Shamrock Rovers announce the signing of former Hoop, Enda Stevens ahead of the 2026 season.
Head coach, Stephen Bradley discussed the signing with shamrockrovers.ie
Enda Stevens is a vastly experienced player, two-time LOI title winner with Rovers, 26 caps for Ireland, you must be delighted at his arrival.
“Yes we are absolutely delighted. Enda has been training with us for the last few weeks, he’s someone who’s had a brilliant career at a really high level. He will bring that know-how and quality to the group which is really important.”
What was the process that has led to Enda coming back to Rovers?
“We’ve always stayed in touch. I played with Enda also. Any time he’s been home from England, he has come in and been around the group, done bits of training with us and used the training ground. So we’ve always had that sort of relationship and when I knew Enda and his family wanted to move home, it was a natural progression to try and get him to Rovers. He’s been in training the last five or six weeks and we’re delighted to get it done.”
Adam Matthews has proved a versatile, experienced and successful signing this season. Do you see Enda similarly?
“Definitely. When you look at the level Enda has played at throughout his career, he will be a really important player for us on the pitch, that’s the number one reason he’s here. But he can also help the likes of Cory O’Sullivan and Igor Vassenin and other young players in the club that play in a similar position. He’ll be able to help them develop and they can only learn from Enda which is a big positive.”
Enda Stevens Biography:
Enda Stevens began his League of Ireland career in 2008 for UCD before joining St Patrick’s Athletic in 2009, then signed for Rovers in 2010 under Michael O’Neill.
Enda now begins a second spell with Shamrock Rovers, having played in the title winning teams of 2010 and 2011, making 46 appearances including playing a starring role in the unforgettable 2-1 extra time victory away to Partizan Belgrade in the 2011 Europa League. That win saw Rovers create history as the first League of Ireland club to make European group stage football.
After those two title-winning seasons, Enda was signed by Aston Villa in 2012, making his league and Premier League debut in November 2012 at Villa Park against Manchester United.
Enda then spent a couple of years on loan from Villa, playing for Notts County, Doncaster Rovers (twice) and Northampton Town, until his career found a new impetus at Portsmouth, who he joined in June 2015, signed by ex-Sligo Rovers Manager Paul Cook.
In the 2016/17 season, he was a key player in Portsmouth’s promotion to League One, was named in the EFL team of the season, the PFA team of the year and both the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year and Portsmouth fans’ Player Of The Year.
Chris Wilder signed Enda for Sheffield United for the 2017/18 season, where again he flourished, making 47 appearances and the following season gained promotion back to the Premier League with The Blades, making 46 appearances and scoring four goals. Enda made 192 appearances for Sheffield United in a six year spell there until 2023.
He subsequently signed for Stoke City in June 2023, making 39 appearances until his contract expired at the end of the 2024/25 season.
International recognition also followed for Enda as he made his Ireland debut under Martin O’Neill in June 2018 against USA and has won 26 caps.
Photo credit: Sportsfile
