RTÉ Soccer Podcast: Shelbourne v Linfield, delightful Derry and Euro 2025 takeaways
TIMESTAMPS
00:40 Rachel gives her take on the opening round of games at Euro 2025 and the pivotal matches over the coming days.
14:00 Rachel talks the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup action from the weekend and the upcoming fixtures in the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division and Sports Direct Women's FAI Cup/
19:15 Richie and Paul discuss any interest that came their way from clubs outside of Ireland and the UK after Callum O'Dowda signed for Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros and amid reports that Mikey Johnston's mooted switch to Brazilian giants Flamengo is off.
23:20 Paul and Richie preview Shelbourne's Champions League first qualifying round first leg against Linfield which will be live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player this Wednesday, as well as St Patrick's Athletic's Conference League tie with Lithuanian side FC Hegelmann.
36:35 Richie and Paul review the latest action from the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division including Derry City's continued good form and Sligo Rovers' point against Shamrock Rovers.
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RTÉ documentary highlights how Irish football's biggest issue doesn't discriminate
THE CLUE IS in the name, of course, and Football Families really does portray a vivid picture of the contrasts practically every club in the country can relate to. The first episode of the three-part documentary that focuses on Shelbourne's League of Ireland academy aired on RTÉ 2 last night, and within 15 minutes we meet three players from the different age groups, and backgrounds. Jayden Marshall is an U15 defender on the cusp of making his Republic of Ireland debut. His proud father stands with the family's Jack Russell under his arm and welcomes us into their new home in Fettercairn, an estate in Tallaght that is only a cartwheel celebration away from where Robbie Keane grew up. It remains one of the most disadvantaged areas in Dublin. It is the new family home because the one Jayden grew up in burned down. 'Thank God the kids were all at school,' his father says. 'Jayden has a heart of gold, I'd be lost without him.' Jayden's dad tells the story of when he arrived at the scene and the fire brigade asked what heirloom or memento would he like to be salvaged. He chose his eldest son's first international jersey, and it hangs above him framed on the wall as he stands 10 foot tall in his kitchen for Amhran na bhFiann as Jayden prepares to follow in his brother's footsteps by playing for Ireland. Then we get the first sight of the boy known locally around Howth as 'the kid with the football', juggling the ball out of his school and along the manicured hedges of an area that is one of the most affluent. Advertisement Cillian O'Sullivan is 15 but looks and sounds about 10. Then you see how he controls the ball, moves his feet and swivels his hips. He is a player, and someone who caught the eye of Damien Duff early in his reign as first-team Shelbourne boss. The Republic of Ireland legend has since departed the club but one of his contributions to this documentary was citing how O'Sullivan reminded him so much of himself, and his own love and dedication to the game. 'Enough is never enough,' Duff says. 'I think footballers across the board, not just in our academy, they think they're doing enough. They're not. Street football is dead, trying to hit lamp posts, trying to hit a sign on a wall, dribbling in and out of cars. That's all I did. The first time it properly hit home with me, I decided to take a training session and I just saw this little figure over in the corner, nobody else there. I walked over to him and it was Cillian. 'He was kicking the ball against the kerb. I think he was wearing a short sleeved t-shirt and shorts, I'm there with about 20 layers on. Even the game that he's playing just reminded me of my youth. He had a kerb, he had a ball. That's him. For me, the secret, that's what it takes. Always practicing.' Like Jayden, we are welcomed in by the family to their Georgian style home, and while it's not hard to see the differences in demographics their passion and desire is a shared bond. Cillian has already needed two ankle surgeries before his 16th birthday but retains a determination to make a career for himself in the game. While his technical ability is clear he is a late developer compared to his teammates, and his seems like a story as old as time – the small, gifted player with a ball at his feet who struggles with the physicality of boys his age. And that's a point Shels academy boss Colm Barron touches on later, explaining how the aim should be to develop those kids so they're capable of getting into the first team – and beyond – rather than hitting their peak at 14 and 15 before they plateau. Teenagers Dan Ring and Ali Topcu were both part of the matchday squad for Shelbourne's Champions League qualifier away to Qarabag in Azerbaijan on Wednesday evening. 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Tottenham eye Bayern star, Forest sign Swiss winger for €39 million
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