“The fact that it’s eccentric is part of the appeal”. The League of Ireland First Division often struggles for crowds and media attention but it still attracts passionate fans. Paul Cahill’s short film takes in Shelbourne versus Longford Town in the EA Sports Cup and gets the thoughts of Irish football diehards.
Journalist, broadcaster, and Longford Town fan Eamonn Donohoe flew home to Ireland for the opening game of the 2017 League of Ireland season to watch his side take on Shelbourne. And he captured it on camera.
The complex history of League of Ireland clubs and their stadiums is likely to get a little bit more complicated with the revelation that Shelbourne look set to join Bohemians in Dalymount Park in the not too distant future, writes Gavin White.
Much has been made of the fact that the two teams contesting this weekend’s Champions League final are fan-owned entities in the Bundesliga. There is a train of thought that clubs where supporters have a pivotal role in how they are run is the way forward for long-term sustainability and you don’t have to look far to see that Irish football is ahead of the game in this regard. Shelbourne are the latest club to embrace fan involvement in an official capacity with the recent launch of the 1895 Trust.
Twenty-eight years ago this week, Bohemians beat Glasgow Rangers 3-2 in the UEFA Cup. The Dalymount clash was marred by fan violence but the result represented a famous night for League of Ireland football.
In 2004, Shelbourne were 90 minutes away from the Champions League groups stages. Within three years, the Tolka Park outfit were kicked out of the Premier Division because of crippling debt while Sligo Rovers were cementing their place in the top flight. Now, Sligo are in their third consecutive FAI Cup final and are the defending champions. Shels, who almost went to the wall, have secured promotion back to the Premier Division as runners-up to Cork City. This weekend the sides will be reunited in the Aviva Stadium.