>>July 26^th 2000

Breaking National League news: (12 items)

Tie is over, says Rosenborg boss

Relecting the general feeling after a disappointing night for the eircom League, victorious Rosenborg manager Nils Arne Eggen expressed confidence that Shelbourne's Euro dream is dead, after the Reds' 3-1 loss to Rosenborg tonight in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League.
"As far as I am concerned, the next leg in Trondheim next week will be a formality," quipped Eggen, who was generally not particularly happy with his side's showing.
"We did not play all that well, there were problems in our defence and we allowed Shelbourne cause us difficulties."
"They scored a goal from a defensive error and I was not happy with that," added the Norwegian.
For Shelbourne boss Dermot Keely, it was a depressing night, where three "very soft goals" were given away.
"I'm gutted for many reasons," admitted the Dubliner. "I hate sob stories; I hate making excuses. How we didn't get out of here with draw tonight is beyond me."
"We've lost a game 3-1 which we could have drawn 2-2, but all the record books will show is that an Irish team has lost again."
"It's a moral victory because we played so well in the second half... for the next few days I will be a great fellow to people because we played well, but we've lost and that's that."
He was very proud of his players, saying that, for him, "the second half performance was absolutely blinding. I couldn't praise the boys enough."
Despite upbeat captain Pat Scully expressing some confidence in the second leg, Keely was less optimistic.
"We still have the second leg to manage but it will be very tough, to be honest. They have three away goals and Irish sides are not exactly experts at winning away from home."
Although Pat Scully was more hopeful of an upset in Norway, he was not happy with how his defence performed. "We made some defensive mistakes which is very unlike us, and I think all of us in the defensive unit have to look at ourselves," warned the veteran defender, who himself was far from his best tonight.
"We've done so well over the last year, winning the double - because of our defence - yet we didn't show that against Rosenborg. It's a pity because it was a great night," added Scully.
The best player for the hosts tonight was Richie Foran who was outstanding in his second half appearance.
"It was a great honour for me to score my first goal for Shels in front of 10,000 people," beamed the teenager, "but we've lost, despite how well we played and that's the most disappointing thing."
Visiting captain Erik Hoftun paid tribute to this opponents and felt that his charges were fortunate to be going home to Norway 3-1 ahead.
"We were lucky," he admitted. "They played with a lot of enthusiasm and it was all about blood, sweet and tears."
"We didn't have the same go as they had, and it's a miracle they only scored once. It's a good thing we proved to be so effective. If we can bring that part with us we have a chance of doing well in this tournament," concluded Hoftun.
The home side received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd afterwards, but it could have been so much more. Dermot Keely's frustration that defensive errors - so rarely the fault of the home side at Tolka Park - all but cost the eircom League the chance of a place in the Champions League is a frustration shared by many fans of the domestic game tonight.

Spirited Reds go down to Scandinavians

A battling Shelbourne went down 3-1 to Rosenborg of Norway tonight in the European Champions League Second Qualifying Round first leg at Tolka Park. See here.

Fighting Fingal beat visitors

In one of tonight's pre-season friendlies at Whitehall, Home Farm Fingal beat English visitors Rushden & Diamonds 2-1.
Farm were 1-0 down but second half goals by Aaron Lynch and surprise inclusion Tony Sheridan secured a good win.

Blue night for Waterford and Longford

Waterford United and Longford Town have had a pretty awful pre-season thus far and things got no better for either side tonight.
The Blues lost 1-0 to Halifax at the RSC, while Longford Town suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss to Cardiff City. Henry Kenny got a late consolation on a bad night for the Leinster men.

Keely pleads for development plan

Shelbourne boss Dermot Keely has placed pressure on the men in charge of Irish football to pursue a meeting with the Government so as to draw up a blueprint for the future of football in the south of Ireland.
The Dublin school teacher is worried that the value of the progress made by the Reds in Europe this season will turn into nothing tangible unless an initiative to improve basic standards in the eircom League is put into being. “It’s time the FAI took a stance on embarking upon a strategy to improve our National League, because there’s very little foresight and planning at the moment,” commented Keely.
“This means forgetting about the politics in the game and approaching the authorities with a plan to develop it.”
Keely also noted the fact that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's interest in soccer could be exploited.
“We’ve got a Taoiseach who shows genuine goodwill to the game and lives only a few yards from Tolka Park. It’s a matter of exploiting the opportunity that currently exists to produce a place to push the game forward.”

