Latest news with #FAICup
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘You can't take chances' – Joey O'Brien gives early injury update on Shelbourne duo after Champions League qualifier win
SHELBOURNE will continue to fly the flag in the Champions League after celebrating with a tricolour on the pitch. A Advertisement 2 Shelbourne advanced to the next round of the Champions League qualifiers with an aggregate win over Linfield Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Mark Coyle, pictured, and Conor Kearns were both forced off injured Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile Ali Coote's opener was cancelled out by Chris Shields' penalty with Kerr McInroy's goal chalked off by VAR for a tug by Paddy Barrett. Ben Hall's straight red card made a Linfield comeback unlikely with Shels' celebrations at the final whistle showed what it meant. Barrett borrowed a flag from supporters with Evan Caffrey then gleefully waving it on the pitch as the few remaining Linfield fans booed. Shels boss Joey O'Brien said: 'I thought we were the better team over the two legs but you don't always get what you deserve. Advertisement Read More on Shelbourne 'This was always going to be a tough game but I thought we started well, got on the ball and dominated possession and we reacted well after the penalty. 'We had a worked set-play and you have that emotion where you're thinking you're ahead and then you have it taken off you. 'The lads were a little bit flat in the dressing room which was understandable. I said to them that was OK.' Shels face Fairview Rangers in an FAI Cup tie on Saturday before hosting Qarabag at Tolka Park on Wednesday before the second leg in Azerbaijan a week later. Advertisement Most read in Sport Breaking And O'Brien knows his side cannot afford to gift the sort of chances that keepers Conor Kearns and Lorcan Healy did in either half. O'Brien said: 'You definitely cannot give them away, it's not even about Europe. You probably don't get away with them normally. RTE pundit's one-liner about Damien Duff makes Joey O'Brien laugh after Shelbourne's win vs Linfield 'They were disappointing because I don't think from open play they cut us open or had outstanding chances, it was from our bad stuff. 'But I thought overall, apart from those couple of moments, it was really mature, especially the second half and I was disappointed we didn't get the winner in the game.' Advertisement The ex-Ireland international is also sweating on the fitness of no 1 Kearns and captain Mark Coyle, both of whom were forced off. He said: 'Mark was struggling with his knee, he wanted to keep going because he's a warrior and he would keep going to the death but on a recovery run he wasn't able to sprint and you can't take chances at this level. 'Conor felt his hamstring, I think he felt it a little bit earlier, and people probably thought he was wasting time, and then he felt it again on the next kick, so he had to come off. 'I suppose we just have to get him back down to Dublin, get him scanned, and just take it from there.' Advertisement
Extra.ie
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Wayside Celtic: Meet the Leinster League side looking to shock the FAI Cup
The magic of the cup is back in the air as the Sports Direct FAI Cup kicks off its second round this week, with the League of Ireland sides making their first foray into this year's tournament. Cup football is for some people the best type of football, you can reminisce on the great moments of the World Cup, FA Cup and the FAI Cup, whether it was the great runs of the last amateur team to win it Home Farm, to Longford Town's back-to-back triumphs in 2003 and 2004 to even Drogheda United last year winning it all, cup football can conjure up some great stories. One amateur side looking to cause a 'cup-set' is Wayside Celtic. The Kilternan side are one of a number Leinster Senior League sides in the second round and they'll make the short 7km trip across to Bray to face off against Wanderers at Carlisle Grounds. Pic: Eddie Lennon Sporting Images While this is a huge occasion for Wayside, it probably hasn't come at the perfect time. With the Leinster Senior League and the League of Ireland don't have an aligned calendar, with the LSL running the traditional slot of around August-May while the LOI runs from February to November. For Wayside this has meant that they're off-season was somewhat brief, mainly due deep runs in the FAI Intermediate, Charlie Cahill and the Metro Cup meant firstly they qualified for the FAI Cup first round but also their 2024/25 season ran long. Their season didn't actually end until 8 June and less than a month later on 7 July full training was underway for the Bray tie. Pic: Alan Quinn (LSL Live Updates) When speaking to striker Darragh O'Connor he explained that pre-season hasn't actually started much earlier than the last season they weren't in the FAI Cup, but the intensity of it that has made it such a challenge. 