Shamrock Rovers have tempted another player away from crosstown rivals Bohemians as full-back Andy Lyons makes the move to Tallaght Stadium.
The Ireland under-21 international has signed a multi-year contract with the Hoops as he looks to make the step up to full-time football.
Naas-born Lyons, who came through the ranks with schoolboy nursery St Joseph’s Boys, had offers from the UK but decided his best option lay closer to home.
The right-back has been on trial in England in recent years, with Crystal Palace and Wolves particularly keen, but chose to continue his development with Bohemians.
Lyons was part of the Gypsies side that finished second in the league in 2020 and reached the final of the FAI Cup last November, losing narrowly on penalties to St Patrick’s Athletic.
The defender says his ultimate aim continues to be going across the water but, after speaking to Hoops boss Stephen Bradley, he felt Rovers was the logical next step.
“I’m absolutely buzzing to get the deal over the line,” Lyons told the club’s media team.
“It’s a massive club, which they’ve shown in the last few years with their league titles and European runs, and I’m delighted to be part of that now. I’m delighted to be here.
“I got a call from Stephen Bradley and once I started chatting to him and hearing his plans and vision for me, that was something I was really excited about.
“England and the UK is my ambition, but he outlined what his plan is for me and I think this is the perfect club for me.
“Especially at the age I’m at now, going to a full-time set up was something that was big for me. There is that European exposure and hopefully some leagues and cups as well.
“It’s definitely going to aid my development and Stephen has a clear plan in place for me so I’m looking forward to it.
“There was a bit of interest from the UK but I just felt that the next step for me was a full-time club, and the league champions – there’s no better place to go.
“They’ve won trophies and there’s the European factor as well. They played six games last season and obviously this year we’re hoping to win a few games in Europe and push on to that next level.
“My time at Bohs was brilliant and I’ve a lot of friends there. I think not getting Europe with Bohs was very disappointing.
“My experience last year meant that I just didn’t really want to go back there and experience that again. It’s about making that next step for me in my development in my career.”
Lyons’ decision is unlikely to be popular with Bohemians fans, who had taken the right-back to their hearts before and after his winner in the FAI Cup tie with Rovers last year.
He’s the second player in as many years to swap Dalymount Park for Tallaght following the Hoops’ signing of Danny Mandroiu 12 months ago.
Defender Roberto Lopes, currently on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cabo Verde, is another to make the controversial move from Bohs to Rovers in recent times.
And Hoops boss Bradley believes that like Lopes and Mandroiu, who has had interest from Celtic, Rovers is the best place for Lyons to learn his craft and reach the next level.
Bradley said: “Andy has a lot of attributes that we like and that we feel fit how we play. We’ve liked him for a while.
“We tried to sign Andy a couple of years back and it didn’t quite come off. So we’re delighted to get him this time around because he fits our profile of player and how we try to play.
“When we had a conversation, it was pretty straightforward. Andy recognised that he wanted to be with a team that is winning and competing for things.
“It’s a chance to improve every aspect and we obviously represented that chance and that opportunity for him.
“We believe that there’s a lot of development in Andy. That’s one aspect of him coming here that we spoke about.
“We know we can help him be a better player and we feel he can help us be a better team, so it works for both.
“He suits how we play and adds real strength to the squad and he’s another player who can play in a number of positions as well, which is really important for us with the amount of games that we play throughout the year.
“It’s important to have a competitive squad and I feel we have that now.”
