Energetic newcomers boosting Shamrock Rovers ahead of Molde tie - Stephen Bradley

Stephen Bradley believes the infusion of younger energy into the Shamrock Rovers squad will stand his side in good stead when they take on Norwegian side Molde in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off tie.

The SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division side will be on the road at the Aker Stadion on Thursday in a 5.45pm kick-off.

While Rovers have seen the likes of Johnny Kenny, Neil Farrugia, Darragh Burns and Markus Poom depart since the club competed successfully in the league phase of the competition pre-Christmas, five additions have been made including Matt Healy, Danny Grant, teenage attacker Michael Noonan and goalkeeper Ed McGinty who are all 25 or under, as well as veteran former Celtic defender Adam Matthews.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Bradley said he was excited what the new arrivals will bring to the table.

"They've been excellent. The five of them have brought a real energy to the group, a real freshness, which is what we wanted," he said.

"They're younger, a lot younger than what we've had in the group, but it's a nice mix with the older, more experienced players.

"They've been excellent and settled in well, and they're good people. I'm really happy with them."

While the Hoops manager was happy with how his side navigated pre-season including a stint in Spain, they will have key players missing against Molde with Darragh Nugent, Trevor Clarke and Jack Byrne all unavailable.

"Darren Nugent took a bad knock. Him and Gary O'Neill clashed in Spain, so he has a fracture above his nose and he'll need a mask for that before he can play," said Bradley.

"Trevor picked up a knock a couple of weeks back and just isn't ready. Jack is probably another couple of weeks away from being