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Irish Independent
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
League of Ireland: Shamrock Rovers v St Pat's; Shelbourne v Drogheda – all tonight's action as it happens
Live | It's an extra evening in the League of Ireland with two big Premier Division games up for decision as the four teams with European campaigns to come later in the season face off. Follow all the action as it happens here. 3 minutes ago 1' We are underway in this first-half at Drumcondra! It's been a sunny day in north Dublin; the weather is ideal for football with dry conditions at a packed out Tolka Park and temperatures remaining around 13 degrees and little to no breeze. Shamrock Rovers vs Athletic kicks off at 8pm with updates to follow shortly. 7 minutes ago DROGHEDA LINE-UP: After the concession of a late goal in a 1-1 draw with Derry City, Kevin Doherty will hope his side can bounce back tonight. Drogheda set up as follows with two changes as Thomas Oluwa and James Bolger drop out for Shane Farrell and Andrew Quinn: Drogheda United F.C. on Twitter / X League | Drogheda United Starting XI vs ShelbourneAndrew Quinn & Shane Farrell start. Darragh Markey on the bench.🟣🔵 #WeAreDrogs | #OurTownOurClub Drogheda United F.C. (@DroghedaUnited) May 19, 2025 8 minutes ago THE SHELS TEAM TONIGHT: Damien Duff returns to the dugout from suspension, but Mark Coyle and Ali Coote will miss out having picked up red cards in last Friday's defeat to Bohs. Therefore, Shels have been forced into two alterations, one through injury, as Tyreke Wilson and Ellis Chapman come into the side: Shelbourne FC 🏆 on Twitter / X 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐔𝐩 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 ⚽Check out the 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙓𝙄 ready to take on Drogheda United.2 changes from Friday as Wilson and Chapman come into the at 7:45pm, live coverage on @VMSportIE #DublinsFinest | #Since1895 Shelbourne FC 🏆 (@shelsfc) May 19, 2025 11 minutes ago Stepping in for the suspended Damien Duff last time out, Shels' assistant manager Joey O'Brien took over for one game which ultimately culminated in a 1-0 defeat to Bohs: 'A lot of the goals we've given up have been really, really poor' – Joey O'Brien's worries about Shelbourne's title defence Joey O'Brien has set the Shelbourne players the challenge of getting back to the basics which won them the league last season to inject some badly-needed life into their title defence. 12 minutes ago Sean O'Connor takes his seat in Tallaght for the Dublin derby tonight: Good evening from Tallaght Stadium where leaders Shamrock Rovers host St Patrick's Athletic, with the four Irish teams in Europe this summer all in action tonight. The two Dublin rivals may come into tonight off the back of wins on Friday, but it's been a contrasting couple of weeks results-wise for the pair. After a mixed start to 2025, the Hoops have kicked into gear and are seeking a fourth win on the bounce tonight after victories over Sligo, Drogheda and Waterford, while St Pat's went on a run of just one win in six before returning to winning ways with an injury-time winner at home to Cork City last week. In team news, there are a couple of surprise absentees for the hosts, with Gary O'Neill, Adam Matthews and Rory Gaffney not in the matchday squad tonight. Graham Burke, Matt Healy, Danny Grant and Michael Noonan all come into the starting 11 while Aaron Greene drops to the bench. Stephen Kenny has made four changes for St Pat's from their dramatic win over Cork on Friday, with Zach Elbouzedi, Brandon Kavanagh, Luke Turner and Simon Power all coming in for Jake Mulraney, Carl Sjoberg, Al Amin Kazeem and the injured Kian Leavy. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson is also in attendance here for the third clash between the sides this season. 15 minutes ago Aidan Fitzmaurice is overseeing things in Drumcondra this evening: Hello from Tolka Park where it's a meeting of the champions and one of the contenders for the 2025 title, Shelbourne at home to Drogheda United. Due to injury and suspension, the Reds' resources are stretched, two changes to the team which lost to Bohemians on Friday as Ellis Chapman and Tyreke Wilson come into the team but it's a weak-looking bench for Shels, padded out by academy players. For Drogheda, one-time Shels hero Shane Farrell is free from suspension and is back in their starting XI, as is Warren Davis, who spent time with Shels at academy level in his early teens. 