Magnificent Hoops secure 3-in-a-row league titles
By Daire Walsh
FOLLOWING their coronation as three-in-a-row SSE Airtricity League Premier Division champions, Shamrock Rovers will return to UEFA Europa Conference League action against Belgian outfit Gent at Tallaght Stadium this evening (kick-off 8pm).
After Derry City could only manage a 0-0 draw against Sligo Rovers on Monday, it was confirmed that the Hoops were to secure a top-flight crown for the third season in succession. This is a magnificent achievement for Jobstown man Stephen Bradley and his Rovers squad, who have replicated the feat of the famed Shamrock Rovers team of the 1980s.
That side went on to win a fourth successive league crown under Dermot Keely in 1986/87 (Jim McLaughlin had steered them to three titles before that) and that will be the challenge for Rovers come next season.
When Derry pays a visit to Tallaght in the Premier Division this Sunday evening (kick-off 7pm), there is expected to be a carnival atmosphere in the ground. Bradley had hoped to seal the club’s latest league triumph on the field of play, but he will undoubtedly take great satisfaction from adding another major trophy to his list of honours as first-team manager.
He had high aspirations coming into this season’s Conference League and even though qualification for the knockout stages of this third-tier competition is now beyond their reach, he will want his troops to lay down a marker for what they plan to accomplish in Europe next season.
While Rovers lost out to Molde in Tallaght a fortnight ago, this was their first defeat in six home European games in 2022. Indeed, their performance on more familiar terrain was far greater than the one they produced in losing out 3-0 to the Norwegians at Aker Stadion a week earlier and some key decisions went against them on their way to suffering a 2-0 reversal.
Gent also had three goals to spare when the two sides met at the Ghelamco Arena on September 15, but back-to-back losses to Djurgardens shows there is some vulnerability with the Belgian ranks. This also means Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s charges will be fired up for their trip to Dublin and it therefore represents a great challenge for the Hoops.
While Bradley might have been planning to hold some of his star names in reserve for the Derry game, the fact that Rovers are now guaranteed to finish at the Premier Division summit gives the former Arsenal youth free rein when it comes to selecting his match-day squad.
Though they can’t progress beyond the group stages, there is still plenty of reason for Rovers to be motivated coming into this game. For one, it will be their final home European fixture of 2022.
With impressive outfits like Ludogorets and Ferencvaros having been defeated in Tallaght already this year, the domestic giants will believe they are capable of another big result. Rovers are also the only team left in the competition who are yet to register a goal and this is something the 20-time Premier Division champions will want to rectify.