Village voices
Kester Eddy visits little Zavrč, due to host Slovenian champions Maribor on Saturday as part of a remarkable third campaign in the top flight. Zavrč are surely the most unlikely top-flight club in any European league. On Saturday, for the third season running, current Slovenian champions and regular European competitors Maribor will fulfill a fixture in […]
Charity begins at home
In this era of mercenary millionaire footballers, Republic of Ireland legend Damien Duff has declared that ‘every penny’ he earns from his 18-month contract with Shamrock Rovers will go towards children’s charities. Peter Doyle reports. This Saturday, Shamrock Rovers host Ireland’s oldest club, Bohemians, celebrating their 125th birthday this weekend. The rivalry between Ireland’s most […]
Bring on United
This Monday, fan-run FC United of Manchester host Curzon Ashton at their new Broadhurst Park ground. There’s more involved than three points in the newly branded National League North, as Howard Hockin and Tony Dawber explain. As a Bank Holiday fixture, it couldn’t be more fitting. This Monday, FC United of Manchester host fellow new arrivals […]
The return of the Las Palmas 7
Top-flight football is back in the Canary Islands. Peterjon Cresswell visits Las Palmas, soon to host its first fixture in La Liga for 13 years and proud to honour its football history. On Sunday, in the out-of-town commercial zone of 7 Palmas, the Estadio Gran Canaria hosts its first fixture in Spain’s La Liga. The […]
Thank God it’s Derry
Derry City have bounced back from severe adversity on several occasions. Now, with a new stadium under construction, there’s another spanner in the works: Friday-night Premier League football, as Peter Doyle reports. At Derry City’s Brandywell Stadium, ‘Teenage Kicks’ by local heroes the Undertones is blasted out to stir the passions before kick-off. It’s a […]
Greek bail-out for Limerick?
Three years after bringing over two CSKA Moscow players to boost a promotion bid, Limerick chairman Pat O’Sullivan is now looking to austerity-hit Greece to stave off relegation, writes Peter Doyle. ‘In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognise the opportunity,’ said the former freeman of Limerick, John F Kennedy. The chairman […]
Rhapsody in violet
Fan-run SV Austria Salzburg have climbed from the seventh flight to the second in the ten years since breaking away from Red Bull. On Friday the Violette make their home Erste Liga debut against Klagenfurt. Peterjon Cresswell meets SV Austria fan David Rettenbacher over a Stiegl or two. Football history is being made in Salzburg […]
Shades of Bray
They might be celebrating 30 years in the League of Ireland but with poor form clouding the fortunes of Bray Wanderers for the past two seasons, the managerial merry-go-round at the seaside club is spinning out of control – as Peter Doyle explains. The last time Bray Wanderers appointed a new manager, the team responded with a 1-0 win […]
Tweets, lies and Sócrates
Dublin side UCD go to Luxembourg on Thursday with a 1-0 advantage in the Europa League over F91 Dudelange. Watching the first leg was Peter Doyle – who explains the Students already have a strange footnote in international football history. Ask any football fan outside Ireland about UCD, and they will invariably reply: ‘Isn’t that […]