Latest news with #JoshHonohan
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Homegrown Honohan eager to impress Hallgrimsson
Josh Honohan has certainly taken the path less travelled on his journey to receive a call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad. The vast majority of Ireland internationals have had to leave the country to pursue professional football, however, the Shamrock Rovers defender has always plied his trade on the island. Coming through the ranks at renowned Cork schoolboy side Carrigaline United, Honohan moved to the Cork City academy as a 16-year-old before making his breakthrough to the first team at the Turner's Cross club. An impressive season in 2023 attracted the attention of Rovers and Honohan signed for the Hoops ahead of their 2024 campaign, going on to quickly establish himself in Stephen Bradley's starting side and helping the club undertake a history-making European run, which ended in the knockout stages of the UEFA Conference League. Comfortable in the centre or either side of the defence, Honohan has cemented his spot patrolling the left flank at Tallaght Stadium, and his consistent run of form, speed and strength brought him onto the radar of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson. Honohan was eventually called into the current squad ahead of the upcoming doubleheader against Senegal and Luxembourg, and while it became known that the manager was a fan – he was in the provisional squad in March - he admits that it has just been a case of taking it one game at a time. "It's been really positive," said Honohan, speaking after his first training session with the squad on Monday. "I came into the camp yesterday, all of the lads and the staff have been really welcoming, training this morning went well. "It's a high standard, a lot of the lads are playing at a really high level. It was good to get in and be involved." Honohan, of course, is not the first League of Ireland player to break into the senior squad in recent years; however, fellow Rovers players Jack Byrne and Graham Burke were over in England a long time before they made a breakthrough into the panel. And with most players remaining in Ireland until they are 18, coupled with the ever-improving standard of the League of Ireland and corresponding academy football, there is every chance that Honohan, the exception, will eventually become the rule. "I never went to the UK, I've always been in Ireland," said Honohan. "I played with Carrigaline United until I was 16 and I was lucky I had great coaching down there and then I went to Cork City, the academy. "I was lucky enough to have brilliant managers and coaches to help me with that in the academy, and then I played with Cork and came to Shamrock Rovers last year, and the standards they set, the manager, and the rest of the staff there have improved me. "The coaching I've had since I was young has always been at a really high level, I've never been to the UK, but I've never looked at it like it was a negative. "You more just dream it [as a 16-year-old], and you just try to work as hard as you can, be disciplined and committed. "It sounds really cliché but you just take one game at a time and try to do as well as you can and hope you get the opportunity." The League of Ireland's mid-season break coincides with the June international window and while many players take the opportunity to enjoy some early summer sunshine ahead of the second half of the season, Honohan is more than happy to be camped out in west Dublin for the next week. "I was planning on going away to Malaga to get a bit of sun but I'm not complaining, I'm delighted to be here," said Honohan. "It's dream come true to firstly be here and then over the next two games, hopefully I make an appearance, that would be a dream of mine. I'm not complaining. I'm delighted to be here. "I do set small goals, but I don't set massive long-term goals. But now that I am here, the aim is to do well in training, and if I can make an appearance, do as well as I can." Honohan headed off on international duty off the back of a disappointing scoreless draw with Galway United last Friday night and was on the end of a scathing appraisal of his performance by Rovers manager Stephen Bradley. The defender addressed and accepted the manager's criticism, but denied that he was distracted by the Ireland management team in attendance at the game. "First, about the performance it was obviously disappointing," he said. "When you're involved with Shamrock Rovers, you want to get three points every game. Last Friday we didn't get three points. "About the manager's comments, look the manager has been here for a good couple of years now and a massive reason the club has been so successful is that the manager has set the standard in the club. He does set high standards, he holds lads accountable and when you do come off that standard, like last Friday, he holds people accountable. And that's the standard he has and that's the standard I have for myself. "The other night I didn't have my best game. But I'm just focused now on the next game after that, trying to improve and getting back to that standard "I didn't know the manager or John O'Shea was in the stand. I just focus on Galway. Like I said, as a team, we had an off day, myself as an individual I had an off day, but I wouldn't say that affected me at all." Honohan is expected to be called into action sooner than later, in terms of initiation, and is prepping a country classic to belt out when summoned in front of the squad. But it will be the manager that Honohan is attempting to impress this week when it comes to working his way onto the pitch over the coming two games, with places in the World Cup qualifying squad up for grabs. "We just went over one or two things in training, showing clips of the way we play and little principles that we have, so it's just trying to learn them as quickly as I can and trying to build a connection with the lads," said the 24-year-old. "He wants us to be a good defensive team, a well-drilled team with a good shape, and you can see he is a top manager. "He has managed some top international teams, and he has done really well with them, so you can definitely see why he has been successful as an international manager."
