Stephanie Zambra takes over at Shamrock Rovers on interim basis
Zambra, who had been acting as assistant coach, replaces Collie O'Neill who stepped down on Thursday.
O'Neill left with the team in sixth place in the Premier Division, with six games remaining in the season.
Zambra, who also acts as a Republic of Ireland women's development team coach, will be in charge for at least the first of those with Waterford set to visit on Tuesday.
The former Ireland striker was a notable addition for Rovers as they revived a women's team ahead of the 2023 season before announcing her retirement in October 2024.
"Shamrock Rovers F.C. can confirm that current assistant coach, Stephanie Zambra, has been appointed interim Head Coach of our Women's First Team and will prepare the squad for Tuesday's game against Waterford at Tallaght Stadium," the club said.
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Title race isn't run yet, says Rovers boss Stephen Bradley
Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley insists that the SSE Airtricity Premier Division race is still very much alive, despite his side's ten-point lead at the top of the table. Rovers moved ten points clear of second-placed Bohemians at the top of the table courtesy of a 2-0 win over Derry City, who along with Drogheda, trail the Hoops by 11 points. The Candystripes had the better of the first half but came undone on the turnaround with Rory Gaffney notching a brace. Michael Duffy hit the post in the first half but that was as good as things got for Derry who conceded two minutes after half-time and never looked like getting back into the game after Gaffney scored his second goal on 65 minutes. Speaking to RTÉ Sport afterward Bradley was full of praise for his side. "I thought tonight was a proper game, I thought it felt like a proper game. "We both started okay, but they obviously had the Michael Duffy chance off the post. Second half then I thought we completely dominated the game. "The space was there we just weren't seeing in clearly in the first half, second half we did and we were just completely ruthless." The match had the feel of a major milestone on the way to the title but for Bradley, it was just another three points. The Rovers boss spoke of the importance of building up a big lead at the top of the table as his side turn their focus back to Europe and hopefully securing group stage football again. "No, there's a long way to go," he replied when asked if the win over Derry killed off their opponent's title hopes. "There's a lot of games to go. "We won't start calling [the league title]. What we will do is try to extend the lead and that's why tonight's result is so important. "We're going into Europe and we want to be going deep. We want to play Thursday and Sunday and that gets difficult. "The more you can give yourself a buffer, the better. So tonight was important." Rovers now travel to Kosovo for Thursday's Europa Conference Third qualifying round tie with Ballkani and Bradley is hoping that Aaron McEniff will be with them after he was forced of injured against Derry at half-time. " Aaron just felt the back of his hamstring, so we just need to have a look at that," the Rovers boss said. "He said he thinks he got it in time, there wasn't anything really major, but it just felt tight."
Irish Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory Gaffney fires a brilliant brace as Shamrock Rovers go 10 points clear
Rory Gaffney fired Shamrock Rovers into a whopping 10-point lead at the top as the Hoops shredded Derry City's fading title aspirations. The 35-year-old striker has made a habit over the years of delivering big moments, and didn't disappoint here with two second-half goals to sink the Candystripes. Rovers were not at their best in the first-half, but Gaffney took control by making it double figures for the season with strikes in the 47th and 65th minutes. And in doing so, the Hoops took a giant step towards reclaiming the title with a show of strength against a visiting side that finished with 10-men after Alex Bannon saw red. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . Rovers couldn't have asked for a better chain of events over the bank holiday weekend, as they prepare for Thursday's European clash away to Ballkani in Kosovo. Shamrock Rovers Rory Gaffney celebrates scoring the second goal of the game with Lee Grace and Roberto Lopes (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) Second-placed Bohemians sabotaged their own hopes of forcing a title race by losing at the death to Drogheda United on Friday night. And that teed up this game, with Stephen Bradley and his players knowing full well how significant a win would be against a side that hasn't beaten them now in 10 meetings. 