Irish international Evan Ferguson has certainly hit the ground running since his loan move to Roma, scoring five goals in his first two games. In midweek he scored four in a training ground 9-0 win over Serie D opposition UniPomezia. Then on Saturday the 20-year-old from Bettystown in County Meath lead the line for Gian Piero Gasperini’s team and scored the only goal of the game against German second tier club FC Kaiserslautern. He made the most of the opportunity by capitalizing on a first half goalkeeping error by Julian Krahl to win possession and slot the ball into the empty net. Ferguson was replaced after an hour and his next game will be a friendly against Cannes tomorrow.
Ferguson joined Brighton from Bohemians and was an instant hit on the English south coast, scoring 13 goals for the EPL club and in 2023 the club extended his contract until 2029. But a few months later Evan injured his ankle and had ligament surgery on the joint which ruled him out for the six months. When he returned after injury Ferguson struggled to get into the Brighton team and last season he was loaned to West Ham where he failed to score in 8 league appearances. But now it looks like he may have regained his scoring touch in Italy.
UPHILL TASK
FOR SHELS
It was another busy week for League of Ireland clubs in European action. Shelbourne out of the European Cup after a 3-0 defeat to Qarabag in Tolka Park in the first leg of their second qualifying round was followed up by a 1-0 defeat in Azerbaijan. This evening the Reds Europa League to fall back on and then if that level goes wrong they will have another bite of the cherry in the Conference League. That’s the real perk when a club wins their domestic league — they get to play in three competitions. Shels' opponents if they drop down to the Europa League, as looks likely, will be the losers of the tie between HNK Rijeka from Croatia or Ludogorets of Bulgaria. That tie is scoreless after the first leg last week. Shamrock Rovers first game in Europe this season was a comfortable 4-0 win over St Joseph’s in Gibraltar in the first leg of their second-round Conference League qualifier and the Hoops should progress to the next round when the second leg is played in Tallaght tomorrow night. The Hoops’ opponents in the next round will be either FC Ballkani of Kosovo or Malta’s Floriana.
St Patrick’s Athletic took a slender one-goal lead to Estonia for their second leg against Nomme Kalju on Thursday, but came away with a 2-2 draw, thus winning 3-2 on aggregate.
TOUGH DRAW
FOR HOLDERS
FAI Cup holders Drogheda United got a very difficult game when the draw for the 3rd round of the FAI Cup was made last week. The County Louth club will have to travel to the Brandywell where Derry City are difficult to beat. Drogheda beat the Candystripes 2-0 in the FAI Cup final at the Aviva last November to qualify for the Conference League this season, but were expelled by UEFA as the Drogheda owners also own a club in Denmark. The big game in the third round is the Dublin derby between St Patrick’s Athletic and Shelbourne at Richmond Park, Inchicore. There will also be a Munster derby where struggling Cork City host Waterford at Turner’s Cross. Games will be played on the week-ending Aug. 17.
Drogheda’s Luke Dennison claims the ball during the FAI Cup Final against Derry City at a full Aviva Stadium last November. The teams will meet in this year’s 3rd round in Derry. [Inpho/Bryan Keane]
ENGLAND RETAIN
EUROPEAN TITLE
England’s women’s team won the Euro 2025 final in Basel on Sunday evening, beating Spain 3-1 on penalties. Substitute Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty as England completed another shootout comeback to defend their title and beat world champions Spain 3-1 in a shoot-out after a 1-1 draw. England had come back twice to reach the decider in Basel and book this revenge mission against the team who beat them at the 2023 World Cup in Sydney. The final was the first time since the inaugural edition in 1984, in which England were beaten by Sweden, that the game was decided by a penalty shootout. King Charles led a chorus of praise for the ‘‘awesome Lionesses’’ after their win. Prince William and Princess Charlotte, who watched the game from the stands in Switzerland, said they couldn't be prouder of the side. And Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was also in attendance, called the team history makers.
ROCHE INTERIM
BOSS AT ROVERS
Shamrock Rovers confirmed last week that women’s head coach Collie O’Neill has resigned from his position. O’Neill leaves with the team in sixth place in the Premier Division, with six games remaining in the season. O’Neill, who previously managed the UCD men’s team, was appointed manager of the Hoops in 2023 and led them to third and fifth place finishes. Assistant coach Ciaran Ryan has also left the club. A few months back O’Neill said the it was a big disappointment for the women’s game in Ireland that attendances had not significantly improved since our international team played in the World Cup final for the first time in Australia in 2023. Former Irish international Stephanie Roche, who is currently assistant coach at Rovers, has been appointed interim head coach for the rest of the season.
LINFIELD FINED
Linfield have been hit with €12,000 worth of fines from UEFA for two incidents during their Champions League qualifier against Shelbourne in Windsor Park on July 16. The Blues have also been handed down a partial stadium closure, although that has been suspended during a probationary period of two years. UEFA have fined the club €10,000 and ordered the partial closure of the west stand at Windsor Park for one UEFA club competition match in which Linfield are hosts for ‘‘the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters.’’ The Windsor Park closure is suspended during a probationary period of two years and may be enforced if a further offense of a similar nature is committed during the probationary period.
RASHFORD JOINS
BARCA ON LOAN
Marcus Rashford last week joined Barcelona on a 12-month loan deal from Manchester United with an option to buy for the LaLiga club. Media reports said that Barcelona would cover Rashford’s wages this season after the player accepted a pay cut, with the option to buy set at around €30 million. The move came after Manchester-born Rashford, who made 426 senior appearances and scored 138 goals for United in all competitions, fell out of favor with manager Ruben Amorim, who called the 27-year-old’s work rate into question. Rashford, who won two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League title with United, and joined Aston Villa on loan in February after Amorim said he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all. The forward, who has scored 17 goals for England in 62 appearances, said he was feeling fitter and better after joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league games, while United had their worst-ever EPL campaign, finishing 15th in the table.
U-21 STAR MOORE
MOVES TO DUBLIN
Shelbourne have signed Seán Moore from West Ham United on a multi-year contract, subject to international clearance. The Belfast-born 19-year-old arrives at Tolka Park following a spell in England with the Hammers’ under 21 squad. Moore first broke onto the scene with Cliftonville in the Irish League and his performances for the Reds in 2022/23 saw him named in the Irish League’s Premiership Team of the Year and win the Northern Ireland Football Writers’ Young Player of the Year award. Moore was a regular for West Ham’s development side during the first half of the 2024/25 campaign and capped off an impressive year by making his Republic of Ireland Under 21 debut in a friendly against Sweden in November. He finished the season with five goals, making him the joint-third top scorer for the Hammers under 21 team.
ARMOND HITS
2 FOR BLUES
A curtailed League of Ireland of Ireland program last weekend with only three games played in the Premier Division. Bohemians hold on to second place after a 1-1 draw against Derry City at the Brandywell and they now have played the same number of games as table toppers Shamrock Rovers, but are still 7 points adrift. Padraig Amond scored twice for Waterford in their 4-2 away win over Galway and he is now the top scorer in the league with 12 goals. At the bottom it’s looking like automatic relegation for Cork City as they lost 3-2 at home to fellow strugglers Sligo Rovers. The Bit O’ Red are now 11 points clear of Cork with 11 games to play.
