Uefa Conference League playoff, first-leg: Molde FK v Shamrock Rovers, Aker Stadium, Thursday, 5.45pm Irish time – Live on Premier Sports 1
Ireland versus Norway in knock-out European club football. The future is here.
Shamrock Rovers were close to straight qualification for the Uefa Conference League last 16 in December, only to lose out on goal difference to Belgian side Cercle Brugge. A 5-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge redirected Stephen Bradley’s team to Molde in Norway and a last chance to follow clubs like Chelsea and Fiorentina into the next round via this two-legged playoff.
On paper, Molde are the superior outfit, mixing Norwegian solidity with a Danish spine of Valdemar Lund, Mads Enggård and the prolific Frederik Ihler.
It is possible that Bradley’s understrength squad – certainly in comparison to last year – will run out of European road before the League of Ireland begins against Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday and the Conference League’s second-leg goes to Tallaght next Thursday.
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But to doubt Rovers after last year’s results, particularly against Cypriot and Austrian opposition, might prove unwise, even if the loss of Johnny Kenny, Neil Farrugia and Darragh Burns raises legitimate concerns about their attack.
To soften the impact of Farrugia going to Barnsley and Burns signing for Grimsby Town, Danny Grant was lured from Bohemians on a multiyear contract.
Finding Kenny’s replacement has proved even more challenging. The 21-year-old scored 20 goals in 2024 before Celtic recalled him in December and while Thursday night is probably too soon for Michael Noonan, Rovers’ 16-year-old winter signing from St Patrick’s Athletic, who has been registered for Europe.
“I think it’s important that the team keeps evolving, changing, and stays fresh,” said Bradley, who remains in the market for a centre forward with reported interest in Derry City’s Pat Hoban and Jonathan Afolabi.
Resources are not an issue. So far, the Hoops have accumulated €6.4 million in prize money from the 2024/25 European run, with another €800,000 guaranteed if they overcome Molde. The plan is to enhance facilities at Roadstone, where their academy’s 220 players come of age, but some of those earnings might be invested in a finisher.
As Rory Gaffney is still injured, 35-year-old Aaron Greene will presumably lead the line at the picturesque Aker stadium. In midfield, Dylan Watts and Danny Mandroiu remain the key figures while Ed McGinty, the former Ireland under-21 international, has arrived from Sligo Rovers to potentially unseat German goalkeeper Leon Pöhls.
St Pat’s preseason friendly with Molde in Malaga earlier this month encouraged the Norwegian’s manager Per-Mathias Høgmo to use the Stephen Kenny system as preparation for Bradley’s different Rovers formation.
Like the League of Ireland, Norway’s Eliteserien runs from March to November so Molde will be equally rusty following a disappointing 2024 when they fell short of European qualification.
However, in 2022, the early club of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erling Haaland proved too strong for Rovers in the Conference group stages, winning 3-0 at home and 2-0 in Tallaght, although both results were partially down to Bradley resting key players as he chased a third successive league title.
Three years later, it remains to be seen if Rovers can compete on both the home and European fronts.
“This off-season was another challenge, in that we didn’t have a lot of friendly games, as we’d just been back, and we’d played over 50 games last season,” said Bradley. “So, we made the decision to take preseason down in terms of games. You have to be mindful that we’re not going to be as sharp as what we’d like to be early on, but we’ve to look at the overall picture for the season.
“As a group, as a collective, Molde are strong. They are well-organised and well-drilled. They have dynamic players in the final third, you can see that. They understand their game and everyone’s game as a collective very well, so they’re a strong team but so are we. It has the makings to be a really good game.”
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