Champions League first round qualifier, second leg: Hibernians (Malta) (0) v Shamrock Rovers (3), Centenary Stadium, Ta’ Qali, 7pm – Live RTÉ News Now
Trepidation about entering Malta’s boiling interior in high summer were cooled by news from the Shamrock Rovers camp that Jack Byrne and Graham Burke are primed to play after six-week injury lay.
The Irish internationals – Burke won three caps under Martin O’Neill in 2018 with Byrne’s last taste of international football coming against Bulgaria in 2020 – are precisely what Rovers need right now.
Byrne’s return, in particular, is timely as Danny Mandroiu departs for Lincoln City and a second bite of professional life in England. The 26-year-old knows plenty about that journey, having joined Manchester City at 15. He also knows Dutch football, a run around English Championship clubs, a stint in Scotland and more recently Cyprus, having proved to be a cut above the standard League of Ireland midfielder.
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Here he is, second time around at Rovers, fit and ready to guide them past a Hibernians outfit that looked in dire need of match fitness last Tuesday in Tallaght. Not that Rovers missed their talisman, as consistently outstanding performances from Dylan Watts and Rory Gaffney were transferred to the European stage to ensure a three-goal cushion for what proved a tricky trip to Valletta via Shannon and Paris due to the ongoing airport crisis.
No bother to Stephen Bradley’s men. A comfortable result is likely tonight with Bulgarian champions Ludogorets up next week, presuming they maintain a 2-0 lead over Montenegro’s Sutjeska.
Of course an early Hibs goal could change everything. Terence Groothusen certainly caught the eye last week, warming-up his massive frame on the Tallaght pitch at half-time, before arriving to spin off Pico Lopes and slam a shot off the crossbar. The threat became very real when Angolan winger Thaylor outmuscled Lee Grace only to strike the butt of Alan Mannus’s post.
If both chances, from nothing to be fair, had dropped Rovers might be heading towards their likely destination this winter – the Europa Conference League. History indicates that is where they belong. The new third tier of European football offers an ideal environment for Byrne to shine and for others, like Andy Lyons, a shop window to attract bigger clubs.
The Irish under-21 right back has excelled since being asked to do a job on the left. The departure of Liam Scales to Celtic – recently loaned to Aberdeen – prompted Bradley to not only lure Lyons from Bohemians but reposition him as an attacking winger. The 21-year-old’s impact has exceeded all expectations, scoring six goals and five assists so far.
That is the Catch 22 facing Rovers during this and every transfer window. Byrne is happy being back home in Dublin but ambitious young players like Mandroiu and Lyons are proving difficult to keep. Progress in Europe, while lucrative and essential to the continued rise of a club in complete control of their domestic affairs, puts enormous pressure on squad resources. It’s a riddle everyone involved in Irish football wants to understand in order to mimic or learn what not to do.
