# 2023 Shamrock Rovers F.C. season

The 2023 Shamrock Rovers F.C. season started on 4 February when Shamrock Rovers defeated University College Dublin in the Leinster Senior Cup. Shamrock Rovers were knocked–out of the UEFA Champions League on 18 July in the first qualifying round, knocked–out of the FAI Cup on 23 July in the first round, and knocked–out of the UEFA Europa Conference League on 3 August in the second qualifying round. Shamrock Rovers had won the previous three Premier Division championships coming into the 2023 season (2020, 2021, and 2022).

## Competitions
### Premier Division
#### Premier Division review
##### February

Shamrock Rovers first league match happened on 18 February against Sligo Rovers The match took place at The Showgrounds in Sligo in front of 4,248 supporters. The match finished in a 1–1 draw. Graham Burke scored for Shamrock Rovers and Lukas Browning-Lagerfeldt for Sligo Rovers. Roberto Lopes was sent–off during the match. Shamrock Rovers next match was against Drogheda United at Weavers Park in Drogheda in front of 2,182 supporters. The match finished in a 1–1 draw. Graham Burke scored for Shamrock Rovers and Ryan Brennan scored for Drogheda United. Lee Grace and Daniel Cleary were sent–off during the match.

##### March

Shamrock Rovers faced Derry City on 3 March at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 7,626 supporters. Derry City won the match 2–1. Johnny Kenny scored for Shamrock Rovers and Ben Doherty and Jamie McGonigle scored for Derry City. Shamrock Rovers faced Cork City on 6 March at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 4,028 supporters. The match finished in a 4–4 draw. Rory Gaffney, Lee Grace, Simon Power, and Seán Hoare scored for Shamrock Rovers. Cork City got two goals from Darragh Crowley and got a goal each from Ruairí Keating and Kevin Čustović. Shamrock Rovers faced Shelbourne on 10 March at Tolka Park in Drumcondra, a suburb or Dublin in front of 4,378 supporters. The match finished in a 0–0 draw. Shamrock Rovers faced St Patrick's Athletic on 17 March at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 7,674 supporters. The match finished in a 2–2 draw. Richie Towell and Jack Byrne scored for Shamrock Rovers. Eoin Doyle and Jake Mulraney scored for St Patrick's Athletic. Shamrock Rovers faced Dundalk on 31 March at Oriel Park in Dundalk in front of 3,761. Shamrock Rovers won 4–0 with goals from Rory Gaffney, Lee Grace, Johnny Kenny, and Graham Burke. This was Shamrock Rovers first win of the season.

##### April

Shamrock Rovers took on Bohemians on 7 April at Dalymount Park in Dublin in front of 4,290 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 2–0 with goals from Neil Farrugia and Rory Gaffney. Shamrock Rovers faced University College Dublin on 10 April at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 4,012 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 3–0 with two goals from Graham Burke and a goal from Jack Byrne. Shamrock Rovers faced Shelbourne on 14 April at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 6,835 supporters. The match finished in a 2–2 draw. Graham Burke and Roberto Lopes scored for Shamrock Rovers. Shelbourne got goals from an own goal from Graham Burke and a goal from Matty Smith. Shamrock Rovers faced St. Patrick's Athletic on 21 April at Richmond Park in Dublin in front of 5,,011 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 2–0 with goals from Johnny Kenny and Trevor Clarke. Shamrock Rovers faced Sligo Rovers on 28 April at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 5,512 supporters.

##### May

Shamrock Rovers started May with a match against Derry City. The match took place on 1 May at Brandywell Stadium in Derry, Northern Ireland in front of 3,700 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 2–0 with goals from Richie Towell and Jack Byrne. Goalkeeper Alan Mannus, who went off injured, was replaced by Leon Pöhls. On 5 May, Shamrock Rovers were at home to Bohemians in front of 7,864 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 2–0 with goals from Trevor Clarke and Rory Gaffney. On 12 May, Shamrock Rovers faced University College Dublin at the UCD Bowl in Dublin in front of 1,673 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 3–0 with goals from Trevor Clarke and Aaron Greene and an own goal from Adam Wells. On 19 May, Shamrock Rovers faced St. Patrick's Athletic at home at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 6,212 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won the match 3–2. Shamrock Rovers got a goal from Lee Grace and two goals from Richie Towell, including one from a penalty kick. Shamrock Rovers lost their next two matches. They had been on a 13–match undefeated streak. The two losses came against Drogheda United in Dublin, who won 3–2, and Cork City, who won 1–0. Richie Towell, Johnny Kenny, and Seán Hoare were all sent–off during the match against Cork City.