Devlin's boys prepare for Premier

Bray Wanderers will take on John Aldridge's Tranmere Rovers at the Carlisle Grounds this Saturday (kick off 7.30pm).
Pat Devlin will use this game to continue his pre-season warm up as the Seagulls prepare for their return to the Premier Division. Devlin is quite content with the performances of his side so far.
"At the moment we're piecing it together," revealed Devlin.
"We've got to hold onto what we have. It is going to be a long season."
Devlin has already signed Eddie Gormley and Keith Long and hopes to add to his squad in the coming weeks.
Wanderers had a 7-1 win over Wexford side Rathnure on Saturday, but picked up a couple of injuries in the process. Goalkeeper Eddie Van Boxtel and striker Stephen Fox were replaced during the game.
The new under 21 side have begun well with victories over Walkinstown (1-0) and TEK United (2-0).
"We've a good crop of young players but with it being a new League, we'll have to see how it pans out," Devlin remarked.
Meanwhile, Wanderers season tickets are now on sale from the Carlisle Grounds and the club have rewarded the loyalty of their supporters by holding the prices from last season which will make them the best value in the League.
The following prices will apply: Adult: £75; Child/OAP: £40.
The club have also introduced a family season which admits 2 Adults and 2 children and this now on sale at a reduced price of £100. The club hopes that the very competitive price structure will prove a major success in the lead up to their opening home League game against Derry City on Friday 18th August.
For supporters interested in purchasing season tickets, contact the Carlisle Grounds at (01) 2828214.

Colwell happy with grant

Shamrock Rovers chairman Joe Colwell was pleased with yesterday's National Lottery grant allocation, with the Hoops securing £0.5m to aid them in building their new Tallaght Stadium as part of the 2000 Sports Capital Programme.
"It's a big help - it's not easy to build a modern stadium on a green field site, especially one that has been fraught with costly delays. We've still some way to go, but this makes a difference," beamed Colwell.
The Dubliners have already raised £1m (£400,000 of which was FAI money) but they still need £2.7m to reach the £4.2m cost of the new stadium.
"We could do with a JP McManus figure to get us past the finishing post,'' quipped Colwell.
Shelbourne received £250,000, which will be used to upgrade the floodlights at Tolka Park. Neighbours Bohemians got a £150,000 grant, and this goes towards upgrading Dalymount Park. Both clubs have received £650,000 in total from National Lottery funding, but oddly, for the second year running, Sports Minister McDaid left St Patrick's Athletic short-changed.

