Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Drogheda United boss Kevin Doherty on Friday night.James Lawlor/INPHO League of Ireland Rovers look to tighten grip at top as Drogheda face battles on and off pitch Top of the table clashes in Premier Division as well as Louth club’s appeal over Euro expulsion. 10.29am, 16 Jun 2025 Share options THERE WERE EXTREMELY contrasting emotions for the four League of Ireland clubs who thought they had qualified for European football over the last week or so. While staff at Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic were all busy updating the latest info on the UEFA Passport portal, making sure they adhere to certain requirements from pitch dimensions to floodlight specifications, ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League and Conference League first-round qualifying draw, Drogheda United were rocked by the governing body’s decision to exclude them from the latter competition. The FAI Cup winners would have been in the hat for the second qualifying round on Wednesday had Silkeborg IF not won the Danish equivalent. As US investment firm Trivela Group have a controlling stake in both clubs, and Silkeborg had a better league finish than Drogheda, it’s the Danes who are permitted entry at the League of Ireland side’s expense. It’s set to be a piece of unwanted history as they will become the first club to be excluded from UEFA competition due to the rules on multi-club ownership. Advertisement Drogheda are taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) today in a bid to overturn the decision on the basis that certain deadlines relating to how clubs would be assessed within multi-club parameters were not communicated in a sufficiently transparent manner. Regardless, their fate now rests on the strength of that argument in the appeal. It’s sure to add to the sense of occasion in Louth tonight when Shamrock Rovers arrive into town. They do so having got straight back into their stride after the mid-season break with a deserved 2-1 win over Shels on Friday. While the fallout to that centred around the very public reopening of a rift between Damien Duff and Stephen Bradley, one element of the Hoops’ boss post-match debrief stood out as ominous for the rest of the Premier Division. “We weren’t at this level last season. We were at that level in Europe, but domestically we weren’t at it. Maybe there was games here or there, moments here or there, late on domestically. But we weren’t at them levels. We’re getting to this level the last few weeks. “I still feel there’s more to come from us. But we definitely weren’t at this level domestically last year. What we have been the last few weeks. It’s really pleasing to see. We just need to stay focused. “We demand a lot of them,” Bradley continued. “They’ve been successful for a number of years. With that comes mental fatigue, physical fatigue. You’ve got to allow them time off and refresh. “Like I said, I trust when they go away that they can enjoy it. But they come back ready to work, back to focus. You could feel it last week when we came back. They were ready to go. [Friday was] the first night we’ve had everyone available, no injuries in the squad. It’s really good to have that competitive edge in the squad. It’s really good.” That strength in depth was such that with a fully available squad Bradley was able to leave newly-capped Ireland U21 international Cory O’Sullivan and U17 star Victor Ozhianvuna (who is set for a move to Arsenal) in the stand along with experienced midfielder Gary O’Neill. In the Kerryman’s place has come Matt Healy – last week named Ireland U21 player of the year for 2024 – and while Bradley referenced the performance levels to last season it’s not something he makes a point of doing within the dressing room. “He doesn’t ,no. I think he likes to stay in the moment. Obviously we’re on a good run at the moment so he likes us to stay where we are, not mention last year and stuff like that. Because at the end of the day, it’s not going to change anything about last year, so yeah,” the Cork native said. “I wasn’t here last season so I’m not too sure how the group were playing, I didn’t see too much of them. We’re in a good run at the moment and hopefully we just continue this and keep getting victories and everyone performing well.” Rovers can open up a nine-point lead over Bohemians with a win, although the second-placed side would have two games in hand. Drogs are third and victory on their own patch would see them leapfrog the Gypsies. Related Reads The great transfer gamble: Why League of Ireland clubs must not rely on add-ons for value Grounds for change in League of Ireland shines a light on anguish and joy in equal measure Brotherly love and lifelong challenges for wheelchair users in League of Ireland Such is the nature of the Premier Division, though, if Drogheda fail to win and St Pat’s beat Shels at home in Richmond Park then it will be the Saints ending the night in second spot. A goalless draw on Friday – including a missed penalty by Mason Melia – puts just a little bit mor pressure on Stephen Kenny’s side, while Shels midfielder Ellis Chapman made it clear after losing to Rovers that Duff’s side can’t afford to wallow. “With how good the teams are this year, you definitely will be punished for that. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Tomorrow’s a new day. You can’t go to Richmond Park and feel sorry for yourselves because you get punished again. We’ve got to be right up for it and hopefully we can win the game.” Drogheda, of course, will be hoping to win the biggest battle of all off the pitch. David Sneyd Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Rovers look to tighten grip at top as Drogheda face battles on and off pitch”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Rovers look to tighten grip at top as Drogheda face battles on and off pitch”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion League of Ireland FreePodcastRugby Weekly Extra Leinster boss the Bulls, Baird shines, Conan leads by example 23 mins ago FreeEnd of the road More Mayo heartbreak - 'They'll rue that loss to Cavan. That one is going to hurt for a long time' 30 mins ago Olympic champ Ingebrigtsen's father acquitted of abusing son 38 mins ago Freeresponse 'The most logical venue' - CCCC chief responds to McGuinness criticism Kildare pitted against Fermanagh in Tailteann Cup semi-finals FreeLuck of the Draw Dublin to face Cork: here is the All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final draw Leinster wrap up dominant URC season with fitting final performance Murray Kinsella Here are the permutations for All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final pairings FreeLuck of the Draw Dublin to face Cork: here is the All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final draw Donegal land late winner to knock Mayo out of the All-Ireland championship no place for Hyde 'It would only happen because it's us' - McGuinness hits out at 'unfair' Roscommon venue choice more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account