Shamrock Rovers captain Bobby Zeller, centre, lifts the cup with team-mates after his side's victory in the EA Sports MU15 LOI Michael Hayes Cup match between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers Photo by Sportsfile

Joy for Rovers U15s after cup success over Bohs

Michael Howley September 17, 2025 3:10 pm

SHAMROCK Rovers U15 side have won the Michael Hayes Cup after a win against Bohemians on Saturday at the Carlisle Grounds in Bray.

Captained by Bobby Zeller, Rovers had to overcome serious adversity in the match after going down by two goals before halftime.

The team showed their resolve and brought themselves back into the game courtesy of two goals thanks to Archie Quinn and Ciaran Daly before ultimately winning the match on penalties against their northside rivals 3-1.

Rovers scored their first three penalties with Bohemians missing their first two efforts thanks to the presence of Darragh Roche in goal who played a crucial role in the result after coming on in extra time.

The tenacity and perseverance on display by the Rovers side was parallel to none and was commented on by coach Jason Shields after the game.

“That doesn’t happen as a fluke on the day. That comes from months and months of prepping the boys for difficult situations.

‘Through on pitch training and classroom training that we do with them. Training revolves around the mentality, the attitude and the desire to never give up.

‘The philosophy of the team over the individual where in adversity it’s those boys who are beside you and will get you out of it. It’s nine months of building that up since January that has allowed them to dig into the toolbox and pull that out on the day.”

The team has been a tight knit squad and while player performances are recognised individual brilliance is not highlighted over the overall performance of the group as a whole.

Many of the players have been playing together for years while some have been more recent additions to the group.

Max Ellis and Jayden Marshall being two notable arrivals from Shelbourne who have impressed throughout the year with their performances.