Tallaght Stadium dispute:The contention between Thomas Davis and the South Dublin County Council (SDCC) was brought to an end yesterday when the Tallaght club announced it would not take the matter any farther, reports Seán Moran.

There was a sense of inevitability about the decision after yesterday morning's High Court decision to refuse Thomas Davis leave to appeal to the Supreme Court the club's failed challenge to the SDCC's planning decision on Tallaght Stadium, refusing to accommodate Gaelic games in what will be the home for Shamrock Rovers.

In a joint statement from the club chair, Christopher O'Donnell, and Dublin County Board chief executive John Costello, it was stated the issue had "always been about the inequity of investing Exchequer funding of almost 20 million in a landmark local facility which, although, in name, is being held out as a municipal facility, has been designed exclusively to meet the needs of Shamrock Rovers, and has specifically excluded the GAA".

It added the club's "primary objective of ensuring transparency, fairness and parity of treatment with regard to the investment of taxpayers' money in sports facilities in Tallaght, would not be best served by the further pursuit of the net planning point".

It concluded: "It has never been our objective to hold up the completion of the stadium" and "earnestly hope that this will leave the way clear for Shamrock Rovers to move into the stadium before the end of this year".

Emmet Malone adds: "We're delighted that the matter is finally resolved," said Rovers chairman Jonathan Roche. "It's a relief for us all that we can say Rovers are finally going to have a home."