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Galway United earn a draw to end Shamrock Rovers' winning run at the top
Shamrock Rovers 0 Galway United 0 SHAMROCK ROVERS STUTTERED to a stalemate against Galway United but after five successive wins it means this draw will only feel like a missed opportunity heading into the mid-season break rather than something more dramatic. The Hoops remain six points clear at the top of the Premier Division, the same advantage they had at the start of the night with Drogheda United and Bohemians leading the chasing pack. Galway were full value for the point and it's a sign of the division's strength they only jumped one place to seventh as a result. Frustrating nights like this felt like they had a greater consequence for Stephen Bradley's side last season, as their grip on the title was loosened. Now they are the pace setters and as they drove forward looking for a late winner it was more in hope than desperation. Had they managed to nick it in one of the five minutes of added time then maybe it would be looked back on as a significant night, instead it may well be quickly forgotten as players break until mid June. The best moment of the first half came on 26 minutes when Aaron McEneff ghosted into the box off the shoulder of David Hurley and produced an eye-catching bicycle kick from 12 yards after being picked out by Danny Grant's cross on the right. The ball fizzed over the bar but between the sight of his body contorting in mid air and the sweet connection it was enough to awaken the crowd from a midsummer night slumber. It felt like one of those lazy evenings, not due to any lack of industry or effort, merely activity in either box. Advertisement As the half wore on and Galway nullified the league leaders, the natural subplot to follow was the impact of Josh Honohan down Rovers' left. He links up with the senior Republic of Ireland squad this weekend ahead of the friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg. His international debut will surely come and manager Heimir Hallgrímsson and assistant John O'Shea were in Tallaght Stadium to take in proceedings. He fed one nice pass for Graham Burke to deliver a dangerous cross after nine minutes but other than that his most telling contributions were forgettable ones; mis controlling a diagonal switch of play out for a Galway throw and then being needlessly caught offside when he was looking across the line. This is the kind of scrutiny that comes for any Ireland player, especially one who it seems is about to take the next step in his club career as clubs in the United Kingdom step up their interest. Bradley acknowledged as much this week, admitting it will be a battle to keep hold of the defender this summer, but he still had no qualms about substituting him for 16-year-old Victor Ozhianvuna on 59 minutes after a below par start to the second half. Rovers' Josh Honohan with Jeannot Esua. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO Rovers' biggest threat before half time came from the other side when right wing back Danny Grant drove forward, then cut across the 18-yard box before forcing Evan Watts to push his left-footed shot around the post. That remained Rovers' only shot until a tame Michael Noonan header drifted over the bar on 67 minutes. Two penalty appeals had been turned down either side of the break by referee Kevin O'Sullivan. The first was a Burke shot from distance that ricocheted off Rob Slevin's thigh onto his arm, before a coming together between Burke and Greg Cunningham on 54 minutes led to the Hoops forward going down in the area. The hosts remained frustrated and John Caulfield's men resolute, but Bradley could at least turn to quality off the bench to try and find a breakthrough. As well as Ozhianvuna – who is seemingly bound for Arsenal – coming on, last season's player of the year, Dylan Watts, replaced Jack Byrne, and playmaker Danny Mandroiu got the last half hour in place of McEneff. Veteran Aaron Greene also got the nod when Noonan's race was run for the last quarter of an hour, with defender Adam Mathews also withdrawn for striker Rory Gaffney. But with Cian Byrne sitting in front of the Galway defence, and Vince Borden supplementing that defensive work alongside David Hurley and Patrick Hickey, space was congested in the final third. Galway also began to sense more opportunities on the counter and with set-pieces to add another layer of danger. Ozhianvuna had two shots from the near the edge of the box, neither of which found the target, and for the final 10 minutes it was one-way traffic. Galway, though, were doing a great job of creating a bottleneck and Rovers had no way through. Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Adam Mathews (Rory Gaffney 76), Roberto Lopes, Cory O'Sullivan; Danny Grant, Matt Healy, Jack Byrne (Dylan Watts 69), Aaron McEneff (Danny Mandroiu 59), Graham Burke, Josh Honohan (Victor Ozhianvuna 59); Michael Noonan (Aaron Greene 69) Galway United: Evan Watts; Jeannot Esua, Garry Buckley, Rob Slevin, Greg Cunningham (Robert Burns 57); Patrick Hickey, Cian Byrne, Ed McCarthy, David Hurley (Conor McCarthy 76), Vincent Borden (Stephen Walsh 89); Moses Dyer (Killian Brouder 89). Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan. Attendance: 6,204.
