Shamrock Rovers’ accounts for 2023 show a loss of almost €2.4 million despite record crowds at Tallaght Stadium and €800,000 in Uefa prize money.
That’s the price of continued success as Stephen Bradley’s squad aim to regain control of the Premier Division over the Bank Holiday weekend, starting with victory over Bohemians at Dalymount Park on Friday night before hosting Waterford on Monday evening.
Any sort of slip up by Shelbourne will see Damien Duff’s team knocked off their perch. Derry City could also eclipse a three-point gap from third to first by securing wins in Galway and at home to Shels.
“I said to the players this morning, ‘This is the most difficult game we’ve had in months,’” said Duff in advance of Friday night’s trip to Dundalk.
“I firmly believe it. It’s always a tough place to go Oriel Park, with a new manager in Noel King and a challenging surface. He has rallied them, their senior players all back in, they all played last Friday, they’re playing with an edge, that made the difference. They wanted it more than Bohs. Fully deserved that win.”
Derry and Sligo Rovers also recently published last year’s accounts, and the bottom lines are educational and interesting in equal measure.
The Candystripes were also helped by £800,000 from their European adventures and a £182,000 bump in season ticket sales, but it is the £2 million (€2.3 million) in “donations and other contributions” that allows them to maintain a wage bill of €2.1 million.
Local billionaire Philip O’Doherty is the Derry City chairman.
In comparison, the fan-owned Sligo can only afford to pay players a total of €1.3 million.
As Bohs, another fan-owned club discovered last year and Shels may realise in 2024, it is Rovers’ ability to replace star turns with younger players of similar ability that keeps them clear of the rest.
Take Bradley’s injury-struck panel. They travel to Dalymount without the type of quality most clubs would build a title run upon as Richie Towell, Graham Burke, Lee Grace, Gary O’Neill, Aaron McEneff and Rory Gaffney are unavailable.
Most squads in the League of Ireland would struggle to avoid relegation with that many walking wounded. But here comes the cavalry as Jack Byrne, Neil Farrugia and Markus Poom are all set to return.
“Richie’s not too bad,” said Bradley. “His scan was all clear which is really good, it’s just really inflamed but he’ll be fine, I think maybe 10 days to two weeks.
“All going well today at training we should have Markus Poom, Seán Hoare, Jack Byrne and Neil Farrugia available.
“With Graham Burke, if it was a different stage of the season, we would push him but this is not one we will push, we’ll take our time with Graham and we’ll see for Monday. So it’s a matter of patience with Graham.
“Lee Grace and Gary O’Neill are longer-term ones, I think we’ll see Aaron McEneff fairly soon. Rory Gaffney didn’t feel right against Galway, he’s had an Achilles problem and it flared up. We’ll check on Rory at training and see how he is, but again we’re so early in the season, we won’t take any risk.”
In the meantime, Bradley handed Cory O’Sullivan, John O’Sullivan and Max Kovalevskis debuts in a 4-0 defeat of Drogheda United last Monday.
That result proves that Rovers’ historic campaign, as they seek a fifth league title in a row, is only finding stride. They could prove uncatchable if Byrne and Farrugia regain their usual form during the month of May.
Friday’s Premier Division fixtures (7.45): Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers; Dundalk v Shelbourne; Galway United v Derry City; Sligo Rovers v Waterford; St Patrick’s Athletic v Drogheda United.
Monday’s fixtures (5.0 unless stated): Drogheda United v Dundalk, 1.0; Bohemians v Galway United; Shamrock Rovers v Waterford; Sligo Rovers v St Patrick’s Athletic; Derry City v Shelbourne, 7.45.
