Following the elation of their dramatic Champions League win on Tuesday, it’s back to where the glory first began for Stephen Bradley’s Shamrock Rovers against arch-rivals Bohemians at Dalymount Park on Friday night.
The FAI Cup is the first trophy Rovers won under Bradley’s guidance five years ago. And while they’ve gone on to win four league titles in a row since, they’ve reached the final of the Blue Riband once in that time, failing to retain it when losing 4-2 to Dundalk in 2020.
The competition’s 25-times record winners lost in earlier rounds to Bohemians at Dalymount the following year and subsequently to Derry City in 2022 before last year’s first-round exit in Dundalk.
“We really want to be in the cup final. We really want to go and win the cup. That starts over in Dalymount,” stressed Bradley.
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“We know what we are going into. They’ve signed Dawson Devoy, [Ross] Tierney, they are a good team with good players all around the pitch.
“They’ll want to play off the fact we had a tough game [on Tuesday], but we’ll be ready. We want to get to that final. We want to win the cup. We remember how special that day was [in 2019].
“We’ll go there fully focused and to win the game. No excuses.”
It’s perhaps an even bigger night for Alan Reynolds’s Bohemians, whose season could be all but over if they lose.
They were booed off the pitch following last Friday’s home defeat to Sligo Rovers which meant they’ve won once in their last 11 games. That’s left them looking nervously over their shoulder at Dundalk, whom they meet in the league next Friday, four points behind in the relegation playoff place.
In Friday night’s other all Premier Division clash, Drogheda United host Dundalk in a Louth derby at Weavers Park.
“We’d like to go as far as we can obviously,” said Dundalk manager Jon Daly who managed St Patrick’s Athletic to victory in beating Bohemians in last year’s final before a record crowd of 43,881 at the Aviva Stadium.
“I’m the current holder of the FAI Cup in terms of the manager and I would like to go and retain it and win it at a different club.
“I know that’s very, very difficult to do and going away from home to your local rivals in the first round is very tough.”
Friday’s FAI Cup second-round fixtures (7.45)
Athlone Town v Ringmahon Rangers
Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers
Cobh Ramblers v Kerry
Drogheda United v Dundalk
Galway United v Longford Town
Treaty United v Kilbarrack United
Waterford v Cockhill Celtic
Wilton United v Carrigaline United
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