FAI Cup success one of things missing for hungry Hoops
THE five-in-a-row for the Dublin footballers in September 2019 was achieved seven weeks before Shamrock Rovers cracked the trophy code under Stephen Bradley with victory in the FAI Cup.
Since then, Bradley has overseen four successive SSE Airtricity League titles.
Should Rovers win a fifth in 2024, they would not only become the first team in Irish club football to do so but would also equal the feat of their Gaelic football brethren.
Sustaining that hunger has been the most compelling aspect of the Hoops’ heroics under Bradley. Since 2020, they have set the standard.
What made their 2023 triumph all the more laudable was overcoming a wretched start, regrouping, and nailing down the title with two games remaining.
The Hoops have waved adieu to Alan Mannus and Ronan Finn, stalwarts of the 2019-2023 team, but Jack Byrne and Rory Gaffney have signed new deals.
Byrne missed a third of the season with a knee issue that needed surgery. On top form, he gives Rovers a creative edge over their rivals.
For all their success in the league,
Rovers have not added to their 25 FAI Cup wins since 2019. In 2023, they slipped up away to Derry City, who were in turn upended by St Patrick’s Athletic.
The Saints, revitalised under Jon Daly, marched all the way to glory in front of a record 43,881 fans at the Aviva Stadium, beating Bohemians 3-1 in a repeat of the 2021 final.
The attendance was over 17,000 higher than that at the Republic of IrelandNew Zealand friendly at the same venue nine days later.
For all the highs on home turf, the failings of Irish clubs in Europe exposed a gulf that can only be bridged by improved facilities and 24/7 professional contracts across both men’s divisions.
Rovers didn’t raise a gallop in either the Champions League or the Europa Conference League, which was puzzling given their vast experience. That Icelandic outfit Breidablik, their Champions League conquerors, advanced to reach the group phase of the ECL added to the Hoops’ angst. Pat’s fell at the first qualifying hurdle, Dundalk at the second, but Derry were only ousted in a penalty shoot-out as group phase play-offs beckoned.
The Euro line-up for next year sees the welcome, if unforeseen, return of Shelbourne, who have been a revelation under Damien Duff.