Irish Post
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Post
Fresh faces in Hallgrimsson's Ireland squad for summer matches
REPUBLIC of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has named four uncapped players in his squad for next month's international friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg. Reims midfielder John Joe Patrick Finn, Leyton Orient goalkeeper Josh Keeley, on-loan St Mirren midfielder Killian Phillips, and Shamrock Rovers defender Josh Honohan have all been included in the 24-man selection. Josh Honohan (r) of Shamrock Rovers is one of the new faces set to make their Republic of Ireland debut Veteran captain Seamus Coleman returns after missing the last seven games, while Leicester City winger Kasey McAteer, Ipswich Town forward Sammie Szmodics, and Strasbourg defender Andrew Omobamidele are also recalled. Festy Ebosele, of Istanbul Basaksehir, rejoins the squad after sitting out March's Nations League play-off win over Bulgaria. Ireland will host Senegal at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on June 6 before travelling to Luxembourg on June 10. The matches will prepare the squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers starting in September against Hungary and Armenia. The new faces Josh Honohan The versatile 24-year-old defender, formerly of Cork City, joined Shamrock Rovers in 2023. He was a key part of Rovers' UEFA Conference League campaign and is the only League of Ireland player included this time. 'He gives us in-game flexibility as he's comfortable across the backline and even in wide midfield roles,' said Hallgrimsson. 'This is a chance to test him alongside players from higher divisions.' John Joe Patrick Finn Born in Madrid to a Galway father and with Mayo roots, 21-year-old Finn spent time in Real Madrid's academy before moving to Getafe at 15. He made his La Liga debut aged 17 and played for Ireland's Under-19s in 2021. In January 2025, he joined Reims and has since made a dozen Ligue 1 appearances. Josh Keeley The goalkeeper (21) started with St Patrick's Athletic before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2022. After a loan spell at Barnet, he moved to Leyton Orient for the 2024-25 season, helping them reach the League One play-offs. He also grabbed headlines by scoring a dramatic injury-time equaliser in the FA Cup against Oldham. A regular for Ireland's Under-21s, Keeley is now poised for a senior debut. Killian Phillips The 23-year-old attacking midfielder was born in San Diego, California, but raised in Dublin. He moved from Drogheda United to Crystal Palace in 2022. Though first-team opportunities at Palace have been limited, he has been a regular for St Mirren in Scotland's Premiership this season, starting 33 games. Hallgrimsson praised Phillips' energy and physicality: 'He's a different type of midfielder and brings a lot of dynamism. We're keen to see how he adapts in a senior international environment.'
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Josh Honohan shines as Shamrock Rovers punish Waterford FC errors to extend League of Ireland Premier Division lead
THE Hoops were handed three points on a plate by a battling Waterford FC side. Advertisement 2 Josh Honohan was the main man for Shamrock Rovers as they put three past Waterford FC 2 Stephen Bradley celebrates as his side extended their lead at the top of the Premier Division After a brilliant Padraig Amond header had put the hosts in front inside ten minutes. The home side were the cause of their own downfall as they were undone by goals from Rory Gaffney, Michael Noonan, and Graham Burke – the latter two goals were defensive errors It was a header of quality that gave the hosts the lead on ten minutes. Ryan Burke found space for himself out on the left before putting in a wonderful ball that saw Padraig Amond get in front of his marker to flick an unstoppable header to the roof of the net from 12 yards. Advertisement read more on football Stephen McMullan denied the Hoops a certain equalising goal on 23 minutes when Josh Honohan played a super ball over the top that sent Aaron Greene clear straight on goal. But the netminder saved at the feet of the attacker as he tried to take the ball around him. Rovers were celebrating a leveller just two minutes later. Adam Matthews played a long throw into the right-hand corner that saw Greene send in a first-time cross for Rory Gaffney, and he applied a neat right-footed finish past the helpless McMullan. Advertisement Most read in Football It took some more heroic goalkeeping from McMullan to deny the visitors the lead goal on 36 minutes when Jack Byrne swung over a right-wing cross that picked out the run of Josh Honohan. And after his header was superbly kept out, Rory Gaffney struck the outside of the post with the rebound. I can win the Ballon D'or says Brighton's Carlos Baleba Rovers were gifted the lead on 76 minutes. Blues keeper Stephen McMullan, who was having a top display for the hosts up to his point, explicably played a clearance straight to Michael Noonan, who was only on the field seven minutes, and with his first touch, he couldn't believe his luck as he guided the ball to an empty net from outside the penalty area. Advertisement A third goal followed for the tabletoppers deep into second-half injury-time when Josh Honohan, on the week that he was called up to the Republic of Ireland Men's Senior team. He dispossessed Navajo Bakboord before releasing Graham Burke, who beat the offside trap, to finish past McMullan. WATERFORD FC 1 SHAMROCK ROVERS 3 SUN STAR MAN – Josh Honohan – Shamrock Rovers WATERFORD FC: McMullan 7; Horton 7, Radkowski 7 (Bakbooard 60, 5), Leahy 6, Burke 7; Olayinka, McMenamy 6 (McDonald 60, 6), White 6, Glenfield 6; Lonergan 6, Amond 8. Advertisement SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty 7; Honohan 8, Grace 7, Lopes 7, Matthews 8; Nugent 6 (J O'Sullivan 69, 5), O'Neill 7 (Healy 69, 5), Byrne 7 (Burke 75, 5), C O'Sullivan 7; Greene 7 (Barrett 87, 4), Gaffney 7 (Noonan 69, 6) Referee : Aaron O'Dowd (Dublin) 5 Attendance: 3321
