‘They are the best bunch of players we've had' – Drogheda United boss Kevin Doherty hails squad after European setback
Kevin Doherty has hailed his Drogheda United players for proving that a consolation training camp in Spain was about work rather than play.
The Boynesiders bounced back from an unwanted break to score a fourth successive victory over Bohemians last night, a result that keeps their European ambitions alive.
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The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Rory Gaffney reveals fitness battle before leading Shamrock Rovers' title charge with crucial goals
The 35-year-old has fired Shamrock Rovers to the brink of another league title with ten goals and a relentless work ethic that has won the trust of boss Stephen Bradley RORY GAFFNEY admitted he had to sprint before he could think of another Shamrock Rovers' run. Gaffney, 35, moved the Hoops' a step closer to their fifth title in six years on Sunday night with two goals to beat Derry City at Tallaght Stadium. Advertisement 2 Rory Gaffney has ten goals in all competitions this season for the Hoops. 2 Gaffey bagged a double against Derry City on Sunday and chipped in during their Euro clash vs St Joseph's It gives them a ten-point lead at the top with ten games to go, with Gaffney a key man in that run as he has also scored pivotal winning goals against Waterford and Galway United. He has ten-goals in all competitions this season and has had boss Stephen Bradley singing his praises all year. Yet, when the season kicked off last February, Gaffney - from Tuam - was out of contract and training without pay in a bid to prove his fitness after a write-off of a 2024 season. An ankle problem meant his season ended last April, and Gaffney - who turned down two-year offers elsewhere to sign a one -year with the Hoops last year - had few options. Advertisement But Gaffney never had any doubt as he felt he just had to prove his fitness. He said: 'When you get a bit older people kind of question your age, but I lived a clean life for 10-15 years. 'I've never been a big drinker, I've always been mad into training and coming from a GAA background, you do plenty of gym work. 'I know I've been unlucky and had a lot of big injuries, but I've only had three or four muscle injuries in 10-15 years, so I've been very lucky like that. Advertisement 'I know last year I was injured but I was training non-stop, I just couldn't sprint, that was the issue. When I was sprinting I'd break down.' Eventually, he and the club decided an operation was required which ended any hopes of being involved in last year's run-in or Conference League campaign. Guehi & Eze to STAY at Palace? Transfer Blow for Liverpool & Arsenal! And Gaffney set out to get back fit and remain a Hoop. Boss Stephen Bradley revealed: 'I just trust Rory, I've known him a long time, I played with him (at Limerick in 2012 and 2013), I've known him a long, long time. Advertisement 'And Rory's…there's no grey area with Rory. He's straight down the line, he tells you what he's thinking, what he's feeling. 'We spoke (during the winter), he asked could he come back and prove himself in pre-season. 'And I said 'I'd love that', and he did. And he came back, did his work, and you could see he was ready to go. If he keeps going like that, there's another few years left in him.' Gaffney - who joined the Hoops in 2020 and was player of the year in 2022 - was also confident he would earn a new deal once he proved his fitness. Advertisement He added: 'I just knew I had to get fit. I played a game against Bohs U20s on the Friday night or Saturday night (before the season started) and just proved my fitness in that. 'I was able to run. I didn't touch the ball, but I was able to run. The gaffer saw I could run and said 'that's enough for me'. 'I haven't missed a training session since I signed this season. I haven't played a whole lot at the start of the season but I was doing a lot of extra training.' Rovers' still look after him as Gaffney - who has featured in 21 of the 27 games in all competitions when he was available - has played just one 90 minutes. Advertisement NOT DONE YET And the 35-year-old agreed with Bradley that he also believes he can continue on next season, pointing to 37-year-old Padraig Amond at Waterford as an example. He added: 'How I feel now, if it was the end of the season, there is no question that I could play again next year. 'I think it's taking it season by season but the last thing I want to be doing is travelling up and down from Galway knowing I'm not going to play, being poor in training and not impacting matches or not getting a game. 'I've had a good run at it now, I don't want to drag it on if there's no reason to.' Advertisement But Bradley insisted that Gaffney's knowhow means he can make an impact even if as he gets older having changed his game since his Limerick days over a decade ago. Bradley added: 'He was raw, Rory was all power and pace then. That's what he relied on. It was a dream to play him as a midfielder, but now his whole game is refined. 'That just comes with age, understanding, experience.' Gaffney added: 'The league was a different league back then and it was part-time and nowhere as fit, didn't train as much, never recorded games so you couldn't watch games back. Advertisement 'Now I won't be able to sleep as I can watch that game back before I go to bed and you can pick out things you haven't done well and things that have gone well and you can learn from that. 'I didn't really start watching games back until I was 26 which is crazy when you think about it but it shows how far the league has come.' And it has helped Gaffney become a firm favourite in Tallaght since arriving just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Injured in his first season, he was a key man as Rovers won four-in a row with titles added in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before he missed most of last season through injury. Advertisement And Gaffney is confident the Hoops can reclaim the title this season as they now lead second-placed Bohemians by ten points with ten games to go. TITLE CHARGE Gaffney added: 'We've 26 games played, and 52 points. That's two points a game, that normally wins the league. 'You don't want to be arrogant or disrespectful to other teams but we'd back ourselves now if everyone was starting on no points with ten games to go. 'Why wouldn't we back ourselves with a ten-point headstart, plus our goal difference? And all the teams have to play each other again, there is going to be a lot of six pointers.' Advertisement But before that, the Hoops are in European action this week as they travel to Kosovo to face Ballkani in the Conference League third round first leg. Rovers' hope to be at full strength with Graham Burke and Jack Byrne both not risked with small injuries against Derry City on Sunday.
RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Celtic will be ready for crucial Champions League qualifier
Luke McCowan delivered a big moment in Celtic's time of need on Sunday then declared he and his team-mates would rise to the pressure of their Champions League play-off. Celtic will be heading to Kazakhstan or Slovakia in their bid to reach the league stage after being paired with either Kairat Almaty or Slovan Bratislava. The first leg, which is due to take place at Celtic Park, will come four games into the season with Brendan Rodgers' side facing Aberdeen next weekend and then Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup. Winning the play-off will be worth tens of millions of pounds for the club and ensure Celtic have a chance to build on last season's impressive European campaign rather than taking a step back into the Europa League. But McCowan, who netted a late winner against St Mirren on Sunday (below), is sure they will embrace the challenge. "These players play under massive pressure all the time," the 27-year-old said. "It's what playing at this club takes. "You need to be ready for that pressure, you need to have your chest out, your head high and go and show that you're a Celtic player. "That's what it demands and that's what the manager wants. Pressure in a game hopefully brings out your best qualities. "I'm sure we will be (ready). I mean if you were to ask us if we played it this midweek, I'm sure we'd all be ready. "When those games come around, it's about embracing it and knowing what the challenge is going to be." Celtic reached the knockout phase for the first time in 12 years last season before bowing out to a last-gasp goal against Bayern Munich in Germany. When asked if he felt they belong in the league stage, McCowan said: "I think we showed that last year, but it's about proving it again. There's always a demand for more at this club." The former Dundee midfielder proved the hero on Sunday as Celtic opened their William Hill Premiership title defence with a 1-0 win over St Mirren. The champions hit the frame of the goal three times and had a Callum McGregor strike disallowed for handball as the Buddies looked set to frustrate the title favourites. But substitute McCowan found the bottom corner of the net with a deflected strike in the 87th minute to send Celtic two points ahead of Rangers after the opening weekend of the season. "It's what you're here to do," he said. "You're here to score goals and help the team win games. "You want to create energy, you want to create positivity when you're coming off the bench and I think, at the point we made the changes, they probably needed some fresh legs. That's what the squad's there for. "We had enough chances to go and win probably two football matches, really unlucky with a few hitting the post, obviously a goal chopped off as well. "On another day, you probably come away scoring two or three, maybe more."
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Arsenal and Liverpool's transfer plans rocked as Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi look likely to stay at Crystal Palace
MARC GUEHI and Eberechi Eze could both end up STAYING at Crystal Palace this season. Liverpool, Newcastle and Spurs want England defender Guehi while Arsenal remain interested in Eze. 3 Marc Guehi could well stay at Crystal Palace despite interest from Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham Credit: Getty 3 Eberechi Eze may also stay put at Selhurst Park in spite of Arsenal's keen interest Credit: Getty Although there is still a month left of the transfer window, it seems increasingly likely that both stars will remain at Selhurst Park. Palace have not received any firm offers for either player and are in no rush to sell. This is good news for the club's fans who are still reeling from their European heartbreak and the fact they look set to be demoted into the Conference League. Liverpool have been favourites to land centre-back Guehi and have been in talks with his representatives. READ MORE SPORT STORIES LOOKING TO SCORE? Single Sydney Sweeney inundated with DMs from randy Prem aces after split The centre-back has just one year left of his contract but has not been pushing for a move. And the Premier League champions rate him at around £40million - £10m short of Palace's asking price. Spurs are still interested having failed with a £70m bid in January while Newcastle had three offers turned down a year ago. Toon have revived their interest this summer, but are still £10m below Palace's valuation. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS That mean, as SunSport revealed in May, Guehi could now run down the final year of his contract and leave on a free transfer, opening up a potential switch to Barcelona or Real Madrid. And the Eagles are increasingly confident of keeping him this summer. Crystal Palace legend Geoff Thomas slams Uefa for denying them a Europa League place 3 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW Attacking midfielder Eze has been in line for a move to Arsenal and is keen to move to the Emirates. Yet the Gunners are not prepared to trigger his £68m release clause. With Palace not needing to sell financially, they are unlikely to lower their demands and Arsenal could look at other targets. The club's fans are still stunned at Uefa's decision to drop them into this season's Conference League despite qualifying for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup. Palace's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will be on Friday. They were demoted to the third-tier Conference League by Uefa's Club Financial Control Body in a multi-club ownership case.
