Loss to Sligo proved turning point in Shamrock Rovers’ title winning 2021 season

Rovers have won three from three on the green green grass of home this season

Rovers have won three from three on the green green grass of home this season Credit: Eddie Lennon (ETPhotos)

Macdara Ferris reports from Roadstone Sports Club

Shamrock Rovers are 14 league games undefeated at Tallaght Stadium. The last team to beat the Hoops in league action in Dublin 24 was Friday night’s visitors Sligo Rovers.

The Hoops’ record breaking league run of 33 games ended with a defeat to Dundalk in Oriel Park on 21 May last year. Three days later Liam Buckley’s Sligo Rovers beat the Hoops in Tallaght to make it back-to-back defeats for Stephen Bradley’s side.

While the win sent Sligo top of the league knocking the Hoops off top spot, the game proved an inflection point in the season. The Bit O ’Red picked up only ten points from their next ten games to fall away in the title race while Shamrock Rovers took 23 from the next 30 points on offer and never looked back.

Focus

“It just focussed us,” said Stephen Bradley about the 2021 defeat to Sligo Rovers when he spoke with the media including extratime.com at their training ground on the eve Friday’s game. “It was probably up there with one of our worst performances last year. 

“We were really poor on the night. We were sloppy. Sligo definitely refocussed us and we had a great run after that.”

When the Bit O’ Red returned to Tallaght in October, the Hoops won 2-0 with goals from Danny Mandriou and Aaron Greene; they would wrap up the title a fortnight later.

Speaking after that game to extratime.com, Greene noted then the motivation to beat Sligo that night came from the defeat in Tallaght earlier in the season. “They came up and won here during the season (in May) and they kind of rubbed it in our faces. They walked away like they had won the league so we showed them today.”

Title contenders

Coming into this St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Sligo are unbeaten so far this season and sit second in the table a point off the top and a point above fourth placed Shamrock Rovers. When asked are the Bit O’ Red title contenders, Bradley said “I don’t know. We’ll see over the course of the season.

“We know when the season starts to take shape, come Europe time, you get a real feel for who’s going to be there and who’s not. They’ve had a brilliant start, they’re there right now, but it’s too early to say that.

“They’ve recruited really well. I know (Aidan) Keena scored a hat-trick the other day but both of their forwards have done well. They’ve pace out wide in (Karl) O’Sullivan and (Will) Fitzgerald. 

"(Niall) Morahan and (Adam) McDonnell work really hard for them in midfield and they’ve the experience of Greg (Bolger) and (David) Cawley. They’ve conceded two, scored a few goals, I’m sure they’ll come full of confidence.”

Dundalk draw



The Hoops drew 0-0 with Dundalk last Monday night with Leon Pohls earning his first clean sheet as he replaced Alan Mannus who missed the match due to illness but is available for selection on Friday.

The Hoops started in Dundalk without an out and out number nine with Rory Gaffney, Aaron Greene and Aidomo Emakhu on the bench.

When extratime.com asked Bradley about the game in Oriel Park being Rovers’ first scoreless draw in 57 matches (a run starting back in early November 2020), the Hoops Head Coach said “that stat doesn't interest me as when you look at the chances – Richie (Towell’s) one in the first half when he (Nathan Sheppered) tips it over the bar, Aaron Greene's header and Danny (Mandriou's) one-on-one, he makes three incredible saves. 

“(Shepperd) was brilliant. On another night we score one or two quite comfortably. We created some really good opportunities. First half we started ok and were a bit slow. Second half I thought we were very good. 

"We had control of the game until they had that late chance (from Pat Hoban). Our movement was good and we had dangerous runs in behind. We caused them real problems.”

International break

After Friday’s game, Rovers’ next match is away to Finn Harps in a fortnight’s time which will take place after next week’s international break. The Hoops are hoping to play a friendly fixture next week against a team from Northern Ireland or an English side (either in Tallaght or away from home).

“We're looking to get a game and we'll train as normal (during the break). It's really important we don't come away from our workload that we've built up over the last eight to ten weeks as we're only getting going.

"We don't want to reset that and it's really important, this is where the GPS and knowing our loads, that we don't come off that.”

Union

There had been an attempt to play the Unite The Union Cup semi-final against St. Patrick’s Athletic but the competition organisers want to tie in with the other semi-final involving Coleraine and Linfield. That was not possible with the climax of the Irish League on the horizon.

“That would be common sense, don't get me started on that,” said Bradley when speaking about playing against Pat’s during this upcoming international break.

The final had been set for the Aviva Stadium but upcoming fixtures in the Dublin 4 venue along with concerts may mean that the final, whenever it is played, will take place in either Tallaght Stadium or The National Stadium at Windsor Park.

    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