16 minutes ago Dan McDonnell bring you the big talking points from the games across the League of Ireland last Friday: LOI takeaways: Rovers' bench press, defensive struggles for Shels and more late goals light up Friday night Ominous statement from Shamrock Rovers 18 minutes ago Some pre-match watching/reading for you all – Aidan Fitzmaurice previews tonight's round of League of Ireland action: League of Ireland previews: Rovers welcome St Pat's as Shels seek to get back on track SHELBOURNE v DROGHEDA UTD 21 minutes ago Good evening and welcome to another live blog covering the League of Ireland Premier Division. My name is Ultán Corcoran, and I will be keeping you up to speed with all the action it unfolds around the grounds. Just the two games to report on this evening as Shelbourne host Drogheda United from 7.45pm with televised coverage on Virgin Media Two, meanwhile Shamrock Rovers entertain Athletic in another Dublin derby at 8pm. Virgin Media Sport on Twitter / X 🗣 "(Shels) are struggling with where their identity is at."🗣 "A lot of teams know what Drogheda are about now."@Garts06 & @DaveMcIntyreIRL tee up tonight's big game on a glorious evening at Tolka Park!We're live from 7.30pm! Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) May 19, 2025
The 42
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Shelbourne's moment of a lifetime will live on in hearts and minds, and passed on in song
THE SONG HAS been sung with pride – maybe even still a little bit of disbelief – since the start of this League of Ireland season. Shelbourne's visit to Shamrock Rovers last weekend was the perfect time for a powerful rendition from the away supporters. On the final day we went to Derry Needed just a goal and up stepped Harry Rovers celebrated far too early Shels went back to Tolka and had a party It's not even been six months but perhaps a line-by-line explanation of the song to help with context is required as Shels prepare to return to the scene of their moment of a lifetime against Derry City tonight. Line one - On the final day we went to Derry Damien Duff took his side to the Ryan McBride Brandywell for the last game of last's season's Premier Division. It was the live game on RTÉ 2 and, as Shels were top and needed to match Rovers' result, the trophy headed north. Slight problem: there was only one trophy. One initial compromise within the FAI was to use a particular liquid resin that would help produce a 3D printed replica trophy to bring to Tallaght Stadium, where Rovers hosted Waterford. Another problem: it looked brutal. It was also perfectly plausible that Rovers would triumph in the most dramatic of title races. Not just that, Stephen Bradley would be the manager to win a five-in-a-row. He was already the first to win four on the spin but this would be something even more historic. 𝟭𝟮 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 🎅🏻 On the 12th goal of Christmas Harry Wood scored the goal to make the Reds champions of Ireland 🎁#DublinsFinest | #Since1895 — Shelbourne FC 🏆 (@shelsfc) December 25, 2024 FAI staff scrambled for ideas and a search of one of the offices at Abbotstown HQ unearthed the old League of Ireland trophy – the one which the great Rovers side of the 80s lifted four times in a row. It was cleaned and required minor repairs, so one embarrassment was avoided. Once in Derry, FAI staff had to run through their preparations and planning for a possible trophy presentation later that night. It was early in the day and with everything set up in the corner, one of those involved in operations recalled how former Derry boss Ruaidhdri Higgins appeared on the pitch, circling them as they walked through the presentation. He had a face like thunder. It was shaping up to become an epic night. Line two – Needed just a goal and up stepped Harry That's Wood, Harry Wood. He may or may not have taken to introducing himself like this since that moment, but no Shels fan would care if he did. The time on the clock was 83 minutes and 59 seconds when Sean Boyd struck a free kick from the edge of the box. It was 0-0 and a draw was not going to be enough given Rovers led 2-1 at home to Waterford. 'The strangest thing when I think back on that night is the realisation that time is not linear, it sounds stupid I know but if you've been fortunate to experience anything like that night in Derry in your life, you'll understand what I mean when I say time does not move in straight lines,' Darren Cleary, the club's media officer and supporter for more than 30 years, tells The 42 in a written message to try and best articulate his thoughts. 'In the search for the goal which was starting to feel desperate, with Rovers ready to roll out the presentation stand, time went at an ungodly quick speed. Minutes slipping into seconds, the clock going faster every time you asked someone near you 'what's left?'. Please don't let us lose to Rovers, Derry or worse a fucking clock.' Darren Cleary (right) in the dressing room for the celebrations. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO The commentary from RTÉ's Des Curran is now part of Shelbourne lore, and the moment of a lifetime played out in seconds. 'Here is Sean Boyd. Into the wall, deflected! Maher saves! AND INNN — Shelbourne find the goal! Harry Wood! The jersey's off.' 83:59 – Boyd hits the free. 84:01 – Wood's rebound hits the net. 