##### June

On 2 June, Shamrock Rovers faced Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 5,602 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 2–0 with two goals from Aaron Greene. Ronan Finn was sent–off during the match. On 5 June, Shamrock Rovers face Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds in Sligo in front of 2,587 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 3–0 with two goals from Rory Gaffney and a goal from Aaron Greene. On 9 June, Shamrock Rovers faced University College Dublin at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 5,782 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 4–0 with an own goal from Harvey O'Brien and goals from Jack Byrne, Graham Burke, and Kieran Cruise. On 26 June, Shamrock Rovers faced Bohemians at Dalymount Park in Dublin in front of 4,370 supporters. The match finished in a 2–2 draw. Neil Farrugia and Markus Poom scored for Shamrock Rovers and Jonathan Afolabi and James Clarke scored for Bohemians. Shamrock Rovers faced Derry City on 26 June at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 5,824 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won 1–0 with a goal from Rory Gaffney. Shamrock Rovers finished June with a 2–0 loss to Dundalk. Louie Annesley and Patrick Hoban scored for Dundalk.

##### July

Shamrock Rovers had only one league match in July. The match was against Drogheda United on 7 July at Weavers Park in Drogheda in front of 2,284 supporters. The match finished in a 0–0 draw. The rest of July included matches in the FAI Cup, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa Conference League.

##### August

Shamrock Rover league campaign continued in August when they faced Cork City at Tallaght Stadium on 6 August in front of 3,419 supporters. Shamrock Rovers won the match 2–1. Graham Burke and Liam Burt scored for Shamrock Rovers and Barry Coffey scored for Cork City. On 11 August, Shamrock Rovers faced Shelbourne at Tolka Park in Drumcondra in front of 4,250 supporters. The match finished in a 1–1 draw. Markus Poom scored for Shamrock Rovers and Gavin Molloy scored for Shelbourne.After the match, Aaron Greene was restrained by teammates after comments were directed at him by a supporter. Shamrock Rovers finished August with a 1–0 win against Dundalk. The match took place on 25 August at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 6,021 supporters.

##### September

Shamrock Rovers started September with a 3–0 win against Bohemians. The match took place on 1 September at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 7,816 supporters. Lee Grace, Ronan Finn, and Neil Farrugia scored for Shamrock Rovers. On 15 September, Shamrock Rovers faced Derry City at Brandywell Stadium in Derry in front of 3,435 supporters. Shamrock Rovers got their goal from Graham Burke from a penalty kick and Cameron McJannett scored for Derry City. On 22 September, Shamrock Rovers faced University College Dublin at UCD Bowl in Dublin in front of 1,615 supporters. The match finished in a 0–0 draw. The draw meant Shamrock Rovers extended their lead over Derry City at the top of the table and University College Dublin confirmed their relegation to the 2024 LOI First Division. Shamrock Rovers finished September with a 1–0 win against Shelbourne. The match took place on 29 September at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin in front of 7,879 supporters. Graham Burke scored the only goal of the match then was sent–off after receiving a second yellow card "moments after putting his side ahead". The three previous matches against Shelbourne in 2023 had been draws.

##### October and November

Shamrock Rovers started October with a match against Drogheda United on 22 October. The match took place at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Shamrock Rovers won the match 5–0 with goals from Trevor Clarke, Richie Towell, Neil Farrugia, and Markus Poom. Shamrock Rovers played St. Patrick's Athletic on 27 October, came away with a 2–0 win, which was enough to clinch them their 4th Premier Division title in a row. Goals from Aaron Greene and Graham Burke won it on the night. Shamrock Rovers finished October with a 0–0 draw against Cork City. On 3 November, Shamrock Rovers finished the 2023 season with a 4–2 win against Sligo Rovers in front of 8,021 supporters. Shamrock Rovers got two goals from Dylan Watts and a goal each from Graham Burke and Aaron Greene. Kailin Barlow and Fabrice Hartmann scored for Sligo Rovers.