Keely warns that Reds must improve

When Athlone Town met Valerengen of Norway in the UEFA Cup 25 years ago, nothing less than an emphatic win was expected from 'Pooch' Davis and Co.
Athlone duly obliged, progressing 4-2 on aggregate. Goodness, how times have changed.
As Shelbourne prepare for tonight's Champions' League second qualifying round opener against Rosenborg at Tolka Park (8.0), the odds against them surviving over two legs are about as high as anyone toppling Tiger Woods as the world's number one golfer.
Remarkably, Rosenborg have played in the Champions' League for the past five years, claiming such scalps as AC Milan and Real Madrid on the way; in the same period Shels have crashed to Akranes and Neuchatel.
What makes Rosenborg's record so extraordinary is that they continue to make waves in Europe in spite of having to sell off their best players every year, replacing them with home-grown talent.
For example, of the team which reached the second phase of the Champions' League last year, John Carew (Valencia), Andre Bergdolmo (Ajax) and, most recently, Bjorn Otto Bragstaad (Derby) have bid farewell to the fjords.
"They have a feeder system which provides a conveyor belt of players every year to replace the ones being sold. Their record in Europe shows that it hasn't made them any weaker, while they've almost sewn up their nine straight League title,'' said Shels manager Dermot Keely.
When Keely talks a touch flippantly about "prayers and candles'', he's not far off the mark in assessing his team's prospects of de-railing the Rosenborg express.
Yet, Keely, a warrior to his finger-tips, has a gut feeling that Shels can make life difficult for Rosenborg, at least on their own patch. "For 90 minutes, I think we can do anything, especially at Tolka, where we haven't lost for over a year."
"Over two legs, they'll fancy themselves to go through but here in Dublin, they won't have it all their own way.
"Our players love the big occasion, the atmosphere of the crowd, the challenge. I expect blood to be spilt on the pitch before our unbeaten record goes," vowed Keely.
"Physically, I feel we can do more than we did against Sloga. And on the ball, I know we have to do more. We didn't make the best use of the ball last week and we'll need to improve to rattle Rosenborg."
With nine players on yellow cards, eight of whom are likely to start, Shels are at a disadvantage as Rosenborg, yet to play in the Champions' League, kick off with a clean slate.
"It's a bit unfair, but then Rosenborg have earned the right to come in a round after us," said Keely.
One of the players walking a suspension tight-rope, Stephen Geoghegan, confounded Keely when he took a full part in training last night.
"I'd written Stephen out, but he's a quick healer and is prepared to play with pain. His ankle's black and blue, but he's got a chance of playing which amazes me."
Geoghegan has the big match experience and temperament for this occasion and Keely could slot him into the attack beside Dessie Baker and switch Gary Haylock into midfield beside Pat Fenlon.
"I'd picked my team with Stephen out, but I've got to do some thinking again," said Keely. New signings Davey Byrne and Ian Gilzean are included in the Shels' squad.
While Keely can snap and snarl from the dug-out, his opposite number, Nils Arne Eggen, like Keely a schoolteacher, is serving a two-match touchline ban.
"After we lost to Bayern Munich 2-1 in the Champions' League last year, I commented that UEFA were in favour of the more powerful nations than the smaller ones. I said football shouldn't be about money, it should be about skill. It didn't go down very well," he explained.
Eggen has received a report on Shelbourne from trainer Ola Bye Rise and knows what to expect from the Dubliners. "They are honest, hard-working and are a good footballing side too. We expect a difficult game," he said.
Rise, who spied on Shels last week, is wary of Shelbourne "especially from set-pieces and we will need to look out for Scully, McCarthy and Haylock.
"For central defenders, Scully and McCarthy are not fast, but they're strong in the air and Scully is a good leader.
"We're glad we're not playing in Skopje and we've got Heary to thank for his clearance last week. It's just as well for Shelbourne, and for us, that he's so quick."
Nobody believes Shels can survive against such experienced Euro campaigners over two legs, but at `Fortress Tolka', the Reds have no reason to be fearful. Don't be surprised if Shels flew to Norway on Sunday morning with the tie in the balance.

SHELBOURNE (probable) - Williams; Heary, Scully (capt), McCarthy, Hutchinson; R Baker, Haylock, Fenlon, Keddy; D Baker, S Geoghegan.
Philip Quinn - © Irish Independent [http://www.independent.ie]

Midlanders seal Clarke deal

Canadian international Jeff Clarke is on his way back to the Eircom League after signing for newly promoted Longford Town.
After weeks of transatlantic phone-calls, Longford manager Stephen Kenny revealed yesterday that he has got his man and the former St Patrick's Athletic player will fly back to Ireland this weekend.
Clarke is Kenny's seventh signing of the summer, joining Eric Smith, Stuart Byrne, Colm Notaro, Stuart Holt, Kevin McCormack and Niall Byrne and the Longford boss admitted that he has yet to pay for a player.
"I have managed to get them all on free-transfers," he revealed. "I don't have money to spend because it all going into the development of our facilities."
Longford face Cardiff City tonight in a pre-season friendly and Kenny is keeping his fingers crossed that it is not as physical as last week's bruising encounter against Northampton. Longford had Paul Perth, Paul McNally and Niall Byrne carried off and Byrne had an operation on Saturday morning to have pins inserted in a broken ankle.
© Irish Independent [http://www.independent.ie]

Byrne bags trio

Kilkenny City have made some key signings in their bid to stay in the Premier Division.
The Cats have brought Greg Costello and Tommy Byrne from Shelbourne and Sean Riordan from Waterford with manager Pat Byrne promising more signings before the season starts.
"We're having a look at a few people and hope to finalise things in the next few weeks," said Byrne.

Cork continue to look for strikers

New boss at Cork City Derek Mountfield is hoping to bring in at least three new faces before the UEFA Cup tie against Lausanne next month. The former Everton defender is understood to be looking for strikers and midfielders.
Derek Coughlin and Greg O'Halloran have yet to re-sign for the Leesiders, with Coughlin apparently attracting interest from several English clubs. City's youth international midfielder Joe Gamble is considering the offer of a one-year contract from Reading after impressing on trial.

