Latest news with #JoshHonohan
The Irish Sun
07-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shamrock Rovers in need of comeback to keep Conference League hopes alive after narrow first leg loss to Ballkani
BALLKANI 1-0 SHAMROCK ROVERS Shamrock Rovers in need of comeback to keep Conference League hopes alive after narrow first leg loss to Ballkani SHAMROCK ROVERS will have work to do to stay in the Europa Conference League after falling to a narrow defeat to FC Ballkani in Kosovo. A Sunday Adetunji goal in the second-half was all that separated the two sides in Thursday night's second leg. Advertisement 2 Shamrock Rovers lost to FC Ballkani in the opening leg of their Conference League qualifier Credit: Nikola Krstic/Sportsfile 2 Almir Kryeziu of Ballkani in action against Danny Mandroiu of Shamrock Rovers Credit: Nikola Krstic/Sportsfile It could have been more, with Almir Kryeziu and Adetunji both passing up chances to put the game to bed, while Josh Honohan had a late chance brilliantly saved. It leaves the League of Ireland leaders needing to turn things around in Tallaght next week to make the play-offs. The tandem of Almir Kryeziu and Giovanni caused all sorts of problems all evening down the left and combined for the game's first big chance on 12 minutes. Kryeziu dropped onto the touchline before finding former Ajax prospect Giovanni in behind. Advertisement He crossed low in the direction of Sunday Adetunji but Ed McGinty did enough to put the striker off before he could knock it in. The Rovers goalkeeper had to be on alert to parry a Geralb Smajli strike from range after another Giovanni pick-out. Kryeziu and Albert Diene were next to have goes with long range strikes that ballooned over the bar. Rovers began to create a couple of half openings once the first-half ticked towards the half hour mark. Advertisement A brave Josh Honohan header set Dylan Watts free down the left, only for his cutback to be too far ahead of Danny Mandroiu and too far behind Rory Gaffney. But as the half-time whistle approached, the hosts put their collective feet back on the pedal, with the two danger men combining for their next chance on 34 minutes. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict Giovanni played a corner short to Kryeziu. He reversed it back to the edge of the box for Ardit Deliu, who could only slice his shot harmlessly wide of Ed McGinty's left-hand post. Rovers' best moments of the first-half came from set pieces, with Josh Honohan drawing a superb low save from Adnan Golubovic from a Dylan Watts corner after the Ballkani goalkeeper had flapped at one moments earlier. Advertisement But their first big chance of the second-half came from their best piece of open play of the game. After a spell of possession that earned whistles from the frustrating home crowd, Josh Honohan was picked out with a fine pass down the left side on 50 minutes. He drove at his mind before sliding the ball across the face, where Danny Mandroiu could not direct the ball on target. With that chance having passed them by, the deadlock was broken by the Kosovans five minutes later. Advertisement A clever interchange of passes ended with Smajli finding Sunday Adetunji. The Ballkani front man turned inside a Rovers defender before rolling past McGinty. They should have made it 2-0 four minutes later when a deflected shot was well saved by McGinty, only for Kryeziu to balloon the rebound high and over the bar. Stephen Bradley responded to this latest scare by bringing on Michael Noonan and Connor Malley, but it was Ballkani who remained dangerous, with Adetunji forcing a corner after being found by Giovanni. The hosts once again should have doubled their lead with ten minutes to go when Adetunji was picked out by a good cross from substitute Bleart Tolaj, only for his soft finish to be easily saved by McGinty. Advertisement Rovers had one last chance to equalize when another Watts set piece found the head of Honohan, but for Golubovic to make another good save. SUN STAR MAN Giovanni (FC Ballkani) BALLKANI: Golubovic 7; Smajli 7, Batarelo 6 (Jashanica 38, 6), Halili 6, Potoku 6 (Letaj 85, 5); Deliu 6, Giovanni 8, Diene 7; Hamidi 6 (Tolaj 65, 6), Adetunji 7, Kryeziu 7. Advertisement SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty 6; Grant 6, Cleary 6, Lopes 6, Grace 6, Honohan 7; Nugent 6 (Noonan 60, 5), Healy 6, Watts 6; Mandroiu 6, Gaffney 5 (Malley 60, ). REFEREE: D Panchyshyn (Ukraine) 4
Irish Daily Mirror
02-08-2025
- Sport
- 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 Examiner
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Gritty Sligo hold Shamrock Rovers to earn precious point in dogfight
