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Shamrock Rovers Win On Night But Fail To Progress

Shamrock Rovers ran out 2-1 winners in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League First Qualifying Round tie against Slovan Bratislava but were knocked out of the competition, losing 3-2 on aggregate.

Stephen Bradley’s side needed to overturn a two-goal deficit but failed to progress in front of their fans in Tallaght Stadium.

Rovers started on the backfoot with Bratislava getting the early chances courtesy of Ezekiel Henty but came into the game quickly with Danny Mandriou offering creative ability between the lines.

Graham Burke slotted home a 15th-minute penalty to fuel the belief inside the stadium after being brought down inside the box.

Gary O’Neill, who played Burke through for his chance, was a figure of inspiration in the opening half for Rovers, who prioritised attack throughout the game.

Bratislava struggled to get a foothold after their first 10 minutes and went in at half-time looking very beatable.

Rovers came out in the second half playing with the same intent and came close several times in the first 15 minutes of the half.

Bratislava attempted to sit back and snuff out any chances when Rovers players were in advanced positions but Richie Towell found a way through the sea of dark blue to level the tie.

However, less than ten minutes later, Vladimir Weiss (son and namesake of Slovan Bratislava manager Vladimir Weiss) grabbed the winning goal of the tie and sealed Rovers’ fate.

Shamrock Rovers centre-back Roberto Lopes claimed that he was fouled in the build-up

Lopes came closest to an equaliser but it wasn’t to be for Bradley’s league champions, who brought Aaron Greene on to freshen legs in the attack.

They will now be placed into the draw for the UEFA Europa Conference League Third Qualifying Round having been granted a bye.

The draw will take place next Monday.

Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Joey O’Brien (Sean Hoare 81), Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace; Ronan Finn, Richie Towell (Aaron Greene 84), Gary O’Neill (Dylan Watts 72), Danny Mandroiu, Liam Scales; Rory Gaffney, Graham Burke.

Slovan Bratislava: Adrián Chovan; Jurij Medveděv, Guram Kashia, Vasil Bozhikov, Vernon De Marco; David Hrnčár (Aleksandar Čavrić 59), Jaba Kankava, Joeri de Kamps (Myenty Abena 90), Rafael Ratão (Jaromír Zmrhal 82); Vladimír Weiss (Alen Mustafić 90); Ezekiel Henty (Rabiu Ibrahim 59).

Social media post sees the departure of CEO Bernard O’Byrne

Bernard O’Byrne is stepping down from his role as CEO and Secretary General of Basketball Ireland with immediate effect. The joint decision has been made by Mr. O’Byrne and the Basketball Ireland Board, to help the organisation move forward following a recent social media post by Mr. O’Byrne from a personal account.

Basketball Ireland chairman, Paul McDevitt, said: “I am very disappointed that Bernard is retiring under these circumstances. We know that the basketball community and beyond has felt particularly let down over the last few days and we will continue to listen to and address any concerns that are raised. Basketball Ireland takes a zero tolerance stance on any form of discrimination, and diversity and inclusion are key pillars in our sport.

“Bernard’s comment on social media was unacceptable. It has subsequently cast him in an unfavourable light, which is very unfortunate as over the last decade he has been a driving force within the basketball community in Ireland in addressing bullying and negative attitudes regarding gender, sexuality and race. His brief lapse in judgement does not reflect the person I know, nor Basketball Ireland as an organisation.”

Mr. O’Byrne stated: “While I am hugely disappointed that this is how my decade with Basketball Ireland has ended, I understand that stepping down is in the best interests of the sport. I am deeply apologetic over the hurt caused by my remark and I am fully cognisant of the struggles with discrimination that many people are having to deal with in day-to-day life. My comment was an off-the-cuff, extremely ill-judged attempt at humour based on wordplay only, that was never intended to be racially insensitive or make light of  organisations which have done so much to help raise awareness of inclusion and discrimination.”

