Ronan Finn forecasts youth wave during Shamrock Rovers' four-in-a-row quest

History tends to loom large for the vast majority of football clubs and Shamrock Rovers are no different in that regard.

Records also cast a shadow, and the fabled four-in-a-row team from the 1980s still has a resonance to this day, especially as the current crop of Hoops players are in with a chance of a matching that achievement.

After securing a third title on the trot last season - and 20th overall - it was clear that manager Stephen Bradley was keen to see his generation of players join that aforementioned select group of consecutive champions.

"We're not finished. The aim was to put two stars on the jersey. Now can we go and beat that famous team of the 80s? It's going to be tough, we know teams are coming, but we'll do our very best to do it," were his words to RTÉ Sport last November.

But after wintering well, captain Ronan Finn is not thinking that far ahead and is reverting to the age old mantra of going one step at a time.

The saga starts with Friday night's domestic curtain raiser, the President's Cup final, against last season's FAI Cup winners and league runners-up Derry City, before they open their league campaign at Sligo Rovers on Saturday, 18 February.

"The most important thing for us is the first game of the season. Genuinely that's how we've always dealt with things. We never look too far ahead," he told RTÉ Sport at the launch of the 2023 League of Ireland season within the salubrious confines of Dublin's City Hall.

"We have to respect every opponent and not for a second can we take our eye off Derry this week in the President's Cup and then all eyes focus on Sligo which is always a very difficult game.

"We can't start thinking about anything beyond that. That's when standards start slipping and so far it