Ruesha Littlejohn leaving Shamrock Rovers along with fellow Republic of Ireland star
RUESHA Littlejohn has left Shamrock Rovers after little more than three months.
The Hoops have confirmed that the veteran Ireland international and teenage keeper Katie Keane - who is joining Leicester City - have departed.
Advertisement
2
Littlejohn joined Rovers following the termination of her London City Lionesses contract
2
Keane has won the Women's FAI Cup in 2023 and the Women's Premier Division in 2024 with Athlone Town
Littlejohn, 34, was a
The midfielder won her 91st cap for Ireland as a substitute in their
A Rovers statement said: 'The club and Ruesha had a mutual agreement in place, allowing her to pursue full-time football opportunities outside of Ireland during the July transfer window.'
Whilst Littlejohn has a move lined up, Ireland squad stalwarts Aoife Mannion, Heather Payne, Megan Campbell, Izzy Atkinson and Grace Moloney remain free agents.
Advertisement
Read more on Irish football
Keane joined Rovers at the start of the year. She got her first taste of senior football with Shelbourne and, with Athlone Town, won the FAI Cup in 2023 and League title last season.
The 18-year-old has agreed a three-year deal with Leicester which should strengthen her claims to become a member of Carla Ward's squad having won her first senior call-up in 2022.
Saipan film trailer splits opinion as Irish football fans voice concern about Roy Keane portrayal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Lorcan is the golden boy as Ace AC takes Nationals by storm with medal hat-trick
The outstanding individual performances were handsomely rewarded with one brilliant gold, a silver and a bronze and there were impressive showings from other young athletes. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the hard work that Ace AC's athletes put in, with all athletes under the age of 17 needing to qualify through the highly competitive Leinster Championships. Leading the way was Lorcàn Forde Dunne, who will be hoping to be selected in the coming days for the Ireland team for the European Youth Olympics. He delivered a thrilling performance to claim the U18 3,000m All-Ireland title. The race was split into two heats and that meant that the medallists were decided on times. Lorcàn ran the second heat, knowing exactly what he had to do to secure victory. With a determined group of five athletes breaking away early, Lorcàn picked up the pace with one lap to go and, showing strength and focus, he surged ahead in the final 400m to clinch the gold medal with a fast time of 8:36. This victory secured Lorcàn's second All-Ireland title of the year, following his Indoor 1500m win in March, and the two sensational performances solidify his position as one of Ireland's brightest young distance runners. Minutes after Lorcàn's win, Ace AC turned its focus to Eimear Cooney and she secured a national silver medal in the U19 Girls 3,000m. In a race dominated by Louth based athletes, Cooney fought bravely alongside Dearbhla Allen from the Dromiskin club St Peter's. While Dearbhla pulled away for the win, Eimear maintained a strong position, finishing in second place with a commanding performance. This latest achievement adds to Eimear's already impressive record of national podium finishes, and she continues to be one of the most consistent performers in her age group in Ireland. ADVERTISEMENT One of Ace AC's top field athletes, Jaheim Humphrey, picked up the club's other medal at the championships when he claimed a great bronze in the U17 discus competition. The Leinster champion threw a personal best of 40.19m, securing his first ever National medal. Jaheim, who is relatively new to the event, has shown incredible promise and will undoubtedly continue to rise in the ranks of Irish discus throwers. Outside of the medals, one of the standout stories of the weekend was the performance of Caoimhe Carolan, who became the first young Ace AC girl to qualify for a final at the national level apart from the club's successful group of older, established athletes. In the U13 Girls 600m Caoimhe showed incredible grit to finish just short of her personal best in a time of 1:44.82, securing 12th place in Ireland. Caoimhe has broken new ground for the club and became another role model for younger athletes aspiring to make it to the National stage. Her qualification through the Leinster Championships and her performance in the final is a huge milestone for Ace AC's future. Daniel Hanley has shown serious improvement over the last 12 months and he also represented the club at the Nationals in the U17 Boys 800m, where he ran in the second of two heats. The race was tactical, with athletes bunched together for much of the first 600m before a fast last 200. Daniel fought hard in the final stretch, gaining invaluable experience in what was a really challenging race. Meanwhile away from the National Championships, other Ace AC athletes competed well in the Irish Miler event in Santry on Saturday, with Shea O'Donnell securing a new 1500m PB of 3:53. Sholah Lawrence and Daniele Adebola also both ran very well at the competition.