#### Premier Division results

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Results F–A | Shamrock Rover goalscorers | Attendance |
| 19 February | Sligo Rovers | The Showgrounds | 1–1 | Burke | 4,248 |
| 24 February | Drogheda United | Weavers Park | 1–1 | Burke | 2,182 |
| 3 March | Derry City | Tallaght Stadium | 1–2 | Kenny | 7,626 |
| 6 March | Cork City | Tallaght Stadium | 4–4 | Gaffney, Grace, Power, Hoare | 4,028 |
| 10 March | Shelbourne | Tolka Park | 0–0 | — | 4,371 |
| 17 March | St Patrick's Athletic | Tallaght Stadium | 2–2 | Towell, Byrne | 7,674 |
| 31 March | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 4–0 | Gaffney, Grace, Kenny, Burke | 3,761 |
| 7 April | Bohemians | Dalymount Park | 2–0 | Farrugia, Gaffney | 4,290 |
| 10 April | University College Dublin | Tallaght Stadium | 3–0 | Burke (2), Byrne | 4,012 |
| 14 April | Shelbourne | Tallaght Stadium | 2–2 | Burke, Lopes | 6,835 |
| 21 April | St. Patrick's Athletic | Richmond Park | 2–0 | Clarke, Kenny | 5,011 |
| 28 April | Sligo Rovers | Tallaght Stadium | 2–1 | Kenny, Clarke | 5,512 |
| 1 May | Derry City | Brandywell Stadium | 2–0 | Towell, Byrne | 3,700 |
| 5 May | Bohemians | Tallaght Stadium | 2–0 | Clarke, Byrne | 7,864 |
| 12 May | University College Dublin | UCD Bowl | 3–0 | Clarke, Greene, Wells (O.G.) | 1,673 |
| 15 May | St. Patrick's Athletic | Tallaght Stadium | 3–2 | Grace, Towell (2, Pen.) | 6,212 |
| 19 May | Drogheda United | Tallaght Stadium | 1–2 | Gaffney | 5,157 |
| 26 May | Cork City | Turners Cross | 0–1 | — | 4,240 |
| 2 June | Dundalk | Tallaght Stadium | 2–0 | Greene (2) | 5,602 |
| 5 June | Sligo Rovers | The Showgrounds | 3–0 | Gaffney (2), Greene | 2,587 |
| 9 June | University College Dublin | Tallaght Stadium | 4–0 | O'Brien (O.G.), Byrne, Burke, Cruise | 5,782 |
| 23 June | Bohemians | Dalymount Park | 2–2 | Farrugia, Poom | 4,370 |
| 26 June | Derry City | Tallaght Stadium | 1–0 | Gaffney | 5,824 |
| 30 June | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 0–2 | — | 3,156 |
| 7 July | Drogheda United | Weavers Park | 0–0 | — | 2,284 |
| 6 August | Cork City | Tallaght Stadium | 2–1 | Burke, Burt | 3,419 |
| 11 August | Shelbourne | Tolka Park | 1–1 | Poom | 4,250 |
| 25 August | Dundalk | Tallaght Stadium | 1–0 | Lopes | 6,021 |
| 1 September | Bohemians | Tallaght Stadium | 3–0 | Grace, Finn, Farrugia | 7,816 |
| 15 September | Derry City | Brandywell Stadium | 1–1 | Burke (Pen.) | 3,435 |
| 22 September | University College Dublin | UCD Bowl | 0–0 | — | 1,615 |
| 29 September | Shelbourne | Tallaght Stadium | 1–0 | Burke | 7,879 |
| 22 October | Drogheda United | Tallaght Stadium | 5–0 | Clarke, Towell, Kenny, Farrugia, Poom | 4,672 |
| 27 October | St. Patrick's Athletic | Richmond Park | 2–0 | Greene, Burke | 5,022 |
| 30 October | Cork City | Turners Cross | 0–0 | — | |
| 3 November | Sligo Rovers | Tallaght Stadium | 4–2 | Burke, Watts (2), Greene | 8,021 |

#### Premier Division table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Shamrock Rovers (C) | 36 | 20 | 12 | 4 | 67 | 27 | +40 | 72 | Qualification to Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Derry City | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 57 | 24 | +33 | 65 | Qualification to Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | St Patrick's Athletic | 36 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 59 | 42 | +17 | 62 | Qualification to Conference League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Shelbourne | 36 | 15 | 15 | 6 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 60 | Qualification to Conference League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Dundalk | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 59 | 44 | +15 | 58 | |
* ↑ The 2023 FAI Cup winners qualified for the Conference League second qualifying round. Since the cup winners (St Patrick's Athletic) qualified based on league position, the second Conference League first qualifying round spot was passed to the fourth-placed team.