Mr. O’Byrne joined Basketball Ireland in 2011. During his tenure he helped clear the organisation’s legacy debt of €1.2m. In the last five years playing membership has increased by 66% to over 30,000 in 227 clubs, while more than 800 schools now participate in the sport. In 2019 he became the first Basketball Ireland representative to be elected to the FIBA Europe Board, in recognition of his stature in European basketball. The Basketball Ireland Board thanked Mr. O’Byrne for his significant contribution to the organisation and administration of Irish basketball throughout the country and internationally.

Mr. O’Byrne added, “I wish the Basketball Ireland community the very best for the future and hope they continue the impressive work and achievements that I have had the honour to assist with during the last 10 years.”

Connacht U20 Football Result – Mayo win 7-6 on penalties against Galway

All-Ireland champions Galway once again played Mayo in the U20 Connacht championship, it went to penalties again, but this time Mayo came up out on top 7-6.

  • 1′

    (G) Nathan Granger – Scores – Galway 1-0 Mayo (M) Jack Mahon – Scores – Galway 1-1 Mayo (G) Tony Gill – Scores – Galway 2-1 Mayo (M) Dempsey – Scores – Galway 2-2 Mayo (G) Tomo Culhane – Scores – Galway 3-2 Mayo (M) Conall Dempsey – Scores – Galway 3-3 Mayo (G) Warren Seoige – Saved – Galway 3-3 Mayo (M) Paddy Heenan – Saved – Galway 3-3 Mayo (G) McLoughlan – Scores – Galway 4-3 Mayo (M) McHale – Scores – Galway 4-4 Mayo (G) Granger – Scores – Galway 5-4 Mayo (M) Jack Mahon – Scores – Galway 5-5 Mayo (G) Tomo Culhane – Scores – Galway 6-5 Mayo (M) Conall Dempsey – Scores – Galway 6-6 Mayo (G) Tony Gill – Saved – Galway 6-6 Mayo (M) Conor Flynn – Scores – Galway 6-7 Mayo

     
  • 1′

    Nathan Granger – Scores – Galway 1-0 Mayo

     
  • 24′

    Penalties to come

     
  • 20′

    Two minutes injury time for a start of penalties if there is no score

     
  • 19′

    Mayo black card – Conor Reid

     
  • 14′

    Dempsey hits a horrible 45\’, drops shot and Mayo get a free. It\’s all level

     
  • 12′

    Wides up to a massive 28

     
  • 10′

    Galway lead 1-08 to 0-10 at half time of extra time

     
  • 10′

    Dempsey has a horror free kick that goes miles wide

     
  • 7′

    Galway down to 14 after a black card

     
  • 9′

    Dempsey gets Mayo within a point

     
  • 3′

    Dempsey with a nice free for Mayo

     
  • 2′

    Granger makes no mistakes as he slots a very soft penalty

     
  • 1′

    Penalty for Galway, Tomo Culhane is pulled back.

     
  • 1′

    Extra time gets underway at 8:36 pm

     
  • 67′

    Into 20min of extra time, should be starting around 8:35pm

     
  • 65′

    Poor wide by Conor Reid, three great chances missed by Mayo to win the match

     
  • 64′

    How did Frank Irwin not score, he could have had a mark but played on and failed to score

     
  • 63′

    Jack Mahon gets a mark but kicks it miles wide

     
  • 62′

    Deep into injury time, looks like we will be going to extra time

     
  • 59′

    Its level as Galway sub kicks a nice point

     
  • 57′

    Connell Dempsey kicks Mayo ahead

     
  • 56′

    Paddy Henaghan responds and its level once again, exciting few minutes left

     
  • 55′

    Tomo Culhane edges Galway ahead with five minutes to play

     
  • 53′

    All level at the second water break, its Galway 0-06 Mayo 0-06

     
  • 51′

    All level with ten minutes to play

     
  • 44′

    Culhane levels it up, its 6pts each

     
  • 41′

    Dempsey point

     
  • 35′

    Ryan Monaghan with a lovely score

     
  • 33′

    Frank Irwin free levels it up, Galway 0-03 Mayo 0-03

     
  • 30′

    Ten wides in the first half with only five scores. Awful shooting – Galway 0-03 Mayo 0-02 #gaa

