Paul Fennessy reports from Tallaght Stadium

SHAMROCK ROVERS are raring to go in the Uefa Conference League against Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow after taking a brief break following their FAI Cup final triumph on 9 November.

Rory Gaffney was the hero that day, netting a brace, and while some Hoops players took advantage of this short interlude by going on holiday, the 36-year-old was focused solely on recuperation and watching the Cork City win back with his two-year-old son.

“We had a nice celebration after the cup final, and a lot of lads went on holiday the following day,” he said.

“So I spent a nice week at home, chilled out, and reflected on the game. The young lad is watching YouTube highlights now, so I’ve watched the highlights [of the FAI Cup final] back probably 50 times.

“I haven’t had a chance to sit down and watch the full 90 minutes. I suppose we were back in training and getting ready for the game tomorrow.”

Danny Mandroiu is set to be a long-term absentee for Rovers, having suffered an ACL injury in the cup final, while Aaron McEneff will miss tomorrow’s match after picking up a knock in training.

Full-back Josh Honohan, meanwhile, is touch and go as to whether he will play.

“We’re all devastated for Danny,” Rovers boss Stephen Bradley said. “I think it was clear to see he was getting back to nearly his best form. He was slowly but surely getting there, and then when he went down in the final, you knew it was bad. Danny’s not the type to stay down. He gets kicked most weeks and gets up.

“I had a chat with him this morning, and he’ll be fine. He’ll come back stronger.”

Bradley added that he hadn’t had much time to switch off and reflect on the double triumph as he aims to help Rovers end 2025 with a flourish.

The Hoops have just one point from their opening three games, but Bradley feels seven should be enough to progress to the Conference League knockout stages.

So with the fixtures remaining against Shakhtar, Breiðablik, and Hamrun Spartans, the Premier Division champions’ fate is still in their hands.

The match against the Ukrainians tomorrow is ostensibly the toughest of the three, however.

“These are the best team we’ve played this year, there’s no doubt,” Bradley said. “In Europe, a lot of teams we’ve played have a way of beating you, or trying to beat you, and these have different ways of trying to win games, and they’re good at it.

“They’ve obviously invested heavily, and they’re a big club; their European pedigree speaks for itself. They’re the best we’ve played this year, but that’s why we’re here, that’s what we want to be part of.

“We want to challenge ourselves against that level, and it’s one you have to look forward to as a group. We’re well used to playing big teams, and tomorrow we believe if we’re at our best, anything can happen in this stadium.”

Close to 9,000 tickets have been sold for the game. The two biggest attendances the Hoops have had in Europe in recent years were in the region of 9,500 against Sparta Prague last year and Molde in February, and they are expecting to get close to that figure again for their penultimate home tie in the league phase, with the game also likely to attract interest from Irish-based Ukrainians as well as the club’s hardcore fanbase.

“European nights can be really special in this stadium, we know that,” added Bradley. “We’ve seen that many times throughout the years, and hopefully tomorrow night we can have another special night.

“The disadvantage we have of going this far in competition, which we’ve seen before, is no competitive league games. That’s obviously a disadvantage going into the level of opposition that we’re playing, but it is what it is. We’ve dealt with it in the past, and I’m sure we’ll be fine.”