Duff and Shels Prepared for Richmond Battle | OneFootball

The sold out Dublin Derby at Richmond Park sees champions Shelbourne take on St Patrick’s Athletic in the pick of the action tomorrow night.

The Reds returned to winning ways last Friday night after beating Sligo Rovers 2-1 at the Showgrounds. The Saints also registered a win on the road in Waterford.

After training on Thursday at the AUL, Reds boss Damien Duff delivered a squad update to ShelbourneFC.ie:

“For the foreseeable future, I’ll provide injury updates as needed. Right now, I don’t think there’s any update or need to share specific timelines. We’re working hard with the players who are injured to get them back, there’s nothing worse than being sidelined when all they want is to get back on the pitch. We’re doing everything we can to make that happen as smoothly as possible.”

The Reds against the Saints has always thrown up plenty of drama. Duff’s side have never had a goalless game in this fixture, and the manager reflected on meetings to date:

“We’re heading into our fourth full season facing each other and in two of those campaigns we’ve ended up playing in what many called the game of the year, the 4-4 thriller at Tolka in year one and last year’s 3-2 in Round 4. They were incredible spectacles for the neutrals, full of drama. But from a manager’s point of view, games like that can be frustrating. We don’t enjoy conceding goals and we’ve been guilty at times of switching off or conceding bad goals in this fixture.

“Both teams have serious attacking talent and that’s been on show every time we’ve met. When you’ve got that much firepower on the pitch, goals are going to come. But we also know that if we’re serious about winning games like this, we can’t afford to give an inch, not a second of space or any oxygen. Every moment matters because the margins will be razor thin.”

The last meeting between the sides was in September last year when the Saints came out 3-2 winners at Tolka. While some thought the oxygen was draining from the title charge, reports of a Shels choke were greatly exaggerated. The Reds went on to win three of their final four games and claim the League of Ireland title. Reflecting on that particular game, Duff said:

“We could’ve gone 3-2 in front, there was a moment there where we could’ve won it. But looking back at the game yesterday, watching it with clear eyes, I don’t think we were anywhere near our best. One thing that gave us life and belief was the reaction, how we responded to conceding the goals and the commitment across the full 95 minutes. That part of the display kept us in it and we grew over the final four games. But overall, we know we need to be an awful lot better than that if we want to hit the standards we’ve set for ourselves.”

Sean Boyd is out, serving a one game suspension. Duff knows they have the quality to cope and was keen to highlight the contribution of the player he feels is the most underappreciated outside the dressing room:

“I think over the course of the run in, across those three games, a lot of players rightly earned plaudits. Harry stood out in Derry, Boyd and Lunney gave us real impetus and personality for the final games. But if you ask me who’s the most underappreciated player, not just in this run, but in general when people talk about us or even about us winning the league, it’s John Martin.

Believe you me, within our dressing room, he’s one of the most appreciated. People need to know that. He’s a massive player for us. His work rate, his intelligence, what he does off the ball, it’s huge. He drives standards every single day. People outside the club, maybe even some fans inside the club, don’t realise what he brings. But we don’t take that for granted.”

The Reds boss says Dublin Derby weeks remind him of being in camp before a crucial international: “I always compare it to being in camp with the Irish team. You can feel the tension, the focus, the level of concentration in the group. That same atmosphere comes around when it’s a Dublin Derby. You don’t need to add any extra motivation. It should be there naturally. The lads know what it means. They’re ready. And they’ll be prepared.”

Duff also paid tribute to some of the Shels young guns who’ve impressed in recent weeks including Lewis Temple, Evan Caffrey and James Norris:

“The young lads have been brilliant around the group, especially in the way they handled Sligo. It wasn’t a pretty game, it was a tough one against top opposition. We didn’t play particularly well with the ball, but it was all about doing the ugly stuff. Sometimes it’s the older players who adapt better to that, but no, the young lads were great. Digging in, working for each other, and they did that. “Performances like that can come from anyone, but what’s really stood out is how much our squad has evolved. The average age of the team has dropped dramatically. Sometimes you just can’t beat the enthusiasm and energy of youth. It’s been priceless for us this season.”

Duff feels occasions like this are to be relished as he eagerly awaits kick off tomorrow night at Richmond Park in front of a sold out away end:

“It’s a Dublin Derby, I can’t wait. I’ll be honest, I wish the game was at 3pm today. I’m ready and would love to kick off now. That’s how motivated I am. And more often than not, the players mirror where I’m at and I’m highly motivated. I wish the game was in 15 minutes. But it’s still another 28 hours and 45 minutes away, not that I’m counting. We’re focused and when the game starts, we’ll be ready.”

On the eve of the Derby, Duff left the final word for a legend, Johnny Watson, who celebrates his 60th birthday today:

“Johnny Watson is a legend, one of those people who makes my life better every single day. Since the day I arrived, he has made me and the staff feel so welcome. We’d honestly be lost without him. It might sound like a cliché, but I don’t think he realises just how much he means to all of us. He lives and breathes this club.

“Shelbourne is his life and I genuinely believe he was put on this earth for Shelbourne Football Club. Last year, when we achieved what we did, I was so happy for so many people around the club, especially those who’d been through the tough times. But the one person I was most pleased for was Johnny. To be able to share those moments with him and see what it meant, that will always stay with me. His life is Shels, and Shels is Johnny.”