'We don't have time to be doing running for a few weeks, you need to come back fit. We've been back in the last 10, 11 days officially before this game. It's like, come back fit and we need to just go straight into football tactics, games.' Wayside were able to squeeze in one friendly in preparation for this game but manager Ross Zambra spoke about the difficulties of the quick turnaround to next season. 'We only went back to training Monday last to prepare for this game and to be honest with you, it's not long enough preparation for a game like this, but the break wasn't long enough for the players in terms of our off season coming as well. So the timing is far from ideal but it's the same for all the Senior League clubs. We're all out of season while the League of Ireland teams are bang in season and they're up to speed and all that.' Pic: Alan Quinn (LSL Live Updates) It wasn't just the players who had a busy off-season. While they were trying to stay fit Zambra and his coaches were busy scouting Bray, watching every one of their games they could, whether in person or on LOI TV while Zambra was also busy recruiting players for the new season. Zambra commended the huge commitment of his players over the 10 days, some of whom have taken time off their work to make sure they can keep up with the rigorous training schedule. This squad already has experience of playing at this stage, having reached the second round stage last season where they hosted Wexford at Jackson Park in a 3-1 defeat, with O'Connor getting on the scoresheet that day. It's not just the underdogs aspect that makes this tie so interesting but the closeness, both geographically and metaphorically between the clubs. The Zambra family are synonymous with Bray Wanderers, brothers Ross and Dean both played for the club with Dean captaining the side and their father Garry was involved in coaching at the club for 25 years. He was First Team Coach when they won the FAI Cup in 1999 (Dean was a mascot that day too). Bray Wanderers celebrate following their 1999 FAI Cup win. Pic: INPHO/Andrew Paton But now Ross and Dean are coaching at Wayside with Dean involved with the squad in the lead up to the tie. Zambra spoke about how big of a tie it is for the community and the local area. 'I think it was the perfect draw for us. I think it's something that has really captured the imagination of people inside the club and the local area. We're getting lots of messages of support.' O'Connor further added; 'This game is such a big deal, there will be all the all the club members around the place, the school boy clubs, it's such a big occasion. Pic: Eddie Lennon Sporting Images The tie between the clubs runs through the players at Wayside as well, with O'Connor for example playing with Bray fullback Max Murphy since they were kids at Cabinteely. He explained how that tie runs deep in the squad. 'I'd say about three-quarters of our team and coaching staff have either played, managed, coached, or have had some involvement in Bray and Cabo [Cabinteely]. That kind of affiliation. So it's a massive draw. Literally, they're down the road. In fact, half our team are from Bray, so they'll probably walk to the game.' It won't be a walk into the next round for Wayside but unlike last year where Zambra made the point of embracing the occasion against Wexford, this year him and his team are out to ruffle a few feathers and cause an upset. It'll be a night to remember for everyone involved in Wayside on Friday.
The 42
a day ago
- Sport
- The 42
Romance and reality collide in Shelbourne's Champions League decider with Linfield
THE QUALIFYING ROUNDS of the Champions League are a place where romance and reality co-exist in a tension-filled vacuum for clubs like Shelbourne and Linfield. That much became clear during the first leg of their first-round tie at Tolka Park last week. Prior to kick-off, the nature of the All-Ireland derby added an element of intrigue that was only natural to be explored, but was barely entertained. Neither manager did anything to fan the flames at a time of year when bonfires begin to burn in the north. The closest Joey O'Brien came to antagonising the visitors was to admit that, other than his preparation for facing Linfield, he did not know an awful lot about the Irish League. David Healy, meanwhile, spoke of how often he attends various League of Ireland games and that he couldn't remember the last time he missed a trip to Dublin for the FAI Cup final. The Northern Ireland legend also shifted focus on any political significance of the tie by simply speaking about the weekly pressure and expectation he has faced in close to 10 years in charge at Windsor Park. That is the venue for tonight's second leg in which Shels hold a 1-0 lead after Mipo Odubeko's fine second-half goal in Dublin, and speaking yesterday the returning Chris Shields insisted Linfield weren't being drawn into the 'narrative' of north v south. Advertisement 'Qualification to the next round is much bigger than any other debate, for both clubs,' he said, the quote pointedly used by Linfield on their own social media feed. What it means to fans is impossible to quantify but for those running the clubs the value is easy to measure. As Shels are a domestic