THE LAST TIME Shamrock Rovers’ competed in a European group campaign, Andy Lyons was among the crowd at Tallaght Stadium, watching a six-game Europa League group campaign come to an end with a 4-0 loss to Spurs. The game’s final noteworthy act came in the first minute of stoppage time, as a second-half substitute scored his first goal for Spurs. Fair to say Harry Kane has added a few since.
Kane has gone stratospheric in the decade since, while Rovers have had their own winding road back to European competition. They are back now, in the group of the Europa Conference League, and this time, Lyons will be on the other side of the advertising hoardings. It kicks off tomorrow night at home to Djurgardens of Sweden.
“It’s a big occasion not only for the club, for the league as well”, says Lyons. “It’s massive and I think even you look back, I certainly remember them games in Europe. We’re looking to do the league proud, because we’re representing the league and we’re representing the country.”
Lyons was speaking having been presented with the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month award for August, winning an award voted for by journalists. The quality of Rovers’ month was reflected in the fact Rory Gaffney finished second in the voting and Alan Mannus third.
Advertisement
Lyons rose to the top however, as he has done all season. He scored back-to-back winning goals in August, first heading the late winner against Ferencvaros in the morale-boosting second leg win in the Europa League qualifiers, and then scored an extra-time winner against Drogheda in the FAI Cup three days later.
He also agreed a deal to sign for Blackpool in August, so a Player of the Month award proves a nice riposte to anyone who might have doubted his focus or commitment.
“If you didn’t have such a good month, people are going to ask questions”, admitted Lyons. “I certainly adopted the mindset it’s not something I can control, and I just concentrated on performances. We’ve had a good month collectively and yeah, that’s the main thing at the end of the day.” Lyons will remain at Rovers for the rest of the year, so will see out the group campaign before moving in January.
Lyons has scored a remarkable eight goals thus far this season, and created another five, and all from an unfamiliar position. He was signed as a right-back from Bohemians and was initially speaking to manager Stephen Bradley as being an option at right wing-back, but when he was introduced on the left as injury cover in the second league game of the season, and things have clicked.
“Neil Farrugia and Sean Kavanagh were both injured, and I came on thinking it would be for the last half-hour of the game. I did well and since then it has stuck. It was more by chance than anything else. It wasn’t an organised discussion we had at the start of the season, but as the months have gone on I’ve got help from the coaches and the gaffer to be as good as I can in the position.
“I’ve played there before, in more of a left-back position. Cutting in on your right and having the ability to go two ways is the best thing. My predominant foot is my right, but I can go on my left. Whereas sometimes on the right [wing] it’s probably harder to go off both feet. To have that option to face a player up and go either way is probably the biggest thing for me.”
Lyons heads the winning goal against Ferencvaros. Evan Treacy / INPHO
Evan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Rovers were face Gent of Belgium and Molde of Norway along with Djurgardens across the group, with Rovers’ stated ambition before the draw to qualify for the knockout stages. The top side qualifies for the last-16, while the second-placed side goes into a play-off against the third-placed Europa League sides for the right to join them.
“Before any groups were announced, that was our aim”, says Lyons. “We got so far in the sense of getting to the group stages and there’s no way we’re going to take our foot off the pedal and just make up the numbers in the group stages.
“Not for a second do we think that. No matter what team it was, or what group it was that we were given, we were going in with the same mindset and that mindset was to try and get out of the group. It’s a tough group but we have the belief in the changing room that we’re going to get through it.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'There's no way we're going to take our foot off the pedal and just make up the numbers'
THE LAST TIME Shamrock Rovers’ competed in a European group campaign, Andy Lyons was among the crowd at Tallaght Stadium, watching a six-game Europa League group campaign come to an end with a 4-0 loss to Spurs. The game’s final noteworthy act came in the first minute of stoppage time, as a second-half substitute scored his first goal for Spurs. Fair to say Harry Kane has added a few since.
Kane has gone stratospheric in the decade since, while Rovers have had their own winding road back to European competition. They are back now, in the group of the Europa Conference League, and this time, Lyons will be on the other side of the advertising hoardings. It kicks off tomorrow night at home to Djurgardens of Sweden.
“It’s a big occasion not only for the club, for the league as well”, says Lyons. “It’s massive and I think even you look back, I certainly remember them games in Europe. We’re looking to do the league proud, because we’re representing the league and we’re representing the country.”
Lyons was speaking having been presented with the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month award for August, winning an award voted for by journalists. The quality of Rovers’ month was reflected in the fact Rory Gaffney finished second in the voting and Alan Mannus third.
Lyons rose to the top however, as he has done all season. He scored back-to-back winning goals in August, first heading the late winner against Ferencvaros in the morale-boosting second leg win in the Europa League qualifiers, and then scored an extra-time winner against Drogheda in the FAI Cup three days later.
He also agreed a deal to sign for Blackpool in August, so a Player of the Month award proves a nice riposte to anyone who might have doubted his focus or commitment.
“If you didn’t have such a good month, people are going to ask questions”, admitted Lyons. “I certainly adopted the mindset it’s not something I can control, and I just concentrated on performances. We’ve had a good month collectively and yeah, that’s the main thing at the end of the day.” Lyons will remain at Rovers for the rest of the year, so will see out the group campaign before moving in January.
Lyons has scored a remarkable eight goals thus far this season, and created another five, and all from an unfamiliar position. He was signed as a right-back from Bohemians and was initially speaking to manager Stephen Bradley as being an option at right wing-back, but when he was introduced on the left as injury cover in the second league game of the season, and things have clicked.
“Neil Farrugia and Sean Kavanagh were both injured, and I came on thinking it would be for the last half-hour of the game. I did well and since then it has stuck. It was more by chance than anything else. It wasn’t an organised discussion we had at the start of the season, but as the months have gone on I’ve got help from the coaches and the gaffer to be as good as I can in the position.
“I’ve played there before, in more of a left-back position. Cutting in on your right and having the ability to go two ways is the best thing. My predominant foot is my right, but I can go on my left. Whereas sometimes on the right [wing] it’s probably harder to go off both feet. To have that option to face a player up and go either way is probably the biggest thing for me.”
Rovers were face Gent of Belgium and Molde of Norway along with Djurgardens across the group, with Rovers’ stated ambition before the draw to qualify for the knockout stages. The top side qualifies for the last-16, while the second-placed side goes into a play-off against the third-placed Europa League sides for the right to join them.
“Before any groups were announced, that was our aim”, says Lyons. “We got so far in the sense of getting to the group stages and there’s no way we’re going to take our foot off the pedal and just make up the numbers in the group stages.
“Not for a second do we think that. No matter what team it was, or what group it was that we were given, we were going in with the same mindset and that mindset was to try and get out of the group. It’s a tough group but we have the belief in the changing room that we’re going to get through it.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
ambitions Andy Lyons europa conference league LOI Shamrock Rovers