Brentford manager Keith Andrews has hailed the impact Damien Duff has made since arriving at the EPL club as assistant in June. Duff spent eight years in London as a player with spells at Chelsea, where he won two league titles and Fulham, while he also played top-flight football with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. But this link up with Brentford marks the 47 year-old Dubliner’s first coaching role in the EPL following previous coaching roles with the Republic of Ireland, Celtic, Shamrock Rovers and as manager of Shelbourne, Andrews says Duff’s ‘‘magnificent’’ qualities as a coach have been a valuable addition to his set-up at Brentford. Speaking after their opening-day win over Spurs, Andrews said: ‘‘Damien has got a lot of responsibilities. He is my number two. He is a magnificent coach, he's brilliant support for me day-to-day. He is someone I trust implicitly, someone who has already built up a really good rapport with staff and players. I love his personality, his drive and his passion. We are working really well together.”
And Brentford’s Cork-born goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher has also been impressed by Duff, saying: ‘‘Damien has been brilliant. I have worked with Damien before. He is full of energy, wants to get better. He comes in and works hard on the training pitch every day, loves his sessions. He wants to push players. He is exactly what we need.’’
SAINTS HOST
BOHS IN CUP
We have a big game in the FAI Cup quarter-finals on Saturday next when St Patrick’s Athletic play north Dublin rivals Bohemians at Inchicore at 4 p.m. The winners no doubt will be made favorites to lift the famous cup in November. St Pat’s are currently second in the Premier Division and Bohs are in third place, but neither club can so far mount a serious challenge on leaders Shamrock Rovers. This is Bohs’ last season playing at Dalymount Park and they would love to win something before it’s closed for a major renovation job. It’s now 17 years since the Gypsies won a trophy, which was the League of Ireland premier division in 2009. Their last FAI Cup win was in 2008 when they beat Derry City at the RDS.
The Saints’ trophy cabinet has been fuller in recent years — the League title in 2013 and the FAI Cup three times: 2014, 2021 and 2023, the last when they beat Bohs in the final at the Aviva. Next season Bohs will use Richmond Park for their home games while the new-look Dalymount Park is being built. The three other quarter-final ties next weekend are: Drogheda v Galway and Waterford vs Sligo on Friday night, while on Sunday afternoon Derry City are home to Dundalk.
NEW STRUCTURE
FOR SLIGO ROBERS
Sligo Rovers are to consider a new club structure that would assist in increasing external funding, while members remain in control. Sligo Rovers is owned and operated by the Sligo Football and Sport Development Society, a member-owned co-operative governed by the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts. The club said they will not be sold, and the plan is for a new company to be set up to manage football operations and create new commercial opportunities.
In a statement Sligo Rovers chairman Tommy Higgins said: ‘‘Sligo Rovers status as a community club is a valued element of our history and tradition. The club has survived some very difficult times due to the relentless commitment of our dedicated volunteers. These people contribute enormously to the funding and operation of our club. The League of Ireland is now a different place.’’ With Finn Harps likely to accept an investment offer that will leave Sligo and Bohemians are the only clubs in the Premier Division that are owned by their supporters.
CANADIAN GROUP
BUYS CLIFTONVILLE
In the Irish League the Toronto Investment Group are the new owners of Cliftonville Football Club. At an Extraordinary General Meeting in north Belfast two weeks ago 81 per cent of Reds members, comfortably above the necessary 75 per cent threshold, voted to give up their ownership of the club and accept the takeover proposal from the Canadian consortium, who have vowed to get straight to work on delivering their promise to transform the club’s fortunes. As well as providing transfer funds and elevating the first-team to a full-time footing, the Toronto Investment Group have also vowed to oversee a multi-million pound stadium redevelopment that will modify Solitude into an all seater venue with a capacity between five and six thousand. Cliftonville’s Academy, which already operates on a full-time basis, will be handed additional resources to maintain its success, while the North American syndicate have indicated that they foresee the women’s football section of the club going down a similar path, as is standard practice in Canada. The Canadian company have vowed to provide a minimum initial investment of £3m and pay the percentage funding required for Cliftonville to meet their stadium redevelopment commitments as part of the NI Football Fund.
ROVERS OUT
OF EUROPE
Shamrock Rovers European Conference League dream was ended in Finland last week when they lost 1-0 to KuPS, having drawn the first leg 1-1 in Tallaght Stadium. It means that the Hoops have missed out on the lucrative group phase of the Conference League for the first time since the format was introduced three years ago. It’s ironic that the only goal of game was an own goal by Rovers’ Graham Burke, who a few weeks back became the top League of Ireland scorer in Europe with 16 goals when he scored against Floriana in July. The Hoops were undone by that bizarre own goal. A free-kick from the left was headed back in from the back post by Akseli Pukko. It grazed the top of Aaron Greene’s head and then glanced off the forehead of the unsuspecting Burke and deflected into the net. Rovers manager Stephen Bradley said: ‘‘We are disappointed with the goal. There was danger whatsoever. We give up a poor goal, to be fair. We knew early on that we had to be structured and just take their momentum away, which we did. We always felt it would be a tight game that could go to extra time. It was heading for extra time until we gave away a poor goal.’’
But Rovers bounced back on Sunday evening in the League of Ireland and came back from being 3-1 down draw 3-3 Derry City at the Brandywell. Rovers are now 5 points clear of St Patrick’s Athletic who lost 2-0 at home to Waterford on Friday night and Bohemians, who beat Sligo Rovers 3-0. And the Hoops have a game less played than their Dublin rivals.
PARROTT DEBUT
Troy Parrott made debut for his new club Real Betis in midweek when he came on as a second half sub in their 1-0 home win over Valencia. Then he started on Saturday away to Levante but replaced on the hour mark as Levante won 5-2. The Dubliner thought he had broken the deadlock but a 16th minute close-range header was ruled out by an offside flag with VAR confirming the call. Levante scored first before Parrott showed good strength in a crowded penalty area to somehow win possession and tee up Marc Bartra for an equaliser. There was another goal for either side before the interval, yet the moment of regret for Parrott came after the interval when he found himself unmarked in the area but lost his composure and headed wide when it appeared easier to score. Levante went on to take control with Parrott replaced just before the hour mark after the hosts had gone ahead.
DELAP JOINS
NOTTS FOREST
Liam Delap the son of former Irish international Rory Delap last week left Chelsea for Nottingham for a club record of £50m. The striker has signed a five-year deal at the City Ground after just a year at Stamford Bridge. In a summer of staggering transfer fees, the move stands out. An outlay of £50m for a striker who scored one league goal last season and a £20m profit to Chelsea has caused headlines. Approaches have been made to Delap by a few Irish managers and while he has won 12 England under 21 caps Delap has not been capped at senior level by England. Liam’s paternal grandfather is from Letterkenny, while his paternal grandmother is from Moynalty, Co. Meath
