President's Cup Preview: Shamrock Rovers -v- Dundalk

President Michael D Higgins ahead of the 2019 President's Cup Final

President Michael D Higgins ahead of the 2019 President's Cup Final Credit: Timmy Keane (ETPhotos)

SHAMROCK ROVERS

The Hoops welcome arch-rivals Dundalk to Tallaght Stadium on Friday evening with the traditional season curtain-raiser of the President’s Cup down for decision (kick-off 7.45pm).

The close rivalry between the two sides has simmered nicely in recent years. A combination in 2020 of Rovers’ first league title since 2011 and the planting of some controversial comments from Dundalk striker Patrick Hoban has ensured we are close to boiling point once more as the new 2021 season edges ever closer to kick-off.

Shortly after the Tallaght outfit were confirmed as worthy league champions for 2020, Hoban was cheekily questioning the legitimacy of their success making reference to the COVID enforced 18-match league season, just half of a regular domestic season in normal times.

The Hoops were hugely enjoyable to watch last season and had an unbeaten league season, becoming champions, reaching the FAI Cup final and a multitude of impressive team stats which tells the story of a season filled with development, investment, progression and success.

Having navigated his side to their first title success since Michael O’Neill’s time in Tallaght, Bradley and his backroom team will be hungry to back it up this season over 36 games and prove to the watching eyes that last season was no flash in the pan.

They start the season as deserved favourites but will have to manage in this campaign without two of last season’s most important contributors in Jack Byrne and Aaron McEneff. 

PFAI Player of the Year last year Jack Byrne has departed for APOEL while McEneff has joined Scottish Championship side Hearts.

Replacing players of such quality and calibre is never easy for any manager but Bradley has brought in a nice mix of experience in Sean Gannon, Sean Hoare and Chris McCann, with highly rated Ireland u-21 player Danny Mandroiu coming from cross city rivals Bohemians.

Bradley confirmed on the eve of the game that while the loss of Byrne and McEneff is significant, it won’t have any impact on the type of game that they play.



"No, we'll play the way we always play,” said Bradley.

“You lose players, players move on and you bring new ones in. That's football, that's the way it goes. Our system was never about one or two players, it's about the team and the collective and that'll continue to be the case."

It may only be the season curtain raiser but both sides will be relishing an early season upper hand and some silverware to launch their 2021 title assault.

"It's a great game. We usually have a tough game the week before the league starts so this is a great warm up for the league. It's going to be a really good game, a tough game so we're looking forward to it."

 

DUNDALK

It hasn’t exactly been the smoothest of build ups for Dundalk in the days leading up to the President’s Cup Final.

Oriel Park on Tuesday afternoon was meant to be a press conference with the sole purpose of clarifying and outlining the intended managerial structures for the season that lies ahead.

What unfolded was the latest link in a bizarre chain of events surrounding the established positions held at the club from a management point of view.

In early December, having guided Dundalk to the FAI Cup, a third-place league finish and a Europa League group stage adventure, the largely unknown Filippo Giovagnoli was confirmed as ‘head coach’ for the following domestic season in the SSE Airtricity League.

Alongside Giovagnoli would be highly regarded coach Shane Keegan. This decision was widely viewed as bewildering when you take into account that the Italian has no UEFA Pro License, a strict requirement to manage domestically here in Ireland. That is a qualification that Keegan does hold.

Tuesday brought the news that Keegan has been clearly confirmed as ‘team manager’ and the man whom the final say on picking the team will lie with. Giovagnoli will work alongside him as ‘coach’. Confusing to say the least but for now this is what we have to work with.

Dundalk’s door has been a busy one in the off season. Departing for pastures new include experienced campaigners Sean Gannon, Dane Massey, Gary Rogers (retired), Sean Hoare and John Mountney. Add to that the likes of Georgie Kelly and Stefan Colovic and you are left with a much changed Dundalk squad ahead of the new campaign.

Despite such a wealth of experience departing the club for new challenges, the Lilywhites still have the quality of Chris Shields, David McMillan, Patrick Hoban and Brian Gartland to call on and a range of new imports from outside the league. With their squad Keegan, Giovagnoli and Jim Magilton will be confident of a top three finish at least.

“People will see it as a friendly on Friday night but it’s definitely not a friendly to us,” said Dundalk defender Daniel Cleary speaking to his club’s media team. “There’s a trophy there at the end of it and we want to kick on and win it. We’re all looking forward to it.”

MATCH STATS

The two sides did battle on three occasions over the course of the truncated season in 2020. 

Rovers hold the league bragging rights having come out on top in both league fixtures on their way to dethroning Dundalk – wining 3-2 in Tallaght Stadium early in the season and a 4-0 win in Oriel Park.

Dundalk won the FAI Cup final on a 4-2 score line after extra-time with a hat-trick from David McMillan to bring the curtain down on the 2020 COVID-19 effected season.

BETTING

Shamrock Rovers 5/4; Draw 21/10; Dundalk 19/10

PREDICTION

Shamrock Rovers 2 -1 Dundalk

Shamrock Rovers

Injured: Sean Kavanagh, Lee Grace, Neil Farrugia

Suspended: None

Dundalk

Injured: Unknown

Suspended: None