     
  • 30′

    Matt Cooley with a score before the break – It’s a very poor first half with only five points scored, Galway 0-03 Mayo 0-02

     
  • 29′

    Tomo Culhane kicks a wide

     
  • 23′

    Frank Irwin free levels it up, its a pretty dire game

     
  • 17′

    Galway 0-02 Mayo 0-01 at the waterbreak

     
  • 11′

    Tomo Culhane with a nice free, Galway lead 0-02 to 0-01

     
  • 7′

    Ultan O Reilly levels it up after 7min

     
  • 3′

    Conall Gallagher opens the scoring

 

Preview –

Below is all the information that you need to know for the U20 Connacht semi-final clash between Galway and Mayo this evening

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORE COMMENTARY AND TO LISTEN LIVE ON U20 FOOTBALL GALWAY V MAYO

The game will throw-in at 19:00 tonight in the Tuam Stadium in Galway. Referee John Gilmartin will take charge of the match.

This will be the first competitive match for both sides this year. They last faced each other in the first round of the 2020 u20 Connacht championship.

On that day, the game was decided by Galway winning the penalty shootout 3-2. The Tribesmen continued to dominate the championship, thrashing Leitrim and Roscommon in Connacht before beating Dublin in the All-Ireland final.

These two sides have controlled Connacht Gaelic football at underage and senior level for the last decade. This has led to a big rivalry forming between the neighboring counties.

Predicted Starting 15

Galway

Mayo

Betting

Galway, as All-Ireland champions, are the favourites with odds of 2/5 to win.

The last time they faced; they went to penalties, so bookies have odds of a draw at 8/1.

Mayo are underdogs with odds of 5/2 to win.

 

Score Prediction

This Mayo side will be keen on revenge after last years loss. With the pedigree in their team and management, it looks like they will overcome the reigning champions this time.

This will be a close, entertaining affair with Mayo claiming victory by only a point or two, it will go down to the wire.

FAI Cup 2021 First Round Draw – All Ties

The first round draw for the FAI Cup has been made and includes some exciting ties to kick off this year’s competition.

The winners of the 2021 FAI Cup will earn qualification to the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

Dundalk will make the first step towards defending their trophy after beating Shamrock Rovers in the final last year.

Holder’s Dundalk will travel to Market’s Field to take on First Division high-flyers Treaty United.

Last year’s runners-up, Stephen Bradley’s Shamrock Rovers, have First Division opposition as well, in the shape of Galway United.

Sligo Rovers will host the 2017 FAI Cup Champions Cork City at the Showgrounds.

St. Patricks Athletic will go up against Bray Wanderers in the first round for the second time in three seasons, with their last meeting in the competition ending 2-1 in favour of the Inchicore-based side.

Ollie Horgan’s Finn Harps will travel to Limerick to face Fairview Rangers.

UCD and Shelbourne will be one of the ties to watch as two attacking philosophies will collide.

Four ties in the first round will see non-league sides go head-to-head against each other – Crumlin United v St. Mochtas’, Killester Donnycarney v Usher Celtic, St. Kevin’s Boys v Kilnamanagh and Maynooth Uni’ Town v Malahide United.

Dates and kick-off times will be confirmed in due course with all matches set to take place the week ending Sunday, July 25th.

FAI Cup First Round Draw

Fairview Rangers v Finn Harps

Wexford v Cabinteely

Drogheda United v Derry City

Liffey Wanderers v Cobh Ramblers

UCD v Shelbourne

Crumlin United v St Mochtas

Killester Donneycarney v Usher Celtic

St Kevin’s Boys v Kilnamanagh

Sligo Rovers v Cork City

College Corinthians v Bohemians

Athlone Town v Waterford FC

Treaty United v Dundalk

Shamrock Rovers v Galway United

Maynooth v Malahide United

St Pat’s v Bray Wanderers

Bangor GGFC v Longford Town

The Open 2021 – Irish Tee Times Round 1 And 2

The tee times for rounds one and two of the 149th Open Championship at the Royal St. George’s Golf Course in Sandwich, England have been announced.

