Rovers Celebrate
Raucous atmosphere at Tallaght Stadium as Shamrock Rovers lifted SSE Airtricity League Premier trophy
By Daire Walsh
There was a raucous atmosphere at Tallaght Stadium last Sunday night as Shamrock Rovers lifted the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division trophy for the third year in succession.
Already guaranteed to retain the top-flight crown before facing main challengers Derry City in the penultimate game of the campaign, the Hoops nevertheless came away with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Rory Gaffney’s 38th minute goal. Last Sunday’s attendance of 7,726 was just shy of the record for a league fixture in Tallaght and the Rovers faithful made their voices heard before, during and after the game.
Additionally, a series of flares were lit up inside the opening-quarter of the contest and this led to the pitch being engulfed in smoke for a short period of time. It was truly a night to savour for all those involved with Rovers and there were emotional scenes in Tallaght when the trophy was finally raised aloft.
It has been a tough time off the field of play for Hoops manager Stephen Bradley with his eight-year-old son Josh currently battling leukaemia.
It proved to be a special night for Josh, however, as he stepped forward to collect the coveted silverware in unison with captain Ronan Finn and Crumlin native Roberto Lopes. It was a wonderful moment to cap what has been another memorable year for the Tallaght outfit.
One of the most impressive performers for the Hoops throughout their march to a 20th league success was their flying wing-back Andy Lyons.
Upon joining the club from arch rivals Bohemians, the Kildare native found himself in a dressing room filled with Premier Division champions. This left him feeling like the odd one out, but with nine goals and nine assists to his name, Lyons has helped to put this right.
“Now I’m probably the only one who has only won one title! It’s brilliant to obviously get over the line and do that. I’m absolutely buzzing. When I came here at the start of the season, obviously the main objective was to win the league and we’ve done that. I’m really happy,” Lyons said.
“It was brilliant to finish off with a win, so that was great. Collectively to win the trophy was massive for us.”
Though the Rovers management and hierarchy will be eager to retain the nucleus of their first-team squad as they bid for a fourth league title in-a-row, Lyons will be departing Tallaght for English Championship side Blackpool in the new year. Nevertheless, he will alway be grateful to the Hoops for allowing him to develop his game and making his impending trip across the water a reality.
“The aim was to up my game, up my career that bit more. I think Bohs obviously gave me that foundation and Rovers have brought it onto the next level. Especially this year, it has been absolutely brilliant for me. I put the work in off the pitch and obviously did the talking on the pitch,” Lyons added.