champion, the minimum amount that any club eliminated at this stage of the competition can receive in prize money from Uefa is €960,000. It was only a couple of months ago that chief executive Tomás 'Mossy' Quinn spoke about how the current League of Ireland champions could not continue to rack up seven-figure losses on an annual basis. Shelbourne accrued a loss of €1.1 million as per their accounts for 2024, with that figure totalling €3.5m for the last three seasons combined. For added context of the reality, should they progress tonight but then fall short in the second qualifying round against seasoned European operators Qarabağ, the champions' path means that even successive defeats in the third qualifying round of the Europa League and Uefa Conference League play-off would provide €1.7m. Following in the same path of Shamrock Rovers into the league phase of the third-tier competition all of a sudden makes the financial picture look so much better, and would come close to wiping out the shortfall of the last three years. Teams who progress into the Uefa Conference League can, according to the governing body, 'expect to receive a league phase allocation of €3.17m, split into a down-payment of €3.05m and a balance of €120k.' There are also performance-related bonuses of €400,000 per win and €133,000 for a draw. Such figures are dangerous to consider when all you have is a one-goal lead heading into an away leg that, as of yesterday, had 6,000 tickets sold with Shels taking their full allocation of 1,300 up the M1. Shields' experience will be important for the hosts. He was suspended for the first leg, along with his former Dundalk teammate Sean Gannon who is now in red, and will return to the starting XI tonight hoping Linfield can overturn that deficit. Predominantly a midfielder, but who also filled in at centre back, Shields referenced in the pre-match press conference how 'some of the best nights in my European career have come after a 1-0 away defeat in the first leg'. Dundalk fans won't need reminding of that occasion. The Lilywhites, then managed by Stephen Kenny, trailed Bate Borisov 1-0 in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Tallaght Stadium was the venue for the second leg and, as the heavens opened, Dundalk reached for the stars with a thrilling 3-0 win that guaranteed Europa League group stage football. That was the year that began to change the course of Kenny's career, ultimately leading to the Dubliner becoming manager of the Republic of Ireland. The numbers and finance involved cannot be ignored. Dundalk's success almost a decade ago was at a time when the Conference League did not exist, so if either of these sides were somehow able to reach the league phase of the Europa League then €4.31m would come their way. And if you really wanted to dream big the figure for making it among the elite of the Champions League is close to five times that figure – €18.62m. 'The players believe there is an opportunity,' Linfield boss Healy said of this tie. 'We're going to try and get our foot on the ball more and have enough possession to go and hurt them. Our strengths weren't shown last week. We have beaten a lot of good sides in Europe at Windsor Park, even in very recent years.' Some of the names on that list will be recognisable to a League of Ireland audience. Borac Banja Luka – who Rovers faced last year – were thumped 4-0 in 2021, and Stjarnan – who have played against Rovers and Bohemians in recent seasons – were put to the sword 2-0 last season. The 1-0 triumph in 2022 over one of last year's Europa League semi-finalists, Bodo Glimt, also caught the eye, even if an 8-0 thrashing away from home told a different story. The task for Shels is clear and if they are to keep on dreaming in Europe they must meet the reality of that challenge head on tonight. Tonight – Linfield (0) v Shelbourne (1), BBC iPlayer, 7.45pm.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Drogheda United cup final goal hero Andrew Quinn eager to make more lifelong memories
Meath native Andrew Quinn was in Croke Park on Sunday afternoon to see the Royals humbled by mighty Donegal in the All-Ireland Football semi-final and many analysts are predicting that his Drogheda United team will put FAI Cup opponents Crumlin United to the sword in equally comprehensive manner on Friday night. However, the 23-year-old defender from Dunshaughlin insists the holders won't be taking the Leinster Senior League club lightly when they begin the defence of their crown at Sullivan & Lambe Park.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Dundalk's JR Wilson hoping to cause a cup upset against former club Sligo Rovers
FAI Cup – Dundalk v Sligo Rovers (Friday July 18, 7.45pm) The Argus Today at 15:30 Having played in both divisions in recent years, JR Wilson admits there is 'night and day' between the Premier Division and the First Division of the League of Ireland. However, the Dundalk fullback doesn't expect there to be much between his new side and his old club Sligo Rovers when the pair go head-to-head in the FAI Cup at Oriel Park this Friday night.