Extra.ie
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Ireland boss is given little option but to experiment
Once his initial plan to have two friendly games in May, as well as the double-bill in June, was scuppered, Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson's hands were tied when it came to this selection. He always wanted to leave the bulk of Championship players out of the games against Senegal and Luxembourg, as it will be a month since the season had ended for most of them and he sees little value in interrupting their end-of-term break. So, the likes of Josh Cullen, Jimmy Dunne, Callum O'Dowda, Jayson Molumby and Finn Azaz were told to enjoy an extended break and to make sure they are flying for the start of the World Cup qualifiers in September. Even without the vast majority of Championship players, it's still an interesting squad selection. The sense was that Séamus Coleman was edging towards retirement, given how rarely he has featured for Everton this season, but Hallgrímsson insists that the veteran is very much in his plans for the upcoming campaign. Josh Honohan of Shamrock Rovers. Pic: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile Josh Honohan is the uncapped player that stands out the most, as the Shamrock Rovers defender is called up after the Ireland boss had met Stephen Bradley for a coffee to clear the air. However, Honohan, a star in the Hoops' Europa Conference League run, can also offer Ireland something different. 'One of his biggest attributes is he is a versatile player, he can play on the left and the right so he gives flexibility in in-game changes. That's one of his biggest advantages. We want to see him in our environment with these players which in mostly Premier League players,' the Ireland manager explained. That's also part of the reason that Leyton Orient's young goalkeeper Josh Keeley is in the squad. It will give them a chance to assess how he works with Caoimhín Kelleher and Max O'Leary while also giving goalkeeping coach Gudmundur Hreidarsson an opportunity to work with him. Killian Phillips and John Joe Patrick Finn are the two most intriguing additions, as they are both midfielders, a part of the pitch where Ireland's talent pool remains shallow. The five midfielders picked — Jason Knight, Will Smallbone, Jack Taylor and the aforementioned pair — seems to underline the lack of options in the centre of the park. Leyton Orient's young goalkeeper Josh Keeley. Pic: MI News/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock Hallgrímsson referenced Finn's size at yesterday's press conference and both he and Phillips, who is doing well on loan at St Mirren, are tall, mobile players that Ireland seem to have been lacking in midfield recently. Andrew Omobamidele is rewarded for some fine performances for Strasbourg in Ligue 1 with a recall while winger Festy Ebosele, recently returned from injury for Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir, is likely to be given a chance to impress Hallgrímsson. While there are very few Championship players in the squad, there are some who will be playing in England's second tier next season, such as Southampton pair Smallbone and Ryan Manning, Ipswich's duo of Dara O'Shea and Sammie Szmodics and Leicester City winger Kasey McAteer, who has been decent for the Foxes recently. The manager said that relegation will affect the morale of players in different ways. 'We can't talk about it in general, it's individual. Some players might take it in, others not. For example, Dara has played every game for Ipswich, played really well, a really consistent Premier League centre-back and right back on occasion. Ipswich going down shouldn't affect him. He's established himself as a good Premier League centre-back.' But it was telling that the squad included five players who suffered relegation, meaning Hallgrímsson will be a regular visitor to Championship grounds again come August, which makes the lack of those players in this squad a bold move. GOALKEEPERS: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Max O'Leary (Bristol City), Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur). DEFENDERS: Séamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Jake O'Brien (Everton), Andrew Omobamidele (Strasbourg, on loan from Nottingham Forest), Liam Scales (Celtic), Robbie Brady (Preston NE), Josh Honohan (S Rovers). MIDFIELDERS: Jason Knight (Bristol City), Killian Phillips (St Mirren, on loan from Crystal Palace), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), John Joe Patrick Finn (Stade De Reims). FORWARDS: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Evan Ferguson (West Ham United, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Idah (Celtic), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City), Festy Ebosele (Istanbul Basaksehir), Ryan Manning (Southampton). FIXTURE DETAILS: Rep of Ireland v Senegal, International Friendly, Friday, June 6, Aviva Stadium, Kick-off: 7.45pm. Luxembourg v Rep of Ireland, International Friendly, Tuesday, June 10, Stade De Luxembourg, Kick-off: 7.45pm (Irish Time)
