John Fallon: Belt up for the belated rush of Irish football activity

Peamount and UCD fly European flag for Irish while Cork City take to the stage in Podcast festival.

ONLY WAY IS UP: Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson with members of the media, from left, John Fallon of The Irish Examiner, Philip Quinn of The Irish Daily Mail and Tony O'Donoghue of RTÉ. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

AS whatever heat the summer generated fades, the Irish football year is only starting to warm up.

Non-qualification in a tournament year relegates a national team’s role to that of supporting cast for friendly opposition. Combined with the gap year for the women’s and U21 Euros, it contributes to the sense of slowness.

Fear not, for the tempo is about to accelerate in the final third of 2024. There’s a series of factors as to why this year was backloaded, but what’s certain is a packed itinerary of meaningful events between now and Christmas.

Here are the precise reasons why the country’s biggest participative sports ought to capture the public attention.

Men’s team: Nations League and World Cup draw

Saturday begins the real business and what a game to kick off a blitz of six Uefa Nations League matches.

England in Dublin, laced with manager Lee Carsley along with playmakers Jack Grealish and Declan Rice, is an appetising prospect for an early kick-off.

A first home competitive match against Auld Enemy since 1990 is courting the limelight, yet the results against Greece and Finland are more likely to be relevant in determining Ireland’s seeding for the World Cup draw.

That’s scheduled for early December, with a third pot in a four-team pool the likeliest outcome.

Women’s team: Euro play-offs loom

After winning all six of their Uefa Nations League B series, it was heading for the opposite record in the higher tier until a memorable July night in Páirc Uí Chaoímh.

That 3-1 win over a talented but understrength France team was timely for confidence levels in the context of what awaits the team later this year.

Ireland, under new manager Eileen Gleeson, were assured of a play-off route ahead of this year’s gruelling tests against England, Sweden, and the French.

Now they must overcome opposition from League C, first, Georgia, in October before squaring up against either Wales or Slovakia in the final. That’s their window to a first-ever European Championship in Switzerland next year, augmenting the World Cup they reached in 2023.

U21s: Four games — possibly six — to smash a tournament watershed

History can also beckon for Jim Crawford’s developing group in the form of breaking their qualification hoodoo. Based on their current place of second in the group, a play-off is guaranteed for the finals in Slovenia next year but they’ve three other contenders, Turkey, Norway, and leaders Italy, to face up to October 15 in pursuit of a direct place.

They take a temporary break from Turner’s Cross to host Latvia at Tallaght next Tuesday, after they return from Friday’s clash in Istanbul, but Cork will be rocking for the visit of the Norwegians on October 11. Trieste four days later might be staging the group decider.

Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Funding (LSSIF) announcement

Football’s status as the poor relation of Irish sport, when it comes to investment in facilities, could start to be reversed when the Government disburses their major grants.

That is pencilled in for the third week of this month and League of Ireland clubs will be watching more in expectation than hope.

Bohemians, Drogheda United, Galway United, Shelbourne, Sligo Rovers, Treaty United, and Wexford have all applied — vying for €86.2m of their estimated cumulative project cost of €140m.

Yet even if the initially allocated pot of €120m is expanded, political realities are sure to influence the distribution being shared proportionately to competing codes GAA and rugby.

As Finn Harps have discovered about their stadium project though, state investment isn’t a silver bullet. Private fundraising is essential.

Closest Premier Division race in years

Sunday’s defeat to fierce rivals Bohemians all but ended the quest of Shamrock Rovers to complete an unprecedented five-in-a-row.

In their place has emerged a rivalry between Shelbourne and Derry City which has the potential to be settled at the Ryan McBride Brandywell on the November 1 final day meeting.

Damien Duff’s spearheading of the Shels tilt, particularly for a team which edged fourth last year, has enhanced the allure of their quest. His periodic soundbites have offered a different and respected complexion to various topics of national interest and have a wider audience rooting for a Cinderella story.

Cork City’s promotion party

When Cork City were last relegated from the Premier Division, back in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, it took two years for a return to be navigated.

No such delay was encountered this time, the team under Tim Clancy’s management leading from the front, losing just one of their 29 league games.

Victory in the 30th at UCD on Friday will seal the deal with six games to go. That will only form part of their work, for strengthening is an exercise not easily perfected. Seani Maguire and Ruairi Keating were a marquee pairing signed in the summer window to set the tone. Manager Tim Clancy insists he’s sticking around too.

FAI Cup final cemented as the national centrepiece

A double is still possible for either Derry City or Shelbourne, who meet in next week’s quarter-final, but there’s an equal presence of First Division clubs among the last eight.

Regardless of which two teams progress to the decider on Sunday, November 10, all resources should be channelled into ensuring the bumper attendance of last year, a century peak of 43,881, is maintained.

Rovers’ Conference League knockout stage tilt

Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 16 stood out among the fixtures last Friday’s Uefa draw produced for the Hoops in the league phase, but there’s a realistic opportunity to have nailed their place in the playoffs for the knockout stage by then.

Stephen Bradley’s side will view Larne and New Saints from neighbouring Northern Ireland and Wales as winnable games. Anything off APOEL, Rapid Vienna, or Chelsea is bonus territory.

Peamount and UCD fly European flag for Irish

One Irish team has progressed in Europe and Peamount found United can replicate it if they can emerge from their mini-group this week.

Uefa's Women's Champions League is based on four-team mini-groups, with the League of Ireland title holders facing Belarusian outfit FC Dinamo-BSUPC in their semi-final on Wednesday morning.

Should they prevail at the Stadion Gradski in Osijek, Croatia, they'll meet the victor of the other semi played later, between ZNK Osijek (Croatia) and Spartak Myjava (Slovakia). That showdown on Saturday will decide who progresses to the group stage.

Back in 2011, when managed by current Ireland boss Eileen Gleeson and Louise Quinn was captain, Peas faced the mighty PSG. Although their title defence is faltering, James O'Callaghan possesses the talent, led by skipper Karen Duggan and gilded by Jess Fitzgerald, to prosper in Europe.

Also set for the European club stage are UCD in the men's Uefa Youth Champions League. An improvement in the league's coefficient earned Ireland a route back into the competition and the Students are the representatives. Formerly the U19 champions won the right to compete – causing several players to grow overage – and the change to U20 format convinced the FAI to send their U17 national champions into action.

Yesterday's draw at Uefa headquarters pitted them against Norwegian side Stjarnan.

Cork City take to the stage in Podcast festival

Cork’s Podcast Festival starting today will feature a football theme with a special ‘Rebel Army Podcast’ show at the Opera House tomorrow celebrating the 40th anniversary of Cork City FC.

Hosts Aaron Howey and Stephen Ryan have assembled an array of guests from over the club’s decorated history, starting with Stuart Ashton who was part of the first City team in 1984.

Also on stage for the event will be former club legends Dave Barry and John Caulfield, who both went on to manage the club, the latter to the 2017 double.

Gearoid Morrissey was part of that squad and will be along, as will former teammate Alan Bennett. He was also on the 2005 title-winning team before spending four years on the English circuit.

Sure to regale the crowd with a deluge of stories is Pat Dolan, the manager between 2003-2005 who was credited with introducing the nickname Rebel Army.

That moniker endures today, illustrated by the Podcast title and the brand of kit Cork City intend using next year in succession to Adidas.

Tickets are available at €25 for what promises to be an evening of nostalgia and entertainment.

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