- Macdara Ferris
- Thu, May 04 2023
Shamrock Rovers’ German keeper Leon Pohls will continue in goal for the Hoops this Friday and for the next few weeks.
He came off the bench in the 63rd minute of Rovers’ 2-0 win in Derry last Monday to replace Alan Mannus who dislocated and fractured a finger when tipping away a cross.
Hoops Head Coach Stephen Bradley confirmed on the eve of Friday’s match against Bohemians in Tallaght that Mannus will miss out this week and in the short term future.
"We're hoping it settles down quickly, but he'll be missing a few weeks," said Bradley about Mannus’ hand injury when speaking to shamrockrovers.ie.
Pohls, on his 26th birthday and in the week he got married, came on to replace Mannus and save a late penalty from Ben Doherty to keep Rovers’ cleansheet – their fifth in a row away from home.
It is the second time that Pohls has replaced Mannus in goal during a game after coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw away to Drogheda United last October.
"He was very good in the game,” said Bradley about Pohls’ cameo on Monday. “He obviously makes that (penalty) save. It was important, not just for Leon but the players and the group.
“Because we'd been so dominant in the game and the last nine or ten minutes would have been a different game, but thankfully, he saved it and we saw the game out comfortably then."
Pohls has been with the Tallaght based club since 2019. He has made 15 competitive appearances for the Hoops with six of those coming in the league (including one appearance in the Dublin Derby in Dalymount Park back in 2021).
He also started for the Hoops in one of their Europa Conference League group games - a 1-0 defeat away to Djurgarden late last season.
Monday’s match was his fourth appearance of this season, having played in Rovers’ 2-0 defeat to Derry City in the President’s Cup and in the Leinster Senior Cup games against UCD (4-1 away win) and Bray Wanderers (2-1 away defeat).
Bradley said about Pohls that “it's a difficult one when you're second choice goalkeeper to someone like Alan. Leon has had to be patient and the players see the work that he does behind the scenes.”
Alan Mannus signed a contract extension for 2023 after initially stating he would retire last year. Having last season claimed the Shamrock Rovers league clean sheet record held previously by Barry Murphy, Mannus has gone on this year to surpass the Rovers all competition clean sheet record held by Alan O'Neill.
Mannus’ record now stands at 105 clean sheets from 215 League of Ireland games. In all competitions, he has played 269 matches earning 125 shutouts.
Under-19 goalkeeper Tom Leitis will act as cover for Pohls during Mannus' absence. The 18-year-old has yet to make a first team appearance for the Hoops. He was on the bench for Rovers' 2-2 draw with Shelbourne in Tallaght earlier this season.
