| Rovers stadium gets go-ahead
BY DAVID THORPE
 Work
is set to resume on the 6,000-seater Shamrock Rovers soccer stadium in
Tallaght.
South Dublin County Councillors overwhelmingly backed a return to the
original plan for the stadium after work came to halt some years ago because
of a lack of funding. The council subsequently took back the leases granted
to the private company which was to build the stadium.
The new ground will finally bring the curtain down on the long-running
saga for Shamrock Rovers. The Hoops have been homeless since selling their
Milltown ground in south Dublin in the 1980s.
The costs to the club of building their own home ground in Tallaght contributed
significantly to the famous club almost going out of business last year
before being rescued by a consortium of fans.
The Hoops were relegated to Division One of the Eircom League at the end
of last season and will be playing at Tolka Park when the league resumes
in March.
Rovers will lease the new stadium from South Dublin County Council and
expect to be playing in the new ground in time for the start of the 2007
season. Also there will be no other sports — including GAA —
played in the new stadium.
Hoops chairman Jonathan Roche said: “We can’t wait to bring
Eircom League football to Tallaght and finally provide our magnificent
supporters with a place we can call home.”
Shelbourne have completed the signings of former Cork City players Liam
Kearney and Greg O’Halloran. The midfield duo join the Tolka Park
outfit on two-year contracts.
Kearney was tipped to move to either Europe or Britain but has instead
opted to remain in the domestic league. He had been training with the
Reds while he awaited the results of an FAI tribunal which decided last
week that the former Irish U-21 international was a free agent and could
move to Shelbourne without a fee having to be paid.
Kearney is a direct replacement for former Shels winger Wes Holohan who
departed for Scottish League side Livingston at the end of the last Eircom
League season. Losing two players to one of their principal domestic rivals
is a blow to Cork City.
In addition to the two former Cork stars Shelbourne manager Pat Fenlon
has also signed Sean Dillon from Longford Town as the Dublin club look
to improve on their third-placed finish of last season.
Second-placed Derry signed striker Kevin McHugh from relegated Finn Harps
in the close season. Bohemians, who finished fourth have added veteran
striker Vinny Arkins to their squad for the new season.
The 2006 Eircom League kicks off on the weekend of March 10. Cork City
will host newly-promoted Dublin City in their opening game of the new
term.
There will be no Eircom League fixtures played during the period of the
World Cup in June.
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