'In the second-half we dominated the game,' said Bradley. 'The spaces were there in the first-half but we just didn't see them clearly, but we did in the second half and we were ruthless. 'Rory deserves incredible credit. Last year he had a torrid time with injuries. Coming to pre-season he said 'let me prove that I'm ready to go again'. 'He came in and trained without getting paid and proved that he was ready to go and when you get Rory like he is now, he's unplayable. 'Derry have three big centre-backs and (Mark) Connolly has been around, but Rory had his way with the three of them and he was different class.' But Bradley refused to accept that Rovers are now home and hosed in the title race with just 10 games to go. 'There's a long way to go and another round of matches. We're not calling that. What we do want to do is extend the lead and that's why tonight is so important,' he said. 'We want to go deep in Europe by playing Thursday-Sunday and that can be difficult, so it was important that we gave ourselves a buffer in the league.' Shamrock Rovers' Dan Cleary and Dipo Akinyemi of Derry City (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) The Rovers performance in the second-half was night and day compared to the first, where they allowed Derry the space and time to look the more dangerous side. Michael Duffy had a spark about him in those exchanges and the Derry stalwart had the best chance of the half, cracking the woodwork after 12 minutes. Sadou Diallo spotted Duffy's darting run, clipping a ball over the defence. Duffy took a touch and unleashed on the turn, only to hit the post. Duffy chanced his arm again when he jinked inside Pico Lopes and Dan Cleary before driving a ball towards Ed McGinty's goal, only to see it veer off course. At that stage, Derry had plenty about them going forward and caused problems. Their new full-back Brandon Fleming, snapped up from Hull City, was a handful in particular. The crosses he fizzed into the box from the left were usually on the money, but the big difference was that Derry had no Rory Gaffney-type figure to finish them off. Managers Stephen Bradley and Tiernan Lynch before the game at Tallaght Stadium (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) Rovers closed out the half with another effort, but Brian Maher got behind Danny Mandroiu's free-kick on the edge of the box after Connolly fouled Dylan Watts. But the Hoops made their first chance of the second-half count when Gaffney pounced for the opener, tapping home at close range. Josh Honohan crossed from the left before Adam O'Reilly could shut him down. Jamie Stott was covering the back post, but Gaffney outfoxed him. Connor Malley, snapped up on loan from Sligo Rovers, then crashed a long-range drive off the crossbar on his debut before Honohan flashed a shot across goal. He ought to have scored, having done all the hard work, but that manic, six-minute burst of energy sparked Rovers into life. Not only that, they never looked back as Gaffney doubled his tally and finished the Candystripes off in the 65th minute. Watts sent a ball up the right flank from deep and Gaffney raced onto it. Alex Bannon was covering but Gaffney tied him up in knots before rifling left-footed into the corner. And Bannon's night would go from bad to worse with 11 minutes to go when he was sent off on a second-yellow card to compound Derry's miserable night. SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty 7; Cleary 7 (O'Sullivan 86, 5), Lopes 7, Grace 7; Grant 7 (McGovern 74, 6), Watts 7, Healy 7, Honohan 7; McEneff 6 (Malley 45, 6), Mandroiu 7 (McGovern 74, 6); Gaffney 8 (Noonan 69, 6). DERRY CITY: Maher 6; Bannon 5, Connolly 5, Stott 6; O'Reilly 6, Diallo 6 (R Boyce 85, 5), Winchester 6, Duffy 6 (Doherty 85, 5), Fleming 6; L Boyce 6 (Whyte 63, 6), Akinyemi 6 (Mullen 63, 6). Referee: P McLaughlin MOTM: Rory Gaffney (Shamrock Rovers) Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Irish Times
Rory Gaffney scores twice to send Shamrock Rovers 10 points clear at top of table