'When the breakthrough came, the Brandywell shook beneath our feet, time changed shape. It slowed, thickened, creeped, almost to a standstill. It doesn't make sense, I know. But if you've been there, you'll know. When the whistle goes, the next hour is a beautiful blur,' Cleary says. Advertisement 'The moment you wish could live forever vanished almost before it began. The greatest feeling life can offer… it was gone in the blink of an eye. Time went too quick. Minutes passed in seconds.' If the pleasure was in that moment, the journey up from Dublin allowed for plenty of pain. The four or so hours it took a five-coach convoy from Tolka that day was nothing in comparison to the previous 18 years. 'Not even the most dramatic league title could matter more than saving Tolka Park,' Shane Dawson, one of the co-ordinators of the successful 'Save Tolka Park' campaign says. 'Without Tolka, there is no glory. No Harry Wood goal. No story to tell. But when I think back to that day in Derry, the euphoria remains unmatched. It's a high that I'll chase for the rest of my life. 'Promotion in Drogheda in 2019 was a milestone. It was an awakening of sorts for the club. The first match of 2007 felt significant too, merely because Shelbourne still existed [after the financial collapse following Ollie Byrne years]. But Derry? Derry was something else entirely. Unrivalled ecstasy.' That's if you were one of the lucky 300 who could get an official ticket in the away end. The Brandywell was probably the worse venue for such a fixture from an away fan's perspective because of the reduced allocation. Some of the travelling fans. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO In the week leading up to the game Derry officials also informed season ticket holders that they were not to pass on their seats to Shels fans. Their title challenge had already fallen by the wayside. Gavin Doherty has organised one of the away coaches for not far off a decade since the First Division days. He had a sold-out 51-seater and was one of several on board without a ticket. Even Olson, a fan who travelled from Sweden and went up on the bus, got it on the proviso he was covering the game for the Stockholm Gazette. Doherty's connection with Shels is one many can relate to. Now in his late 30s, he was born in the Liberties and now lives with his wife 10 minutes from St Patrick's Athletic's Richmond Park. His father is from Westmeath and worked with a fella who used to play League of Ireland part-time in the early 1990s. He was at Shels at the time and Doherty got the bug, but while his younger brother eventually drifted away for a time, he slowly became immersed in what it meant to be a Red in Drumcondra. 'My best mate was a groomsman at my wedding but I might not see him from November to February when the season is finished,' he says. 'Shels is the bond, that is how it was all built up, I wouldn't have made any of these friends only for Shels.' The Damien Duff Effect may have enticed his brother back in recent years, but blood is not always thicker than water given he did not even qualify for a place on his brother's bus, let alone a ticket. Gavin Dohery (right) with Mark Coyle on the night and (below) with his wife and son in Tolka Park at the homecoming. 'No hope, there was a long list of people that needed to be sorted before him.' Some of the stories of the lengths some went to are comical, like the one from the supporter in the Reds Independent fanzine that described their search for one of the few paper tickets being sold in numerous outlets around Derry on the day of the game. From newsagents to petrol stations and even a random Chinese restaurant, there was no luck, until eventually he managed to secure one… provided he donned a high viz bib and acted as a steward in the away end. 'The most Shelbourne thing possible would be a crushing disappointment. We'd endured it all before – drubbings in Monaghan, batterings in Cabinteely, even the lingering trauma of Limerick 37's Colin Scanlon,' Dawson says with a laugh. 'Some had tickets in the away end, others clung to media passes or home tickets, and a few had nothing. QR codes were bartered like currency. We even considered dropping the ticketless in Monaghan or Donegal to watch the game in a pub. But in the end, we stuck together.' Line three - Rovers celebrated far too early This isn't necessarily true, but all art deserves some leniency for greater impact and resonance. There was too much tension to enjoy anything until the final whistles went. 'The game was utter torture. We watched in seats allocated for Shels staff in the stand, quite near Derry's most vocal support,' Cleary says. Shels fans celebrate on the pitch. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO 'They were quick to let everyone know the score [when Rovers went 1-0 up after five minutes]. The only thing that would salvage their season would be ruining ours or winning the FAI Cup. 