This year’s Open will be the first since Shane Lowry’s famous victory at Dunluce in Portrush two years ago.

The 2019 champion will begin his defence of the Claret Jug just before 10:00 am alongside US Open Champion Jon Rahm and 2010 Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen.

For round two, the trio will be out on the course at 3 pm.

Rory McIlroy will seek his first major win since 2014 this weekend when he plays at the Royal St. George.

The golfer plays with 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed and World number 28 Cameron Smith for the first two days.

McIlroy and co. have a late start on Thursday in round one at 3:21 pm but play their 18 holes on Friday several hours earlier at 10:20 am.

Pádraig Harrington is grouped with Australian veteran Brad Kennedy and Sam Forgan, who reached the Open through the qualifiers.

The two-time Open Championship will be hoping to make it to Saturday and emulate or better his PGA Championship performance from May.

The trio begin round one in the afternoon at 12:42 pm and will play round two much earlier with a tee time of 7:41 am

Finally, 2011 Open winner Darren Clarke will be playing this weekend and will be joined by Austrian Bernd Weisberger and amateur Englishman Joe Long.

Clarke, Weisberger and Long will tee off at 8:25 am on Thursday and will be out on the course after midday in round two.

The Open – Irish Tee Times

Thursday – Round One

8:25 am: Darren Clarke

9:58 am – Shane Lowry

12:42 pm – Pádraig Harrington

3:21 pm – Rory McIlroy

Friday – Round Two

7:41 am – Padraig Harrington

10:20 am – Rory McIlroy

1:26 pm – Darren Clarke

2:59 pm – Shane Lowry

Dublin Defender Eric Lowndes Leaves Panel

Dublin GAA corner-back Eric Lowndes has left the county panel ahead of this year’s All-Ireland Championship.

The defender is understood to have left the panel prior to Dublin’s win over Wexford in the Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter-final.

The St. Peregrine’s player is a seven-time All-Ireland champion with the side under both Jim Gavin and Dessie Farrell.

Lowndes featured in every league match for Farrell’s Dubs this year, making one start.

Although he was not a consistent starter throughout his time with the inter-county team, he was a mainstay within the squad and a cult figure among fans of the Dubs.

Lowndes broke through in 2013 alongside Paul Mannion, Ciaran Kilkenny and Jack McCaffrey.

However, while the other three started some of Dublin’s biggest games in the 21st century, the 27-year-old rarely stood in the spotlight.

He made his inter-county debut in 2015 and last appeared in the Championship in the 2020 Leinster final against this week’s opposition Meath.

The news now leaves Dessie Farrell with a headache as he prepares for this weekend with depleted defensive options.

On top of Lowndes’ departure, there are doubts over the fitness of John Small, Jonny Cooper, Eoin Murchan and Robbie McDaid ahead of the 2020 Leinster final rematch with Meath.

The latter went off in the Wexford fixture after sustaining a shoulder injury in the clash and this would have opened up a spot in the side for Lowndes if he was still on the panel.

Tom Lahiff, who replaced McDaid against Wexford, is expected to fill that void once again this weekend instead.

The St. Peregrine man’s departure can be added to a long list of players who have left the Dublin panel or retired since the resignation of Jim Gavin following Dublin’s record-breaking fifth All-Ireland in a row in 2019.

Cian O’Sullivan is the last player to officially announce his departure while Stephen Cluxton is currently not involved with the panel.

Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament announced

The tournament’s best 11 is made up of five countries: Italy, England, Denmark, Spain, and Belgium

Uefa announced a team of the best players at this year’s European Championships. There have been some notable exclusions such as top goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo.

