No more Friday Night Lights in Tallaght this year as revised Shamrock Rovers fixtures confirmed

Thursday nights are European nights at Tallaght Stadium

Thursday nights are European nights at Tallaght Stadium Credit: Eddie Lennon (ETPhotos)

Following Shamrock Rovers’ European group stage qualification, the FAI have confirmed re-arranged dates for six of their matches and it means a packed schedule for the Hoops who will play at a minimum 18 games over the next 73 days.

With six group games to take place on Thursday night’s from September to the first week of November, the Hoops have just the one remaining Friday night game in Tallaght Stadium this year.

There only remaining Friday night fixtures are two Dublin derbies, first away to Bohemians on Friday 2 September in Dalymount Park and then against St. Patrick’s Athletic in Tallaght on Friday 21 October.

The confirmed updated fixtures are:

Shamrock Rovers vs Finn Harps, originally set for Friday 9 September, will now be played on Sunday 11 September, 7pm at Tallaght Stadium.

Shelbourne vs Shamrock Rovers, originally set for Friday 15 July will now be played on Thursday 22 September, 7:45pm at Tolka Park.

Shamrock Rovers vs UCD, originally set for Friday 5 August, will now be played on Monday 26 September, 8pm at Tallaght Stadium.

Shamrock Rovers vs Shelbourne, originally set for Friday 7 October, will now be played on Sunday 9 October, 7pm at Tallaght Stadium.

Drogheda United vs Shamrock Rovers, originally set for Friday 14 October will now be played on Sunday 16 October, 5pm at Head In The Game Park.

Shamrock Rovers vs Derry City, originally set for Friday 28 October, will now be played on Sunday 30 October, 7pm at Tallaght Stadium.



No international break

The re-arranged matches include two (Shels on 22 Sep and UCD on 26 Sep) that were previously postponed to aid the Hoops during earlier rounds in Europe.

They will now play those Dublin clubs during the middle of the international window but irrespective of any callups Rovers will press ahead with the fixtures at this time. 

Final league fixture

The Hoops are scheduled to play UCD away on Friday 4 November but they will be playing their final European game 24 hours earlier. So that match is likely to move to the following Sunday, along with the other Premier Division fixtures.

However, the FAI have said that ‘an announcement on the final date of fixtures in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division season will be made in due course taking in Shamrock Rovers’ European schedule into consideration’. 



Cup specialists

All this means is that the Hoops will play a minimum of 18 games in 73 days (if there final league game against UCD is moved to the Sunday 6 November). However it could be another two more in that time period should they beat Drogheda United in the FAI Cup this coming Sunday to make the quarter-final of the cup. 

Making the FAI Cup quarter-final would clash with Rovers' trip to Head in the Game Park for a league fixture against Drogheda United and would cause additional fixture pile-up (with a possible replay an additional headache).

The FAI Cup final is scheduled for Sunday 13 November (after Rovers' final group stage game) and should the Hoops make it, they would have to play 21 games in 82 days.

2022 v 2011

Rovers will play a minimum of 53 matches this season with 14 games in Europe, 36 in the league, a President’s Cup clash and at least two FAI Cup matches.

This compares with 60 games in 2011 when Rovers played a dozen games matches in Europe as they became the first League of Ireland side to make group stages of a UEFA competition.

That season saw a successful 36 game league campaign, five matches en-route to lifting the Setanta Sports Cup, a four match FAI Cup run to the quarter-finals plus two Leinster Senior Cup games.

Europa League play-off

The Hoops play the second leg of their Europa League play-off against Ferencvaros in Tallaght Stadium on Thursday night trailing 4-0 after the first leg in Budapest last week.

If they are eliminated by the Hungarian champions, they will play their group stage football in the Europa Conference League.

Prize money for positive results in that competition are €500,000 for a win and €166,000 for a draw.

Shamrock Rovers fixtures in full:

Thursday Aug 25         Ferencvaros (h)           Europa League play-off

Sunday Aug 28            Drogheda United (a)   FAI Cup second round

Friday Sep 2                Bohs (a)                       League

Thursday Sep 8           UEFA group game matchday 1

Sunday Sep 11            Finn Harps (h)             League

Thursday Sep 15         UEFA group game matchday 2

W/E Sep 18                 Possible FAI Cup quarter-final 

Thursday Sep 22         Shels (a)                      League

Monday Sep 26           UCD (h)                       League

Saturday Oct 1            Sligo Rovers (a)           League

Thursday Oct 6            UEFA group game matchday 3

Sunday Oct 9               Shels (h)                      League

Thursday Oct 13          UEFA group game matchday 4

Sunday Oct 16             Drogheda United (a)   League

W/E Oct 16                  Possible FAI Cup semi-final

Friday Oct 21               St. Pat’s (h)                  League

Thursday Oct 27          UEFA group game matchday 5

Sunday Oct 30             Derry City (h)              League

Thursday Nov 3           UEFA group game matchday 6

Friday Nov 4                UCD (a) – game likely to be re-arranged for Sun Nov 6

Sun Nov 13                  Possible FAI Cup final 

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