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Young England footballer to switch International allegiance to Ireland
English born Sligo Rovers star Owen Elding is on the verge of switching his International allegiance to the Republic of Ireland. Elding was born in England but has lived in Ireland since he was 11-years-old. He moved to Ireland with his family when his dad, former striker Anthony Elding, signed for Sligo Rovers. Anthony is something of a legend in Sligo circles as it was his goal that broke Drogheda United's hearts and secured an FAI Cup final win for the Westerners in 2013. Youngster Owen, who is just 19, has been in stunning form for the Bit O'Red this season, notching eight goals in what has been a very impressive campaign in front of goal to date. His latest effort was a wonderful piledriver from 30 yards after a surging run against Bohemians last time out. After the game, Sligo boss John Russell was asked about whether Elding had been approached by the FAI to feature in Ireland's underage set-up. "That's a good question, which you should ask the FAI," said Russell. "I would have flagged this a while back. I think there is stuff going on in the background trying to get him nationalised. "He has been in the country since he was 11 years of age. He was born in England, his dad obviously then having come over here to play. "There is talk in the background and hopefully it can be resolved as he should be in that Under-21 squad. "I think it's paperwork that the FAI have to organise. "I'm led to believe it's close, so I think for everyone it would be good if it happened soon."
The 42
7 hours ago
- The 42
Keenan and Gibson-Park get chance to remind everyone of their class
OWEN FARRELL WAS recently asked to pick out the best current rugby player and having lauded the individual genius of Antoine Dupont and Ardie Savea, he said he really loves players who 'make teams tick.' Players like Jamison Gibson-Park. 'I love watching the way he brings everybody into the game, and constantly making good decisions is what I'm drawn to,' said Farrell on The Big Jim Show. 'I appreciate massively the individual brilliance, but I've got a massive appreciation for people who make everybody else look good.' So does Andy Farrell. The Lions boss truly appreciates the value of Gibson-Park, who will make his Lions debut against the Reds on Wednesday. It would be an exaggeration to say that Farrell unearthed Gibson-Park but he seemed to see a higher potential in him than nearly everyone else. Even if the framing of Farrell's decision to pick Gibson-Park for Ireland when he wasn't first-choice in Leinster somewhat diminishes the credit the scrum-half himself deserves for his improvement, there's no doubt that they have built a brilliant working relationship. Farrell backed Gibson-Park, and Gibson-Park helped Farrell's team to take off. Now, they're hoping to kick it on to another level with the Lions. Farrell has been patient in making sure Gibson-Park is ready to go. His glute injury was managed carefully because the scrum-half looks like being a key figure in the Test series against Australia. As the unfortunate Tomos Williams' tour ends due to injury, Gibson-Park is ready to belatedly kick his off. Ben White has joined the Lions squad in Williams' place and Alex Mitchell is a fine player, but Gibson-Park is the clear front-runner for the number nine shirt in the Tests. Gibson-Park is the clear frontrunner at nine. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Indeed, his halfback pairing with Finn Russell on Wednesday has the bang of a Test combination about it, all the more so given that this will be Russell's second start at out-half in five days. Gibson-Park and Russell have never played together, so they need to get rolling. Wednesday could be one of just two matches as a pairing ahead of the first Test if they're Farrell's preferred duo. Russell looked comfortable steering the ship against the Force in Perth on Saturday, impressing with his decision-making, kicking, and tackling. Now, it's Gibson-Park's chance to show that he's top dog. His ability to pick out a wide variety of passes is one of his superpowers. The Irish scrum-half has been a leader in terms of firing flat, fizzing passes across the face of defenders into blind spots on their outside. Advertisement He is a master of exploiting the shortside, regularly darting back there after his teams have played away from the touchline and taking advantage of any overeager or lazy defence. Gibson-Park's kicking game has improved out of sight in the last five years, while his pace and appetite for getting stuck in have also made him a strong defender. He ticks all the boxes as a scrum-half and now just needs to get rhythm back in his game as he plays for the first time in three-and-a-half weeks. Hugo Keenan hasn't played for even longer due to a calf injury, his last appearance coming back on 31 May in the URC quarter-finals. It has been frustrating for Keenan waiting for his Lions debut, but he knows Farrell loves what he brings at fullback. Recent form is important on these tours, but Keenan's body of work over the last few years gives him a big chance to start the Lions Tests at fullback. James Ryan will get up and running off the bench. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO The excitement of the warm-up games can sometimes lead to performances against relatively weak opposition being slightly overweighted, even if it is paramount that perceived Test starters still show their class in those build-up matches. It was telling that Farrell picked out Mack Hansen's moment of huge work-rate as the play of the day in the Lions' win over the Force. That's the kind of stuff Keenan specialises in, along with his strong kicking game, superb aerial skills, quality in contact, and extremely low error count. Blair Kinghorn is belatedly on his way to Australia, having won the Top 14 with Toulouse, and he is a more electrifying attacking player than Keenan, yet there is more to elite fullback play than that ability to create magic. There is a battle for Keenan, with England's experienced, balanced Elliot Daly also in the mix and Marcus Smith having played at fullback in the Argentina game, but the Irish number 15 must be backing himself to win out. Joining Gibson-Park and Keenan in returning from injury in Brisbane is the experienced lock James Ryan, who was hurt in the URC final. The 28-year-old is an ultra-aggressive presence whose ball-carrying has hit a peak this season, while he is also a strong lineout operator. Leinster and Ireland tend to have their best days when Ryan is fit and firing. He should not be discounted from the Lions Test squad mix, even with plenty of quality in the second row crop.