As expected, fans across the world have shown their frustration with some of the decisions made in the team.

If you’ve missed the squad, here it is below:

The squad includes five of Italy’s title winning team: Donnarumma, Bonnuci, Spinazzola, Jorginho and Chiesa. The team won the tournament after beating both Spain and England on penalties.

England had three players named in the side after they came second, only conceding two goals in the entire tournament. Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker were in the team with Manchester United captain Harry Maguire.

The team was rounded off with Spain’s Pedri, Denmark’s Emile Hojbjerg, and Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku.

Why are some fans unhappy with the team?

Many fans have voiced their disdain for the team on social media after some of the competition’s top performers were left out of the side.

The competition’s two joint top scorers, Patrik Schick and the before mentioned Ronaldo were neglected for Lukaku in striker. This seemed surprising after the Czech Republic’s shock performance at Euro 2020 getting to the quarterfinals, mainly down to Schick’s five goals.

Steven Zuber also finished the competition with the most assists. But his country, Switzerland, losing in the quarter-finals was not seen as good enough.

England’s Jordan Pickford also finished the tournament with more clean sheets and saves than his counterpart, Donnarumma. This decision was likely down to the Italian’s performance in the penalty shootouts, saving England’s last two shots.

The Italian shot-stopper ended up winning Best Player of the Tournament for his goalkeeping while Pedri was also named Best Young Player at the tournament.

There is no doubt that the 11 players named by UEFA played very well at Euro 2020 and deserve the praise that they are given. Football will continue to be a subjective and divisive topic for many passionate and opinionated fans.

 

Stephen Bradley Reflects on Rovers’ First Leg v Bratislava

Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley analysed his side’s recent performance against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League ahead of their second leg on Tuesday at 8 pm.

His side conceded twice in Slovakia and failed to provide a threat to their opposition in the final third.

Rovers boss Bradley believes were lucky not to concede more to the Belasí last week and hopes his side will be much more solid in the second leg.

“Ultimately Alan [Mannus] has kept us in the game with the save at the end. Overall, we gave away two poor goals from our point of view, and we know we’re better than what we showed over there and there’s more to come from us,” said Bradley.

Bradley praised goalkeeper Alan Mannus for his performance in Rovers’ first European game of the season.

Mannus has been the standout goalkeeper in Ireland since his return to the League of Ireland side in 2018.

His displays have helped Rovers to a league title and several European runs.

“Alan has done that over the years, he makes really important saves and he’s the best keeper in the country. In big-game scenarios, Alan makes important saves. It was fantastic and it keeps us in the tie.”

Bradley felt that his side lost concentration at key moments in the game and will rue missed chances.

Both goals came after stoppages in play, a water break and at half-time, with the head coach putting them down to dips in concentration after the breaks in play.

He feels that the side was wasteful when trying to get an away goal and feels that they let themselves down on the night.

“We were a bit wasteful in the final third but just in general, in every aspect, we know we can be better. There’s no getting away from Slovan being a good side and obviously the conditions but we know we can be better.”

However, his team are experienced in Europe and players like Mannus have played in Europe multiple times throughout their career.

The side understands what European ties mean and what is needed to win them and Bradley added that they need to show that experience in the return fixture.

The return of fans will be an added bonus for the side as they seek to overturn the deficit, with 1,500 locals in attendance at Tallaght.

We’ve had difficult games in Tallaght before. We’ve had special nights in Tallaght before and hopefully this is another one. We have 1,500 fans in and I’m sure that will feel and sound like a lot more. European nights in Tallaght are always special and so hopefully it’s another one on Tuesday.”

Shamrock Rovers’ UEFA Champions League First Qualifying Round Second Leg kicks off at 8 pm in Tallaght and will be available to watch exclusively on LOI TV.

Ireland U20s Team To Face France Announced

Ireland U20’s have announced their side to face France in Cardiff for the final game of their U20 Six Nations campaign.

The game kicks off on Tuesday at 4:45 pm and is live on RTÉ 2.

