Brandywell king Kenny ready for battle ahead

SITTING in the Maldron Hotel, scene of the launch of the 2009 League of Ireland season and just the length of a kick-out from Shamrock Rovers’ new ground in Tallaght, Derry City supremo Stephen Kenny felt simultaneously at home and something of a stranger in a strange land.

At home, because Tallaght was where he grew up and took his first steps in football management.

“I do know this area well — the (Rovers) pitch itself, I think, was our school pitch,” he recalled. “I was with Tallaght Town as a player-manager with a view to getting Tallaght into the league quite a few years ago. That was my project at the time, then Shamrock Rovers took over that club.