SSE Airtricity League Men's Premier Division: Sligo Rovers 2 (Jad Hakiki 9, 24), Shamrock Rovers 2 (Dan Cleary 33, Josh Honohan 63) SLIGO Rovers and Shamrock Rovers played out an epic 2-2 draw at The Showgrounds. This outcome stalled Rovers' surge for silverware as they had to come back from two goals down and hard-working Sligo belied their position at the other end of the table. Jad Hakiki's brace put Sligo ahead but Rovers rescued a draw - their seventh stalemate of the campaign - with goals from Dan Cleary and Josh Honohan. THE third clash of the season involving the top flight's two Rovers, Sligo and Shamrock, brought together two sides with severely contrasting fortunes Stephen Bradley's Shamrock Rovers, top of the table, had won eight of their previous 10 games, with Sligo second from bottom in the table and, although showing an improvement in form, were still in a precarious position. The hosts featured four new faces in their matchday squad, with three of these starting, including loan signings Ryan O'Kane and James McManus, who joined Sligo from Shelbourne and Bohemians respectively. Rovers dominated possession from the off. Matthew Healy and Graham Burke both fizzed shots narrowly wide inside the opening five minutes to warn the home side. Sligo, who showed plenty of grit, went ahead in the ninth minute. Will Fitzgerald, who captained the team in the absence of John Mahon and deputising at left-back, took a corner short to Jake Doyle-Hayes and his tempting cross was converted by Jad Hakiki's headed finish. Sligo, who were fortunate that a couple of dangerous Rovers build-ups broke down at the final ball, ought to have doubled their lead in the 22nd minute. Pressure forced a Rovers turnover and Ryan O'Kane set up Wilson Waweru for a shot that Ed McGinty blocked. Two minutes later it was 2-0. Owen Elding's deft pass released Jad Hakiki and he cut into the Rovers penalty area before slotting a precise shot beyond McGinty. Graham Burke's well-struck attempt to bring Rovers back into it was brilliantly kept out by Sam Sargeant. But Rovers got a goal back in the 33rd minute through a Dan Cleary header after Rovers kept a move alive when a Graham Burke free-kick came off the Sligo wall. Rovers hemmed in their opponents for the remainder of the half but a Josh Honohan header - that was narrowly wide - was their best opportunity to level matters. The Dublin club went close again early in the second-half through a Matthew Healy shot. A fantastic double-save from Sam Sargeant denied Danny Mandroiu and Danny Grant when Rovers looked certain to score on both occasions. Sergeant pulled off another save - this time to stop Rory Gaffney - but the move was kept alive and Dylan Watts' delivery to the back post was headed in by Josh Honohan for a 63rd minute equaliser. Sligo could have retaken the lead in the 87th minute but Francely Lomboto lofted the ball over Ed McGinty's goal after breaking through the Rovers cover. SLIGO ROVERS: Sergeant; Reynolds, Denham, McClean, Fitzgerald; McManus (Quirk 60), Doyle-Hayes; Elding (Kavanagh 85), Hakiki, O'Kane (McDonagh 90+1); Waweru (Lomboto 60) SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Grant, Grace, Lopes, Cleary, Honohan (Kovalevskis 75); Healy, Watts (Byrne 64), Mandroiu (McEneff 87); Burke (Noonan 64), Gaffney (McGovern 75) Referee: Paul McLaughlin Attendance: 3,359
Irish Times
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Shamrock Rovers versus Shelbourne transpires to be something more – what we learned from Friday's League of Ireland fixtures
The highs and lows of Josh Honohan All sorts of narratives loomed over this Dublin derby; a pairing of champions versus league leaders, Damien Duff versus Stephen Bradley and, as it transpired, Josh Honohan versus himself . Contrary to League of Ireland norms , both of these sides love having possession of the football. Shelbourne have controlled games, albeit without threatening enough, plenty of times this season, but they were reduced to sloppy passes and hopeful crosses for much of Friday night. Duff reckoned this was the first time in four years that he was afforded the luxury of a fully fit squad. Paddy Barrett back healthy and Mark Coyle back in midfield were causes for optimism, but very little quality from the home side transpired. Shelbourne's goal, a header from Honohan steered into the corner of his own net, looked to be a catalyst but ultimately marked a temporary moment of reprieve. For Shamrock Rovers , every game is another reason to talk up their title aspirations. Jack Byrne's quality from set pieces again reared its decisive