After 16 years of waiting, Shamrock Rovers were able to exhale a huge sigh of relief as they were finally crowned champions again after one of the tightest ever finishes in the domestic game.
When the highlights reel of the Hoops’ season is put together it will reveal many highs and more than a few shaky moments, although the most crucial image will be of Stephen Rice and Dan Murray lifting the Premier Division trophy. It won’t matter to Rovers that they just about eked over the line and claimed their 16th league title by goal difference, because having something to celebrate at all was more than enough for them.
There were certainly mixed emotions amongst the fans that flooded onto the Carlisle Grounds pitch on Friday evening following the 2-2 draw with Bray Wanderers that was enough for Rovers to be named champions. While the younger fans went wild as they basked in the jubilation of it all, the older generation broke down and wept. Most of those had stuck with the club during the dark days since Milltown closed, the many ground shares, the threat of extinction and now they were back as champions.
Amongst the large support that Rovers brought to the Wicklow venue was Ray Wilson, who kept the club alive in 2005 by investing EUR200,000 when they could not pay off their examinership bill. Wilson now lives in Australia, but made sure that he was present for the club’s most important night since 1994 when Ray Treacy led them to glory. This time it was Michael O’Neill’s turn and he was quick to admit afterwards that relief was the overriding emotion.
“From a personal point of view I’m delighted. I came here last year and was surprised we went so close to winning the title at the first attempt,” said O’Neill. “But that had the effect of raising expectations and I’m glad that we’ve met those over the course of this year.
“We didn’t play so well this evening. It was difficult mentally for the lads, though. We showed out there how many of our players hadn’t been in this position before but they came through it and they’ll be better for it next time.”
What made the victory even sweeter for a lot of Rovers fans is that they stopped fierce rivals Bohemians from making it three in a row as their 3-1 win over Dundalk wasn’t enough to retain the league trophy. In many ways, the two results marked a changeover of dynasties as Bohs have dominated the domestic game for the last two years, but now Rovers have taken over and look set to build on their win.
RTÉ pundit Tony McDonnell summed it up after Rovers were confirmed as champions when he remarked: “We are witnessing a new era in Irish football. This side can go on and dominate the league for many years to come.”
The evidence to suggest that he may be right lies with the fact that O’Neill has proved himself to be a very capable manager. After making some astute signings, leading his team to a 17-game unbeaten run, handling the pressure of the Europa League qualifiers against Bnei Yehuda and Juventus, booking a place in the FAI Ford Cup final, and firing them up for a gripping title run-in, he has shown that he is the right man to lead Rovers forward.
While the league table shows that Rovers have been the best team this season, the breakdown of their individual players suggests that there is still room for improvement. Of course, there have been some outstanding performers. From goalkeeper Alan Mannus, captain Murray, the midfield quartet of Rice, James Chambers, Chris Turner and Billy Dennehy, right through to striker Gary Twigg, who notched his 50th goal for the club against Bray to help seal the title win.
For Bohs, the immediate future looks bleak. Manager Pat Fenlon says that he is prepared to honour his contract that has three more years to run, but he is unsure if any of his 12 contracted players can be kept on as the club struggle to pay off debts of EUR5.6m.
“I need to sit down with the club and see where we are going. There needs to be a plan and I need to know about it,” said Fenlon. “I am obviously disappointed with it [title win] being so close yet being so far. But at the end of the day you congratulate Rovers for they deserved to win the league.”
The hurt of being pipped to the title by Rovers on goal difference will not be easy for the Gypsies supporters to take, although this has been quite an inconsistent season. Had they not slipped up away to Galway United, then things might have worked out differently. But the most important thing is securing the future of the club. Ironically, they are now in a similar position to what Rovers were a few years ago as their city rivals take over from them as champions.
Overall, it has been a memorable season. Sligo Rovers’ late charge saw them secure third place, Europa League football and a place in the FAI Cup final, while Sporting Fingal also wrapped up a European place. It was a disappointing end for St Patrick’s Athletic as they were left empty-handed despite an encouraging year and the same can be said about Dundalk.
UCD introduced some flair to the top flight through their carefree style, while Galway United, Bray and Drogheda United struggled to keep up with the rest even though they produced more than a few eye-catching results.
With major changes expected in the off-season after the majority of clubs voted for the Premier Division to be expanded and the season to be switched back to winter, the only thing that is certain is that Rovers are champions and this could spark a whole new era.