Premier Division: Shamrock Rovers 2 (Gaffney 47, 65) Derry City 0 A brace of goals, the second a terrific strike, from in-form Rory Gaffney heaped frustration on Derry City at Tallaght Stadium as Shamrock Rovers edged closer to a fifth title in six years. With 10 games now remaining, Stephen Bradley's side are 10 points clear of second-placed Bohemians and 11 ahead of Derry, who have now not beaten Rovers in 10 games stretching back to March 2023. A record extending 22nd League of Ireland championship is now all but Rovers' to lose. The big result was just the tonic Rovers would have wanted as they now travel to Kosovo to meet FC Ballkani in the first leg of their Conference League third round tie this week. Rovers head coach Bradley rotated his squad once again with five changes from the 0-0 draw with St Joseph's last Thursday. READ MORE And they enjoyed promising early possession here, troubling the Derry defence twice in quick succession nine minutes in. First Gaffney did well to set up ex-Derry midfielder Aaron McEneff who should have done better than shoot over the top. Seconds later, skipper Roberto Lopes's route-one ball over the top dropped for Gaffney who spun visiting captain Mark Connolly, cut across Alex Bannon to rifle narrowly wide. Having survived, Derry, who gave a debut to new signing Jamie Stott in defence, responded to cut Rovers open a trifle too easily on 12 minutes. Sadou Diallo's delightful chip in behind found the clever run of Michael Duffy whose shot beat Ed McGinty with Rovers relieved to see the ball come back off a post. Duffy then skilfully ghosted between Rovers' experienced defenders Lopes and Dan Clary on 28 minutes to shoot wide across goal. And there was another scare for Rovers five minutes before the interval. Duffy again was involved, feeding impressive wingback Brandon Fleming who nipped past Lopes to get his shot away which required a frantic clearance a yard from goal by Lee Grace. Rory Gaffney scores the second goal of the game. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/INPHO Second best in the first half, Rovers came out with added impetus for the restart and were ahead inside two minutes. Danny Mandroiu flicked on Grace's ball down the left for Josh Honohan who skipped away to cross and give Gaffney a simple tap-in. In their groove now, Rovers were close to doubling their lead in the following minutes. Having come in for his debut at half-time, new loan signing Connor Malley shaved the crossbar. Then Honohan really should have scored but contrived to shoot wide dead in front of goal from Mandroiu's cross. Gaffney would make no such mistake on 65 minutes. Powering away down the right on to Dylan Watts' ball, the veteran front-runner cut inside Bannon before driving a shot past Brian Maher to the far corner of the net. It marked the 35-year-old Tuam striker's fifth goal in his last six games; his eighth league goal of the campaign and 10th in total for the season. Derry's bad night in Dublin 24 was compounded on 80 minutes when defender Bannon was dismissed for a foul on Honohan, his second yellow card. St Patrick's Athletic had the ideal fillip ahead of their Conference League meeting with Turkish side Besiktas with a 2-0 away to Waterford to leapfrog them back up to sixth place. Kian Leavy threaded a perfectly weighted through pass for the run of 17-year-old Tottenham-bound Mason Melia who slipped the ball confidently past Stephen McMullan for an 18th minute lead. Substitute Conor Carty sealed the points on 84 minutes when shooting home Brandon Kavanagh's corner. On Saturday, champions Shelbourne warmed up for their Europa League trip to Croatia with a 2-0 win at in-form Sligo Rovers to move to within four points of Bohemians, whom they meet at Tolka Park next Saturday. A fine solo goal from Ali Coote put Joey O'Brien's side into a 47th minute lead. Sean Boyd, who hadn't scored in the league since hitting a brace on the opening night of the campaign, was sprung from the bench to add the second goal on 77 minutes. Sligo finished the game with 10 men after goalkeeper Sam Sargeant was sent off for handling the ball outside his box. Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Cleary (O'Sullivan, 86), Lopes, Grace; Grant (McGovern, 74), McEneff (Malley, h-t), Watts, Healy, Honohan; Mandroiu (Matthews, 74); Gaffney (Noonan, 69) Derry City: Maher; Bannon, Connolly, Stott; O'Reilly, Winchester, Diallo (R. Boyce, 85), Fleming; L. Boyce (Whyte, 63), Duffy (Doherty, 85); Akinyemi (Mullen, 63) Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Dublin) Attendance: 4,577