head – an early free kick landing right on Daniel Cleary's head for the opener. Shels worked hard to limit Byrne from open play but failed to stifle his team-mates in the middle, with Matthew Healy looking particularly commanding. READ MORE Honohan, after a week in which he fell short of an anticipated Ireland debut, was desperate to atone for his uncharacteristic error. With seven minutes to go, Seán Gannon failed to deal with Aaron Greene's driven cross. It broke to Rovers' star wing back, who lashed the ball high into the net. Having delivered the winner, Honohan folded his arms in satisfaction à la Kylian Mbappé , before quickly raising them in apology as he was mobbed by team-mates. Twelve points now separate these two sides – a seemingly insurmountable gap, even at this stage. Bohemians find their identity In the early parts of the season, Bohemians looked devoid of identity. Alan Reynolds, under huge pressure, made flurries of changes every week, unsuccessful in his attempts to strengthen a weak spine and sharpen a blunt attack. That has all changed. Reynolds still rotates, but the tweaks are seamless. Whether it is Colm Whelan or James Clarke leading the line, the plan is clear and well executed. It was Clarke on Friday night, makeshift but fluid in that role – not a natural goal scorer but a classy facilitator for those around him. Archie Meekison has been utilised in a number of positions this season, and he looked right at home cutting in from the left wing. After spurning a good opportunity early on, Meekison took the opener very well – latching on to a heavy touch from last man Darragh Crowley and rounding Cork City goalkeeper Tein Troost twice before finding the corner. Dawson Devoy and Ross Tierney are two excellent footballers, and both look well at home now in Reynolds' set-up. They chimed well for the second goal – Devoy twisting and elusive in midfield; Tierney enthusiastic to affect play further forward. The ball eventually fell to the impressive Dayle Rooney to tap-in and all but end the contest. Cork are second from bottom and winless in eight, so in isolation this win shouldn't have Bohs fans getting carried away. Their form since early April though, validates any dreamers. Dizzy now in second place, the Gypsies have a game in hand on Shamrock Rovers that could take them within striking distance of the leaders. Derry lose ground as Galway United steady the ship Galway manager John Caulfield after the game against Derry. Photograph: Lorcan Doherty/Inpho John Caulfield spent the midseason break plotting Galway United's move to a back four but following a more open half of football than many would have expected, the Tribesmen reverted to type. After four damaging defeats on the spin, Galway are now unbeaten in three. Two points from trips to Tallaght and the Brandywell are signs of a returning stoicism, and with that five-man defence in the second half, the away side looked comfortable. Those more hectic opening stages did produce a Galway goal. As was the case in this fixture earlier in the year, Derry failed to cope with a long throw-in. This time, Moses Dyer was hauled to the ground with the ball flicked high towards him by Patrick Hickey. David Hurley, employing the hop, skip and jump technique popularised by Jorginho and Bruno Fernandes, converted the resulting penalty. Derry fought back, equalising through Kevin Holt's midriff – the unfortunate destination of a hooked attempt at a clearance from Greg Cunningham. There were big chances for Michael Duffy and Sam Todd too, perhaps influencing Galway's withdrawal. A draw does little good for Derry. Tiernan Lynch's side are now 11 points adrift of Shamrock Rovers, though they do have a game in hand. Another 0-0 for St Pat's and Drogheda Three times St Patrick's Athletic and Drogheda United have met this season, and three times the sides have failed to produce a goal. This particular scoreless draw came close – Luke Dennison denied Mason Melia from the penalty spot after 20 minutes in what was the game's defining moment. The Saints were the better side overall, without doing much to worry Dennison again. Drogheda can be happy with a point after a difficult week for the club, who have been denied access to the Uefa Conference League under the governing body's ownership rules. Though they have taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport , the outlook is not good for last season's FAI Cup winners. If they are looking for positives, this season still has plenty to offer for Drogheda. They remain in third place, unbeaten in five games and sitting narrowly ahead of their Friday night opponents.
