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The loss of a senior coach just days
before the opening match of the season has not stopped Shamrock
Rovers from recording their best start in four years. New coach
Flavio L’Abbate left the club a week before Easter
and although everybody at the club was sad to see him go, the
ground work he had laid in the pre-season came to fruition with
three wins out of three to start the season.
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New Rovers Coach, Mick Murray |
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Club legend, Mick Murray, has returned
to the club as senior coach and the lads quickly responded, with
a 4-0 thumping of 2006 runners-up Stirling Panthers in late
April. A big crowd turned up to provide a great atmosphere for
Rovers fi rst home game of the season and the team did not
disappoint, playing Stirling off the park with a high tempo
style of play for which Murray has been known down the years.
Two Wayne Brooks goals followed the
opener from Marcus Jordan and Corey Schutle also scored after
coming off the bench to make his debut. The win confirmed the
club’s decision to ask the former double winning coach back and
has already got a number of teams anxiously checking when they
will face a rejuvenated Rovers side.
The Stirling win came on the back of
two away wins in both league and cup. With assistant
coach Nik Silsby in temporary charge, Rovers travelled to
Kingsway on Easter Monday and came away with a 2-1 win in the
first round of the Soccer Pools Amateur Cup.
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Despite missing a host of players and
never getting out of second gear, the Hoops had too much
experience for the Division One side with goals from Adam Bailey
and Sean Brooks being enough for Rovers to go through to the
second round where they will meet Kalamunda United at home on
Sunday 3rd June. The Hoops’ league season also got off to a
perfect start with a 3-1 win over South Perth United in
torrential rain. Two goals from Sean Brooks went along with a
first half own goal after both teams had struggled to adjust to
the conditions in the first half hour before Sean Brooks’ low
centre was turned into his own net by an unfortunate South Perth
defender.
Rovers appeared to have made the game
safe after Brooks and Marcus Jordan combined to release Paul
Harland, his shot hit the bar but Brooks was on hand to
make it 2-0. South Perth pulled a goal back and put Rovers under
some pressure but Brooks completed the scoring with a well taken
third late on.
The reserves have also made a 100%
start to the season, thrashing Kingsway 10-1 in the cup, also on
Easter Monday, before following up with a 4-1 win over South
Perth and a hard fought 1-0 win at home against Stirling
Panthers, defender Geoff Lane surprising many with a goal in
each game. Tougher challenges lie ahead for both teams,
but with the strength of the squad at their disposal both Murray
and reserve team boss Paul McCue can look forward to a
successful season.
The socials and masters teams have been
unable to follow in the first team’s footsteps, with a couple of
narrow early season losses. But the future looks bright with
both squads having a settled look about them and the quality to
push for honours this season.
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