Shamrock Rovers captain Ronan Finn will lead them out at Tallaght Stadium for the last time on Friday when they face Sligo Rovers before a post-match trophy presentation following their clinching a record-equalling fourth consecutive championship.
But though he turns 36 next month, it’s not the end of his playing days for the multi-medalled midfielder.
For Finn, who has won eight league titles across both divisions, will go back to the future, so to speak, in continuing to play while furthering his education at UCD, the place where it all began for the Dubliner in 2005.
Under their scholarship programme, Finn completed a sports management degree while winning the First Division in 2009. He then embarked on an honours-laden journey with Sporting Fingal, Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk before his return to Tallaght in 2017.
“So, back to where it all began,” said Finn, who will start on Friday despite an angle injury. The match will also mark the last in 41-year-old goalkeeper Alan Mannus’s career.
“It’s something that has come about over the last month,” explained Finn, who hopes to play on for at least another two years at the UCD Bowl. “It’s something that’s exciting at my age, the opportunity to go back and do a Masters and finish where it all began.
“It started with a degree and now hopefully finishes with a Masters and everything in between. It’s a Masters in Sports Management which is the degree I have. They have a Masters programme in it now, which is brilliant.
“I’ve always been interested in going back to college anyway, but never knew when I could fit it in and when could you do it. This has kind of fallen into place.
“It’s funny, when I left UCD back in 2009 I always said I would come back. Then, as the years go by, you never think where your career goes.
“This year I began to think that college would be something that I would start to consider again. Then last month when the call came through, I needed to look at this properly.
“I looked at the courses and liked the course. It’s a two-year part-time course which gives me the opportunity that I’m not under intense pressure because I know how difficult a Masters is.
“It ticks a lot of boxes. At my age you are making sure that when you are ready to step into the working world you are armed as best you can.”
While Derry City and St Patrick’s Athletic jostle to decide who finishes as runners-up when they meet at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, the action to determine who gets fourth place, with its potential ticket to Europe, continues to the last night.
Shelbourne, the current forth-place occupants with a two-point advantage, are best placed before visiting Drogheda United.
Fifth-placed Dundalk, at UCD, and Bohemians at home to Cork City, will be hoping Damien Duff’s side slip up, while ensuring they look after their own business.
“We have to secure fourth and then it’s in the lap of the Gods,” said Duff in regard to the possibility of Bohemians losing to St Patrick’s in the FAI Cup final and thereby a Europa Conference League berth to the fourth-placed finishers in the league.
“If you had offered anyone involved with Shelbourne this at the start of the season, going to Drogheda when a positive result might secure Europe, Holy Mother of God, that’s what dreams are made of.
“Getting to the cup final last year was an amazing experience. But this is a much bigger achievement. This is over the course of nearly a year, over 36 games.
“To achieve it would be on a totally different level”
Tonight’s fixtures (7.45)
Premier Division
Bohemians v Cork City
Derry City v St Patrick’s Athletic
Drogheda United v Shelbourne
Shamrock Rovers v Sligo Rovers
UCD v Dundalk