Richie Murphy has made seven changes to the starting XV that started the game against Italy.

Temi Lasisi, Sam Illo and Ronan Loughnane all start in the front row with Mark Morrissey and Harry Sheridan behind them.

Ireland captain Alex Kendellen starts for the fifth time, returning to number eight.

Kendellen is flanked by lineout leader Alex Soroka and Oisin McCormack.

Nathan Doak moves to fly-half while Conor McKee returns to the starting lineup at half-back.

Cathal Forde and Jude Postlethwaite earn the final starts of the campaign in midfield with Forde’s usual centre partner, Shane Jennings pushed wide wearing number 11.

Ben Moxham and Jamie Osborne retain their spots in the starting lineup after impressing throughout the tournament.

George Saunderson, Ben Carson and Chris Cosgrave are among those with a place on the bench.

Ireland U20s v France

15. Jamie Osborne (Naas CBS/Naas RFC/Leinster)
14. Ben Moxham (Larne High School/Ballymena RFC/Ulster)
13. Jude Postlethwaite (RBAI/Banbridge RFC/Ulster)
12. Cathal Forde (Colaiste Iognaid/Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
11. Shane Jennings (Garbally College/Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
10. Nathan Doak (Wallace High School/Banbridge RFC/Ulster)
9. Conor McKee (Sullivan Upper School/Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
1. Temi Lasisi (CBS Enniscorthy/Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
2. Ronan Loughnane (Cistercian College Roscrea/UCD RFC/Leinster)
3. Sam Illo (Wesley College/Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
4. Mark Morrissey (Blackrock College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
5. Harry Sheridan (Sullivan Upper School/Dublin University FC/Ulster)
6. Alex Soroka (Belvedere College/Clontarf RFC/Leinster)
7. Oisin McCormack (Garbally College/Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
8. Alex Kendellen (PBC Cork/UCC RFC/Munster)(Captain)
Replacements:

16. Eoin de Buitléar (Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin/An Ghaeltacht/Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
17. George Saunderson (Sullivan Upper School/Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
18. Liam Bishop (Trent College/Nottingham University/IQ Rugby)
19. Jack Kelleher (PBC Cork/UCC RFC/Munster)
20. Reuben Crothers (Wallace High School/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
21. Will Reilly (St Mary’s CBS Portlaoise/MU Barnhall RFC/Leinster)
22. Ben Carson (Wallace High School/Banbridge RFC/Ulster)
23. Chris Cosgrave (St Michael’s College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
24. Fearghail O’Donoghue (Cashel Community School/Cashel RFC/Munster)
25. Donnacha Byrne (Summerhill College/Sligo RFC/Connacht)
26. Chay Mullins (SGC Filton/Bristol Bears/IQ Rugby).

Discussions continue around integrity of Irish horseracing

The joint Committee on Agriculture, Food, and the Marine will hold the second of three separate hearings today at 15:30. They will continue to discuss horseracing in Ireland and alleged issues facing the sport

This Joint Committee will meet representatives from the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA), the Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) today.

The Committee took the opportunity to schedule these hearings following the debates around the integrity of the horseracing industry in Ireland.

The Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine will attend the third hearing on Tuesday, 20th July, at 09:30.

Speaking in advance of the meetings, Cathaoirleach, Jackie Cahill TD, said:

“The Committee continues its discussion with relevant individuals, bodies, and organizations in to discuss the policies and procedures in place and give them the time and place to debate the issues and highlight their own concerns.”

The Committee meeting will be split into two sessions and will be broadcast from Committee Room 3 of Leinster House.

The first meeting will consist of representatives of the IRTA. The second session at 16:30 will have representatives from the HRI and IHRB will be speaking.

The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has 14 Members. Nine of them are from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

Mr. Cahill added:

“The Committee welcomed the discussion about the industry in general and to raise broader policy concerns about horseracing in Ireland with Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board in our first hearing, and we look forward to continue this important conversation.”

The Committee webpage on the House of the Oireachtas website has more information on the discussion.

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