'There was an odd vitriol to the atmosphere on that side of the ground that you wouldn't usually associate with Derry. It hung heavy in the air. The air of hostility and contempt from the Derry fans on that side of the ground wasn't lost on anyone from the Shels side near them.' And that partly explains why Wood was so keen to celebrate right in front of them with his jersey being waved above his head. Over in the small corner where 300 away fans were supposed to be housed, the diligent and co-operative work of Derry stewards and officials allowed for the expansion of their section as numbers swelled closer to 500. John Brennan, the Shelbourne Supporter Liaison officer, is another of those volunteers whose love of the club saw him take on that role a couple of years ago. He is the brother of Dublin's two-time All Ireland winner Ger Brennan, a family steeped in red and blue from a corner just off Dorset Street. Shane Dawson (left) with goalkeeper Conor Kearns after full-time. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'I'm not quite like Ger, he loves to pray,' John says with a laugh. 'But I was wishing and praying we could get the job done. 'From where the club had been to what Damien Duff was about to achieve, it felt so hard to believe. 'That feeling when the final whistle goes, it is on a par with [Stephen] Cluxton putting the ball over the bar [in the All Ireland final] in 2011. That feeling, of course it was great for Ger and our family, but winning up in Derry is there with the greatest feeling ever experienced in sport.' Line four – Shels went back to Tolka and had a party Before the party there was the bus that went on fire. Before there was the bus that went on fire there were the celebrations and a late exit. As The 42 reported on the night, the lights the Ryan McBride Brandywell began to be turned off a little before 11.30pm. Shelbourne had been crowned League of Ireland champions almost two hours earlier. Damien Duff led his players and staff back into the centre circle. They linked arms as one. An unbreakable bond and relentless spirit endured as we edged towards the final midnight of the season. The songs from the dressing room stopped. 'Graffiti on the walls' was no more, likewise a chorus of 'He's in your head, he's in your head, Duffer, Duffer,' from the players. Generational Reds: John Brennan (right) with his father and son. Sean Boyd had bottles of Heineken stuffed inside his socks. Goalscorer Harry Wood had Corona in one hand and his phone in the other as he FaceTimed home to Hull. Goalkeeper Conor Kearns sat on the pitch for about 25 minutes calling loved ones too. Mauro Martins had a Shels bucket hat on and Portugal flag draped around his shoulders. He was puffing on a lovely cigar. A Cuban? 'No, my friend. Venezuelan. It is where my Dad is from.' The fitness coach could finally relax. Then there was Johnny Watson, the Shels kitman for long enough to know all of Tolka Park's deepest, darkest secrets. He walked proudly into the middle of the circle and was last to talk after Duff. Watson's two sons were in there too. This was generational. 'I fucking love the bones off every one of you. Up the fucking Shels,' he roared. It was the catalyst for a rendition of 'Championeeeeees.' 'If you think we are crazy in front of people, behind closed doors we are even crazier,' Duff told reporters just before that gathering in the middle of the pitch. 'There is no debating the best team won, we had numerous chances. The best team wins the league and that is us.' Related Reads Landscape of Irish football has changed and Marc Canham's replacement must reflect that Dermot Desmond shines a spotlight behind the scenes at Shamrock Rovers 'We're time critical'- FAI detail refined plans for €8m League of Ireland academy funding Shels fans in Derry, with former Dublin GAA star Dermot Connolly circled. Pic: Simon Crowe. Simon Crowe Simon Crowe Duff also revealed on the pitch that Jose Mourinho had sent a pre-match video to his players. He attempted to video call him once the title was won but there was no answer and, as a forfeit, he had to pay €500 into the players' party kitty. It began on the pitch in Derry. Sean Gannon, as he told the Second Captains podcast, had teeth marks on his forehead after colliding with a fan during the celebrations. 'After the goal I was just standing still, motionless for a few seconds,' Doherty says. 'I get stick about it even now but I think it was just disbelief, and maybe believing the goal would be ruled out for something.' What followed was a release. 'I found myself, mid-RTÉ broadcast during an ad break, clutching Stuey Byrne in tears. He knew. He'd lived it too,' Dawson says of the former club captain, who would later meet the Shels players in a hotel bar on the outskirts of the city. While Higgins may have patrolled the pitch in anger when the trophy presentation was being rehearsed, he still visited the Shels dressing room to congratulate Duff and his players after they lifted it for real. 'When the full time whistle went. My brother Ben, who produced the majority of the video output last season had gone on with the camera to capture the full-time scenes. I ran looking to find him. To give him a hug and to see his face. When I did find him it was a lovely moment,' Cleary says. 