Good news for Geoghegan

Striker supreme Stephen Geoghegan is poised for a dramatic return to the Shelbourne side for tonight’s Champions League second preliminary round first leg against Norwegian side Rosenborg before an 11,000 sold out Tolka Park.
Geoghegan, top scorer for the club for the past five seasons, has recovered from an ankle ligament injury picked up in an accident prior to last week’s 1-1 draw with Macedonians Sloga Jugomagnat.
“Stephen is very much in the reckoning for a place in the starting line up. He seems to have recovered fully but I won’t make any decision until just before kick off time as to the actual starting line up,” said Shels boss Dermot Keely.
But definitely out is veteran Paul Doolin with a calf injury. His midfield place now looks likely to be taken by striker Garry Haylock, although recent signings Davy Byrne and Jonathan Prizeman could also come into the reckoning.
Scotsman Ian Gilzean, the former St. Patrick’s Athletic striker signed last week from Glentoran, will be on the substitutes bench should Geoghegan have any reoccurrence of his ligament injury.
Keely is under no illusions as to the task Shels face as they seek Euro glory. Rosenborg first came into prominence when they defeated English champions Blackburn Rovers, then managed by Kenny Dalglish, back in 1996.
Their European Cup exploits since then have included victories over AC Milan, Real Madrid, Galatasaray, and Borussia Dortmund, and draws with Juventus, Bayern Munich and Feyenoord.
“When I watched Rosenborg last Sunday in their 1-1 draw away to their closest rivals, SK Brann, they looked like a side who had won the Norwegian title for the last eight years,” said Keely.
“They are superior to us in technique and always want to attack and go for goals. But we must approach this tie with the belief that we can win.
“We worked very hard against Sloga last week and now we must give a repeat performance against the Norwegians. The mental approach has to be positive and I believe my players will be charged up for this occasion,” added Keely.
The big worry for Shelbourne is that no fewer than eight of their players are on yellow cards after the two games with the Macedonian champions. Another booking for Owen Heary, Pat Scully, Richie Foran, Dessie and Richie Baker, Stephen Geoghegan, Tony McCarthy and Garry Haylock would mean they would be ruled of next week’s second leg in Trondheim.
“That would be a tragedy for any of the players and the club, as we do not have the resources compared to this type of European opposition,” said Keely.
“I want this Euro adventure to continue. The lads have really enjoyed all the media coverage, the cameras and marvellous support from all clubs. I am confident there will be all to play for when we travel to Norway next week.
Rosenborg coach Nils Arne Eggen has done his homework on the Eircom League champions after his assistant Ola By Rise went on a spying mission to Tolka Park last week for the aggregate 2-1 victory over Sloga. But Eggen will watch tonight’s game from the stands as he serves out a two match ban following Rosenborg’s controversial 2-1 defeat by Bayern Munich in last year’s Champions League.
Eggen remonstrated with the match referee and UEFA officials that the Champions League was organised in favour of the powerful nations.
Rosenborg do not follow the traditional Norwegian style of football first introduced by former national coach Egil Olsen, who later had a brief spell as manager at Wimbledon.
“Egil Olsen always wanted the ball to be played over the heads of defenders. Rosenborg prefer to play it around and attack at every opportunity,” said Rise.
Skipper Erik Hostun expects a tough game and disregards the mantle of favourites placed on the Norwegian champions.
“We know about Shelbourne. They play an English style of football and there are a lot of good teams around in Europe at the moment. We won’t think about a draw because it’s always our ambition to win a game, home or away,” said Hostun.
Charlie Stuart - © Irish Examiner [http://www.examiner.ie]

TV3 may yet obtain rights

Tonight’s game at Tolka Park may be televised by TV3.
The station are involved in negotiations this afternoon with the company responsible for live coverage and could yet grab the rights.
"There's a certain amount of brinkmanship in this but we'd need to know by lunchtime (today) if we were going to show the game, either live or in a highlights form," commented Matthew Salway, Head of Programming for the station.
RTÉ could not agree a deal with UFA, the German-based company which paid Shelbourne for the TV rights. "UFA own a lot of property and sometimes their asking price is too high," said Frank Whelan, RTÉ's TV Sports Executive.
The game will definitely be broacast 'live' on Eurosport.