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Josh Honohan makes amends to secure Shamrock Rovers win over Shelbourne
LOI: Shelbourne 1 (Honohan OG 32) Shamrock Rovers 2 (Cleary 12, Honohan 83) When Josh Honohan's football career eventually stops rising, he will remember the month of June in 2025. Called into the Republic of Ireland squad for friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg, a muscular injury sustained in training conspired to deny him a dream debut. An own goal appeared to cap a miserable week for the Cork man, until he blasted a late winner to silence the Tolka Park crowd and maintain Shamrock Rovers six-point lead at the top of the Premier Division . Shelbourne , the defending champions, are stranded in sixth, an gaping 12 points adrift of Rovers. READ MORE 'They know we're here, they know we're back,' said Shelbourne manager Damien Duff before kick-off. Maybe so, but it feels like Rovers' league to win again. Shelbourne manager Damien Duff during the game at Tolka Park. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/INpho Following a dreary international break, there were a bundle of stories bouncing around the scene this week. The managerial rivalry between Stephen Bradley and Duff has become as potent as the Ringsend derby itself, but the gaffers agreed on Friday that the break has refreshed their squads ahead of a busy summer of European football. Initially, Duff branded the pause as amateur. 'It came at the right time. The lads have had a chance to get fit, rest and focus on attacking the second half of the season.' They barely attacked the first half of this game. On 12 minutes, Shels' zonal marking at the set-piece was exposed by Jack Byrne's sumptuous free-kick as Dan Cleary timed his run across Mark Coyle to nod the ball into Conor Kearns' net. The goal silenced a lively full house and put Rovers firmly on course to capture a fifth title in six seasons. 'It's June,' Bradley reminded anyone willing to listen prematch. A long way to go, but still, the Hoops looked unbreakable with Pico Lopes taking no prisoners in defence. A lunging intercept by the Cape Verde international on 30 minutes denied John Martin a run on goal. Seconds later, the title race turned into a battle between Rovers and Bohemians, as Alan Reynolds' men were beating Cork City 2-0 at Turners' Cross. Shamrock Rovers' Dan Cleary celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Shelbourne equalised before half-time when a decent cross by Kameron Ledwidge led to Honohan's unforced error. If he was trying to score, it would have been a fine finish. Until Honohan's match winner, it had not been a great week. A random Galway United fan thought the defender was fair game for abuse during his solo session on the Stade de Luxembourg pitch after Ireland's 0-0 result last Tuesday. He reacted to that disappointment and the own goal by storming past Evan Caffrey into the Shels box, only for referee Robert Harvey to miss a blatant jersey tug by Caffrey. At 1-1, John Martin typified the game's intensity by chasing down a lost cause and denying Lee Grace from guiding the ball for a goal kick. Martin hurt himself making the tackle but he recovered to earn a yellow card for disrupting the subsequent throw-in. Duff was spitting fire on the line. By the turn, he had his sixth yellow card of the season after reacting to Coyle's booking for a foul on Danny Mandroiu after Lopes thundered through Kerr McInroy. That paragraph belongs in an All-Ireland Hurling final report. The unbridled passion might have something to do with Bradley being impressed by a recent leadership talk from Brian Cody. 'It was gold dust' said Bradley of the message imparted by the 11-time winning Kilkenny manager. Byrne continued to sprinkle his magic dust on the occasion, with a spinning delivery for Danny Grant to force a smart save by Kearns. Shamrock Rovers' Aaron McEneff. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/Inpho Shels maintained the pressure in the second half, with Byrne the latest to be cautioned for upending McInroy after Caffrey's shot was blocked by a clump of Rovers defenders. That was Shelbourne's first shot of the night. Rovers were already up to 11 efforts on goal, five finding the target. The lack of chances prompted Duff to unleash his usual strike force, Mipo Odubeko and Sean Boyd, but the tall forwards struggled to wrestle control from Cleary and Lopes. Cleary had a second headed goal disallowed on 70 minutes. Bradley and his players struggled to understand the match officials' reasoning. By then, Rovers had turned to Dylan Watts and Graham Burke to break the deadlock but it was Honohan who came forward to secure all three points. SHELBOURNE: Kearns; Gannon, Barrett, Wilson (Wood 69), Ledwidge, Norris; McInroy (Coote 81), Coyle (Lunney 69); Caffrey, Chapman (Boyd 58); Martin (Odubeko 58). SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Grant, Cleary, Lopes, Honohan (Clarke 86), Matthews (Grace 6); Healy, McEneff, Mandroiu (Burke 69), Byrne (Watts 69); Gaffney (Greene 69). Referee: Robert Harvey.
