Shamrock Rovers have lost another of their title-winning stars after striker Karl Sheppard was snapped up by Reading.
The Championship club have signed the 20-year-old on a two-and-a-half year deal after his contract ran out with Rovers, and they will be hoping that he can be as good as other League of Ireland signings they have made such as Kevin Doyle and Shane Long.
Sheppard scored ten goals last season as the Hoops claimed back-to-back titles and his transfer is a big loss to both the Tallaght club and the Airtricity League. Earlier this week Rovers defender Pat Sullivan announced he too was leaving the club, but his plan is to travel around Australia.
“The manager (Brian McDermott) had been over to a few games to see me play and he’s been very positive about the move,” he said in today’s Irish Times.
“It’s a club with a great history of bringing Irish players through and obviously I’d like to emulate the likes of Kevin (Doyle) and Shane (Long) by doing well there too.
“It’s somewhere that I know that if I play well then I’ll get my chance, that’s what the manager has said to me, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing. I can’t wait to get started at this stage.”
Sheppard began his career in Everton’s youth system but never made it through the ranks so he returned to Ireland where he signed for Galway United before moving to Rovers.
The Irish Under 21 international will now link up with another Irish striker Noel Hunt at the Madejski.
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