#### Results overview

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 3 November 2023. Source: Premier Division results

### FAI Cup
#### FAI Cup review

Shamrock Rovers entered the first round of the 2023 FAI Cup. They faced Dundalk in the first round on 23 July 2023 at Oriel Park in Dundalk. Dundalk won the match 1–0 with a goal from Hayden Muller. Rory Gaffney left the match after five minutes due to injury.

#### FAI Cup results

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Shamrock Rovers goalscorers | Attendance | Ref. |
| 23 July | 1 | Dundalk | Oriel Park | 0–1 | — | 2,686 | |

### President's Cup
#### President's Cup review

The 2023 President's Cup took place on 10 February 2023 at Brandywell Stadium in Derry, Northern Ireland. Derry City won 2–0 with goals from Will Patching and Michael Duffy.

#### President's cup result

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Shamrock Rovers goalscorers | Ref. |
| 10 February | Derry City | Brandywell Stadium | 0–2 | — | |

### Leinster Senior Cup
#### Leinster Senior Cup review

Shamrock Rovers participated in the 2022–23 Leinster Senior Cup. On 4 February, Shamrock Rovers defeated University College Dublin 4–1. On 13 March, Shamrock Rovers lost to Bray Wanderers 2–1. The match took place at the Carlisle Grounds in Bray in front of 1,172 supporters. Justin Ferizaj scored for Shamrock Rovers. Bray wanderers got goals from Conor Davis, who scored from a penalty kick, and Joseph Power.

#### Leinster Senior Cup results

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Goalscorers | Attendance | Ref. |
| 4 February | 4 | University College Dublin | Tallaght Stadium | 4–1 | | | |
| 13 March | QF | Bray Wanderers | Carlisle Grounds | 1–2 | Ferizaj | 1,172 | |

### Europe
#### Europe review

As the 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division champions, Shamrock Rovers qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League. They faced Breiðablik in the first qualifying round. Breiðablik won both legs of the tie, 1–0 in the first leg and 2–1 in the second leg. Shamrock Rovers entered the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League after getting eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. They faced Ferencváros in the second qualifying round. Shamrock Rovers lost the first leg 4–0 and lost the second leg 2–0.

#### Europe results
##### UEFA Champions League results

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Shamrock Rovers goalscorers | Attendance | Ref. |
| 11 July | 1st QR – FL | Breiðablik | Tallaght Stadium | 0–1 | — | 7,216 | |
| 18 July | 1st QR – SL | Breiðablik | Kópavogsvöllur | 1–2 1–3 (Agg.) | Burke (Pen) | 1,320 | |

##### UEFA Europa Conference League results

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Shamrock Rovers goalscorers | Attendance | Ref. |
| 27 July | 2nd QR – FL | Ferencváros | Groupama Aréna | 0–4 | — | 10,735 | |
| 3 August | 2nd QR – SL | Ferencváros | Tallaght Stadium | 0–2 0–6 (Agg.) | — | 3,737 | |

### Overall record

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| LOI Premier Division | 17 February 2023 | 3 November 2023 | Matchday 1 | Champions | 36 | 20 | 12 | 4 | 67 | 27 | +40 | 055.56 |
| FAI Cup | 23 July 2023 | 23 July 2023 | First round | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 000.00 |
| President's Cup | 10 February 2023 | 10 February 2023 | Final | Runner–up | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 |
| Leinster Senior Cup | 4 February 2023 | 13 March 2023 | Fourth round | Quarter–finals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 050.00 |
| UEFA Champions League | 11 July 2023 | 18 July 2023 | First qualifying round | First qualifying round | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 000.00 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 27 July 2023 | 3 August 2023 | Second qualifying round | Second qualifying round | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 000.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 44 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 73 | 42 | +31 | 047.73 |
Source: Competitions

## Roster and statistics
### Roster and statistics
#### Roster, appearances, and goals

    As of match played 22 September 2023

#### Own goals

Own goals by Shamrock Rovers players :
| No. | Player | Competition | Opponent | Final score | Ref. |
| 1 | Graham Burke | LOI Premier Division | Shelbourne | 2–2 | |
Own goals by opposing players :
| No. | Player | Competition | Team | Final score | Ref. |
| 1 | Adam Wells | LOI Premier Division | University College Dublin | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Harvey O'Brien | LOI Premier Division | University College Dublin | 4–0 | |