'Ben's face and the faces of every Shels fan I saw that night is something that I hope I remember forever. The faces you see every Friday night in Tolka, in grounds all over the country. Faces you'd known for years, that you instantly recognise yet in that moment they look completely different. Twisted in a kind of joy I had never seen before.' And then a bus went on fire. While Dawson and Doherty headed back on separate coaches, both filled with the gold ticker tape that had littered the pitches, one of the buses organised by Brennan and the club suffered engine failure on the journey home just outside Swords. On board was former Dublin footballer Dermot Connolly, along with the parents and partner of forward John Martin. Fans look back at one of the buses on fire. Only the quick thinking of the driver, who realised something was amiss in his cabin, prevented a tragedy. Engine failure led to a fire and explosion. Doherty's bus picked up the 30 or so stranded passengers and they headed back for Tolka. It was well after midnight by now, and the main stand in Drumcondra had also been filled with fans watching on big screens on the pitch. By the time players and some staff also arrived closer to 3am, the bars in Tolka Park had been drunk dry. As Gardaí began to disperse the final stragglers, one bus had already been sent to another late bar in the city to stock up on drinks to keep the party going. Thankfully, a Shels fan was running the bar and enough was ferried out of the busy venue and onboard. It then began to circle Drumcondra waiting for Gardaí and fans to leave. Once they had, captain Mark Coyle led some of his teammates into the bar beneath the main stand. It was bright before they left and then an official homecoming was hastily arranged by Cleary and other staff. A request to try and get the trophy branding and presentation that had been on hand in Tallaght was turned down by their rivals. Understandably so. A sound engineer returning from a gig the previous night was asked to help with setting up a system on the pitch. Players joined Duff and his staff to savour the occasion with thousands of supporters. That is when it really dawned on many of Doherty and Dawson's group of friends that they were becoming the older ones. There has been a baby boom over the last few years and their infant kids were there for pictures. Indeed, Doherty will be organising the bus again for tonight's game but won't be travelling as it's his son's first birthday tomorrow. Defender Paddy Barrett in front of the pink party bus - coincidentally a 2006 reg plate, the year of the club's last league title. A week after winning the league, Brennan was at a family wedding in Lanzarote. And at Christmas he informed them that he and his wife were expecting their second child. 'Straight away the joke was 'it's either a Lanzarote baby or a Shels-winning-the-league baby'. If it's a boy maybe the middle name will be Damien.' The memory of that night will never fade for Shels. It will live on in their hearts and minds and, of course, passed on in song.
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
League of Ireland: Follow all the action from around the country as Shamrock Rovers face Shels in Dublin derby
Live | It's another busy evening in the League of Ireland, with two Dublin derbies in store as champions Shelbourne head to Tallaght to face Shamrock Rovers and a resurgent Bohemians play host to St Patrick's Athletic. Elsewhere, league leaders Drogheda United travel to face Galway United, while managerless Waterford take on Derry City. Keep up to date with all the Premier and First Division action is it happens here. 3 minutes ago GOAL! Bray Wanderers 2 - Kerry 0 (11 mins) Two goals in as many minutes for Bray as Danu Bishop Kinsella bags an early brace. The 23-year-old opened the scoring in the 9th-minute before netting a second just two minutes later. League of Ireland on Twitter / X Danu Kinsella Bishop puts the hosts ahead! 🟢⚪Bray Wanderers take the lead against Kerry. League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) April 25, 2025 6 minutes ago 11' Chance! Sam Bone didn't cover himself in glory there as Jack Byrne's ball is headed up into the air by the Englishman and Michael Noonan pinches possession. The 16-year-old is in on goal and shoots, but Conor Kearns makes a big save to deny him. 8 minutes ago 10' A first chance of the evening for Shels as Mipo Odubeko sees his shot deflect behind for a corner. Perhaps the 22-year-old ought to have fed Evan Caffrey there. Caffrey's resulting corner swings to the back post and Ed McGinty has to deal with it underneath the crossbar. 14 minutes ago 5' Shamrock Rovers on the front foot early on as Josh Honohan and Jack Byrne try to pick out teammates in the box. Neither manage to find their man. 18 minutes ago 1' The first-half gets underway between Rovers and Shels! Its been showery at times this afternoon but it's relatively mild in Tallaght with temperatures of around 11 degrees and a moderate breeze. The other three games in the Premier Division and four fixtures in the First Division kick-off simultaneously. 