runs, and I’m delighted to be part of that now. I’m delighted to be here.

“I got a call from Stephen Bradley and once I started chatting to him and hearing his plans and vision for me, that was something I was really excited about. England and the UK is my ambition, but he outlined what his plan is for me and I think this is the perfect club for me. 

“Especially at the age I’m at now, going to a full-time set up was something that was big for me. There is that European exposure and hopefully some leagues and cups as well. It’s definitely going to aid my development and Stephen has a clear plan in place for me so I’m looking forward to it,” he added.

Rovers kick-off their three-in-a-row bid at home to new boys UCD on February 18^th.

Bradley also spoke to the clubs’ media team and after missing out on Lyons in the past he was delighted to bring him through the door and strengthen his defence.

“Andy has a lot of attributes that we like and that we feel fit how we play. We’ve liked him for a while. We tried to sign Andy a couple of years back and it didn’t quite come off. So we’re delighted to get him this time around because he fits our profile of player and how we try to play.

"When we had a conversation, it was pretty straightforward. Andy recognised that he wanted to be with a team that is winning and competing for things. It’s a chance to improve every aspect and we obviously represented that chance and that opportunity for him.

“We believe that there’s a lot of development in Andy. That’s one aspect of him coming here that we spoke about. We know we can help him be a better player and we feel he can help us be a better team, so it works for both.

"He suits how we play and adds real strength to the squad and he’s another player who can play in a number of positions as well, which is really important for us with the amount of games that we play throughout the year. It’s important to have a competitive squad and I feel we have that now.”

President’s Cup Final returns to Tallaght Stadium https://t.co/gsbSpctslnpic.twitter.com/Xxqr87IG0O

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) January 21, 2022