U17 Final Preview: Shamrock Rovers - v - St. Patrick's Athletic

• Macdara Ferris
• Wed, Dec 16 2015




SHAMROCK ROVERS U17

The Hoops have home advantage on Wednesday evening (kick off 7.30pm) when they take on St. Patrick’s Athletic in the inaugural SSE Airtricity National U17 League Final. The game, which had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, will take place in Tallaght Stadium on Wednesday 16 December. Rovers have had the upperhand in the clashes against the Saints this season. The Hoops won both matches against St. Pat’s, as they finished top of their group, four points clear of the Saints, ahead of the knock out stages of the competition.

 

Up front, the star man for this Rovers underage team has been Aaron Dobbs. The 16-year-old player, scored in all 12 group games, bagging an incredible five goals in 35 minutes when the teams met in Richmond Park last month, in a game that Rovers won 6-2.

 

Dobbs has scored a sensational 20 goals in 14 U17 games and made his senior debut with Pat Fenlon’s Rovers team in October’s Leinster Senior Cup Final in Oriel Park against Dundalk. The striker wasn’t overawed by coming on a substitute in a Rovers team that included Max Blanchard, Luke Byrne, Ryan Brennan, Marty Waters and Craig Hyland.

 

Having lost their first game of the season, Aidan Price’s team have gone on a remarkable run and remain undefeated in the league. They racked up nine wins and two draws in the group stage games before beating Waterford United 3-2 in the quarter-final. In their semi-final, the Hoops overcame Cork City U17 in Bishopstown.

 

That game, played out in the aftermath of Storm Desmond, went to extratime with the teams level at 2-2 after 90 minutes. However it was the Hoops who emerged victorious in the additional time, winning 5-3. Shane Stokes scored an early extratime goal with substitute Dean Dillon scoring twice either side of a Cork goal.

 

For the first season of the under 17 league, Rovers have brought together a coaching ticket of former players (Aidan Price, assistant manager Graham Gartland, Shane Robinson and Pat Deans) along with current player Stephen McPhail.

 

“The learning and development of the players is what we set out to do at the start of the season,” said Aidan Price speaking to www.shamrockrovers.ie. “Everything we asked for from the lads at the beginning they have done.

 

“The most pleasing aspect of it is their development as individuals and collectively as a group. That’s the main benefits and positives to take from the season.

 

“It was new territory for all of us; the managers, coaches and the players. At the beginning we all stepped into the unknown. There were bigger demands on the players and their parents; they had to show a lot more commitment to what they had been used to before but they have all been very good.

 

“I suppose the rewards for all of that have been getting to the final. Hopefully they can go that one step further on Saturday.”

 

McPhail, who is currently taking his UEFA A coaching badge, is relishing being part of the Rovers coaching set up, with the aim that the Hoops will begin to bring through players for their Premier Division team in the not-so-distant future.

 

“I’m really enjoying it and they are a great bunch of lads,” said the former Ireland international speaking to shamrockrovers.ie last month. “It is obviously a new league and it is going to be great in a year or two as we develop the players and then hopefully bring some through into our first team.”

 

 

 

 

SAINT PATRICK’S ATHLETIC U17

If the Saints are to claim the inaugural under 17 league crown, they must overcome a Shamrock Rovers side that beat them twice in the group stages. St. Pat’s finished runners up in the group behind the Hoops, losing 3-1 in Tallaght and 6-2 in Richmond Park.

 

Jamie Moore’s men picked up 25 points from the maximum 30 points on offer in the remaining games as they scored an impressive 43 goals in all 12 group games.

 

The Saints progressed to Saturday’s final having hammered Shelbourne 4-0 away in the quarter final, before overcoming Mervue in comprehensive fashion in their semi-final clash in IT Blanchardstown. Luke Heaney and Brian McGivern had St. Pat’s 2-0 up at half-time with Cian McMullen and Evan Casey adding to their tally in a 4-1 win.

 

Moore, who was part of Rovers’ First Division coaching team last year, is confident that despite the previous results against the Hoops, his team can win on his old coaching patch.

 

 “100 per cent we believe that we can win,” said Moore speaking to www.sseairtricityleague.ie. “They’ve beaten us twice home and away but I feel we could have got something from both games. In the 6-2 game we were actually 1-0 up after 35 minutes.

 

“Our quarter-finals and semi-finals were arguably our best displays of the season. Rovers are obviously one of best teams in country. We have to be on our A game and if we have enough players in that situation we’ll have a chance.

 

"We want to enjoy the occasion, playing in Tallaght Stadium - one of the best in the country is great for the players - so it's a game to enjoy and not to be nervous.”