22 minutes ago SHELS' TEAM TONIGHT: Reigning champions Shelbourne will be hoping to go one better after last week's draw with Galway United. Tonight, Damien Duff makes a solitary alteration as Mipo Odubeko gets the nod over Ali Coote. Mark Coyle captains the Drumcondra side: Shelbourne FC 🏆 on Twitter / X 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐗𝐈 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 🔥Here's your team to face Shamrock Rovers tonight!Kick-off at 7:45pm, tune in live at @VMSportIE #DublinsFinest | #Since1895 Shelbourne FC 🏆 (@shelsfc) April 25, 2025 External contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. 27 minutes ago SHAMROCK ROVERS LINE-UP: Stephen Bradley's men were left stunned by Bohemians on Monday and will want to rectify the result with a win over Shels this evening. Stephen Bradley's team line up as follows with Roberto Lopes as skipper and two changes as Graham Burke and Danny Grant replace Aaron Greene and Johnny Matthews: Shamrock Rovers FC on Twitter / X Tonight's Starting XI against Shelbourne 🔢 Shamrock Rovers FC (@ShamrockRovers) April 25, 2025 28 minutes ago Stephen Bradley speaking to Virgin Media ahead of kick-off: Virgin Media Sport on Twitter / X "They always respond. They've done that for a long period of time."Stephen Bradley looking his Shamrock Rovers players to bounce back from Monday's defeat to Bohs. #LOI Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) April 25, 2025 29 minutes ago WATCH: Damien Duff with Virgin Media ahead of kick-off Virgin Media Sport on Twitter / X "Don't worry we haven't fallen out." 😅Damien Duff on the absence of Sean Boyd from the Shels squad tonight. #LOI Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) April 25, 2025 32 minutes ago It's a case of familiar old stomping grounds for Shels' Mipo Odubeko as the 22-year-old returns his childhood home of Tallaght to face Shamrock Rovers: 'I grew up down the road from Tallaght Stadium' – Shelbourne's Mipo Odubeko on being a ball boy for Shamrock Rovers When Mipo Odubeko hops off the Shelbourne team bus tomorrow evening and strolls into Tallaght Stadium, chances are there will be a couple of young Reds fans waiting patiently, hoping to catch a glimpse of the striker and the rest of Damien Duff's champions. 36 minutes ago Sean O'Connor is in Tallaght this evening as the Hoops take on Shels: Hello and welcome to Tallaght Stadium for one of two huge Dublin derbies in the capital tonight as Shamrock Rovers host the champions. After mixed Easter weekend's these two sides are looking to get back to winning ways here, after Rovers let six points slip from winning positions against St Pat's and Bohs while Shels had back to back draws against Drogheda and Galway. In terms of team news, Stephen Bradley has made two changes from Monday's defeat to Bohs as Graham Burke and Danny Grant come in for Aaron Greene and Adam Matthews. Damien Duff has made one change from Monday's draw against Galway. Harry Wood comes in for Ali Coote. Local lad Mipo Odubeko, who used to wait outside the stadium here hoping to get chosen as a ballboy, starts up front for the Reds as Sean Boyd misses out with injury. A win here for either side could be enough to rise to the top of the table depending on results elsewhere, with the Hoops and the Reds both on 18 points and two off leaders Drogheda. 45 minutes ago Dan McDonnell sat down with Sligo Rovers CEO Andrew Feakins to discuss how the English businessman ended up in his role with the Bit O'Red: 'I must be the luckiest man alive' – Meet the Sligo CEO who was wrongly told he had months to live Match day can bring the chief executive of a League of Ireland club to unexpected places. 51 minutes ago Shamrock Rovers expect their young teenage star Victor Ozhianvuna will smash the transfer fee record for a League of Ireland player, as Aidan Fitzmaurice reports: 'This is serious stuff' – Stephen Bradley confirms intense interest in Shamrock Rovers teen Victor Ozhianvuna as record deal looms Shamrock Rovers expect that teenage star Victor Ozhianvuna will smash the transfer record for a League of Ireland player. 53 minutes ago Some pre-match watching for you all – Dan McDonnell and Aidan Fitzmaurice preview tonight's round of League of Ireland action: League of Ireland Premier Division preview - Another two big Dublin derbies to look forward to Seán O'Connor and Aidan Fitzmaurice preview this week's League of Ireland Premier Division action as Bohemians welcome St Pat's and champions Shelbourne visit Shamrock Rovers in two big Dublin derbies. 55 minutes ago Good evening and welcome to another live blog covering Matchday 12 of the League of Ireland Premier Division. My name is Ultán Corcoran, and I will be keeping you up to speed with all the action it unfolds around the grounds. We have four games kicking off at 7.45pm tonight – Shamrock Rovers welcome the reigning champions Shelbourne to Tallaght with televised coverage on Virgin Media 2 from 7.30pm.
