BUCKLEY UP FOR THE RIDE THE LONG & SHORT OF IT NOT THE FUL SHILLING
Some might think he is mad but Kavanagh was happy to sacrifice cash to play for Rovers
Waterford St Pat’s Athletic, 7.45pm
v HAVING won in Bray last Friday, Liam Buckley wants another happy journey home after toight’s game in Waterford.
The St Pat’s boss said: “It’s going to be a tough game. If we can get something out of it, it won’t be a bad start to the season.
“We were delighted to get the Bray win under our belt considering we’ve half a new crew of players. We were bitterly disappointed not to get anything out of the Cork game.”
He added: “If you look at all the teams in the Premier Division, they’ve strengthened up. That includes Waterford.
“With them at home, they’ll be looking to pick up something. But we have to go to places like the RSC and get results if we want to be in the
Bohemians Derry City,tomorrow, 7.45pm
v BOHEMIANS boss Keith Long has slammed the fixture congestion his side faces.
Eoghan Stokes bagged Bohs a point in the final minute in Limerick on Saturday, but that wasn’t the primary thought on Long’s (above) mind.
Ahead of tomorrow’s home clash with Derry, he said: “We’re a parttime group of players. For me, there has to be a level playing field.
“We can’t have a shake-up for Europe come the end of the season.”
Buckley also revealed striker Christy Fagan was substituted early in the second half at the Carlisle Grounds as a precaution.
“He’d been ill against Cork. We debated whether to even play him against Bray but we said we’d start him and see how he goes.
“He did his job and scored. We got about an hour out of him which was great. It was more of a precaution than anything else. We thought about taking him off at half-time.”
The Saints travel to Munster without injured duo Killian Brennan and Thomas Byrne.
After their opening day triumph over Derry, the Blues lost to champions Cork City last Friday.
They have received clearance for Oldham loanee Courtney Duffus to be part of their squad. situation where fulltime teams get an extra 24 hours preparation time on us.
“We shouldn’t be asked to play on a Saturday night and then play Tuesday before going to Cork on Friday because it hands our opposition an advantage in terms of preparation.
“Our turnaround time is 24 hours less than [Derry’s]. It will be the same thing come Friday as we play Cork City and they play Monday instead of Tuesday against Sligo.”
PREMIER DIVISION TABLE
BRAY WANDERERS chairman Gerry Mulvey insists every player at the club got paid on time last week.
Rumours circulated before last Friday’s 2-1
Shamrock Rovers Bray Wanderers 8pm
v SEAN KAVANAGH took an ‘unbelievable’ pay cut swapping Fulham for Shamrock Rovers but his desire to play outweighs financial gain.
And where once a move to the League of Ireland was laced with trepidation for those returning home, Kavanagh feels it’s the ideal place to stoke his flames.
Hailing from the original Rovers heartland of Ringsend and Irishtown, he’s a product of Cambridge Boys and renowned schoolboy outfit Belvedere. He was snapped up by Fulham in 2011, made his first-team debut three years later and played regularly under Kit Symons. Usually a midfielder for the Cottagers, he played in 21 defeat to St Pat’s at the Carlisle Grounds that many of the Seagulls squad had experienced delays in receiving their wages.
But Mulvey said: “The players were paid. In fact, Championship games over two seasons but struggled to feature once Symons was sacked in late 2015.
Loans followed at Mansfield and Hartlepool before opting to come home, where it initially looked like he would join Derry City before siding with the Hoops.
And Kavanagh caught the eye in his cameo off the bench against Dundalk on Friday and should feature against Bray Wanderers tonight.
But the Dubliner says he had no qualms moving to the League of Ireland.
“You look at the lads who went abroad at Dundalk (Daryl Horgan, Richie Towell and Andy Boyle) and Seanie Maguire and Kevin O’connor as well,” he said.
“They all got good moves and are playing at a high level. Clubs are looking more into it and anyone I spoke to who came home spoke highly about it.
“I knew a couple of lads here – Graham Burke and Luke Byrne – some lads at Dundalk and lads I played with for Ireland and they recommended it highly.
“The football here will I spoke to one player before the game last Friday and he said he got his payment earlier than he ever had.
“There’s nobody paid late.”
Bray head to Tallaght suit me rather than trying to hang around the lower leagues in England, but we’ll see how it goes.
“I haven’t really thought too far ahead. First it’s about getting into the team and staying in it.”
Kavanagh trained with Derry the week before last and Kenny Shiels thought he was about to sign “the best left-back in the league”.
But Kavanagh had Damien Duff in his ear, as the Rovers U15 coach and Republic of Ireland legend was a former team-mate at Fulham.
“I spoke to Duffer a couple of times and he recommended it – I trust his opinion. After I spoke to him it was a no-brainer. It’s tough to say no to a club like this.”
Kavanagh signed a new Fulham deal in January 2015 but drifted to the periphery once Slavisa Jokanovic replaced Symons.
Hoops boss Stephen Bradley said: “Sean was disappointed with that but he’s positive about coming here.
“The financial aspect, it’s unbelievable what he’s left behind. That tells you what he’s about, he just wants to play football.”