First blood to Forth Celtic in a rivalry that's destined to grow
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Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Josh Honohan delighted Shamrock Rovers have hit a big game fixture pile-up
Josh Honohan loves the biggest occasions and so is relishing the jam-packed schedule facing Shamrock Rovers at this vital stage of the season. The Premier Division table-toppers travel to the Brandywell to face third placed Derry City this evening (7pm), then make the trip to Kosovo for Thursday's Europa Conference League third qualifying round first leg against FC Ballkani. Between last Thursday's second qualifying round second leg in Tallaght against St Joseph's and the FAI Cup third round clash with Longford Town on August 17, the Hoops are pencilled in for six games in 18 days. READ MORE: Keith Andrew picks his Brentford captain - and it's good news for Ireland fans READ MORE: Tottenham captain Son Heung-min announces final game for the club "Yes, we'll be busy," he said. "If we do well over the next couple of weeks we'll have the cup, we'll have the league and hopefully have a good European campaign. "That's why you want to come to this club, though. You want to be busy. If you're not busy you're not probably doing well. We're used to it now over the last couple of years and there's a good bit of experience in that dressing room. We'll be ready for it. "It's just more focus on one game at a time. Derry are up towards the top of the table, they're a really good team, they're always challenging. They don't just have a really good team, they have a really good squad. Josh Honohan at Ireland training in June (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) "Sunday's a big game but it's the same aim - whatever game we play we go out there to get three points and there'll be no difference on that." Honohan's performances last season as Rovers made history by becoming the first Irish side to qualify for the knock-out stages of a European tournament earned him an Ireland squad call-up. The 24-year-old is hungry for Stephen Bradley's side to get back to the big stage. "You want to do that as a footballer," he said. "It's a big reason why I wanted to come here. It's an opportunity that we'll hopefully get. Obviously, we'll have a couple of rounds to win to get to that stage that we did last year. "That's a big reason why you want to play when you're younger, to go to Vienna, to go to Sparta Prague, to go to Chelsea - those experiences are really, really positive. I'll probably reflect on it more when my career is finished. "Every game is a big game but obviously the European games are big games, we're playing against top opposition. I want to do well in every game that I play. "The European games, they're really good teams and if we do well in the next couple of games we'll be playing against some top opposition like we did last year. I set a standard and it's up to me to meet that standard, no matter what game it is." Bradley made a host of changes for the second leg against St Joseph's on Thursday after the Hoops cantered to a 4-0 victory in Gibraltar. Honohan insists that the stalemate at home won't affect his team's momentum. Josh Honohan (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) "It's probably just one of those games where sometimes we were just looking for that goal," he said. "I definitely thought we were a much better team on the night. It will be full focus on Sunday. "It was actually a tough enough game. A good bit of credit has to go to them, they dug in and they defended really well. The main aim before the tie started was to go through and we've done that." On a lighter note, he is delighted that another Corkman has been added to the house he is sharing with Rory Gaffney, Lee Grace, John McGovern, Matt Healy and Ed McGinty. Even more so because the new arrival is his 19-year-old brother, Callum. "Yeah, it's good now," he smiled. "We haven't been fighting too much! I told him to bring up the PlayStation, so we're not fighting. "He's settled in really well. I'm full of faith that he'll be a really big player for the club in the future. He's a really good player now but he's got a lot of potential. That's a big reason why he came up here, to fulfil that potential." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Coote and Boyd goals give Shelbourne victory away to Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers 0-2 Shelbourne SHELS bagged the three points at the Showgrounds to boost spirits ahead of their latest midweek Euro trip. Sligo Rovers will rue their profligacy in front of goal as the visitors were clinical with two second half opportunities to move to within a point of fourth-place Drogheda in the Premier Division table. READ MORE:Ireland warm up for Rugby World Cup with comeback win in Cork READ MORE: Madie Gibson stars as impressive Athlone Town progress in Champions League There was controversy seven minutes from time when Rovers lost goalkeeper Sam Sargeant to a straight red card from ref Rob Harvey for handling outside his penalty area, although replays showed the netminder did so on the line. In-form Rovers were also unhappy that they weren't awarded a second half penalty when Shels debutant Milan Mbeng appeared to foul Will Fitzgerald. After playing Qarabag in Baku in their Champions Cup qualifier second leg last Wednesday, and ahead of next Wednesday's first leg trip to Reijka in Croatia in the Europa League, Joey O'Brien will be pleased to leave the north west with a victory in Shels' first League game since July 4. Ali Coote produced a moment of magic to break the deadlock in the 47th minute when he raced away from Fitzgerald, side-stepped Paddy McClean and fired into the corner of the net from just outside the box. Then two Reds subs combined to double the lead 18 minutes from time when John Martin, whose four goals this season have all come against Sligo, turned brilliantly and surged into the Rovers box before passing to Sean Boyd, who finished well. However, Rovers boss John Russell will feel his side should have taken something from the game. Cian Kavanagh somehow missed from six yards in the ninth minute when set up by McClean's first-time centre. And McClean should have equalised in the 53rd minute when he headed over Owen Elding's cross from inside the six-yard box. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Shelbourne's unbeaten league run is extended as Sligo fume over a controversial late red card
Ali Coote and Sean Boyd were the goal scorers for Shels, while Sligo finished the game with ten men after Sam Sargeant was sent off late on as referee Rob Harvey deemed him to have handled the ball outside the box, even though the decision that was disputed by the home side. John Russell's side came into this game unbeaten in their last five league games, and knew that three points against Shels would see them move level with Galway United in eighth. Ciaron Harkin, the latest arrival at the Showgrounds, was named on the bench, with Russell having to make a change after the warm-up when left-back Sean Stewart picked up a knock. Joey O'Brien's side, fresh from their trip to Kazakhstan where they were beaten by Qarabag, were in need of a win to keep in touch with the top four. Bohs sued for €100k over alleged breach of contract switch to Norwegian ticket supplier League of Ireland takeaways: Drogheda on Euro mission, Bohs frustrated, Cork's green shoots, and Galway woes continue Milan Mbeng made his first start for the 2024 Premier Division champions having signed from Cork City, as Shels looked to extend their unbeaten run in the league to four games. A win and two draws in their last three league games had the Dubliners in fifth place prior to the trip to Sligo. In an uneventful first half, the home side were wondering how they had not gone ahead, when Cian Kavanagh's miss on 10 minutes was really the talking point. Will Fitzgerald's free-kick was knocked on and Kavanagh just needed a touch to direct the effort past Speel, but somehow the former Derry and St Patrick's Athletic man couldn't get a touch. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Then two minutes into the second-half, the visitors went ahead and in style. Coote received the ball in the middle of the pitch, and glided past a couple of Sligo players before firing into the top corner with Sam Sargeant beaten in the Sligo goal. Paddy McClean came close to levelling the score, but the Derry native couldn't keep his header down from Owen Elding's inviting cross into the box. John Russell switched things up, going three at the back as he desperately tried to rescue something from this tie. But it was game over on 77 minutes when Boyd added a second for the Dubliners after Sligo failed to clear the ball from their box, with John Martin picking out the free and unmarked Boyd, who was on hand to fire in. Sligo's day got worse with six minutes to go when goalkeeper Sargeant was given a straight red by Rob Harvey for handling the ball outside the box, although replays suggest that the contact may have been on the line. That result sees Shels move to within three points of Drogheda United in fourth place in the table, while Sligo remain ninth, three points off Galway United in eighth. Sligo Rovers: Sargeant, Reynolds (Waweru, 67), McClean, Denham, McDonagh (Mahon, 67), McManus, Quirk, Hakiki (Harkin, 46), Elding, Kavanagh, Fitzgerald. Shelbourne: Speel, Mbeng (Gannon, 68), Temple, Barrett, Ledwidge, McInroy, Lunney, Norris (Moore, 82), Coote (Martin, 68), Wood (Chapman, 82), Odubeko (Boyd, 59).
