Shelbourne’s win gives one brother plenty to celebrate MARCUS CAVAROLI
IT was agony and ecstasy for the Brennan brothers on Friday last as Drogheda’s Sean had a night to forget and his brother Ryan celebrated a rare winner’s medal in his career.
The Shels midfielder had sympathy for his elder sibling but couldn’t hide his delight as he savoured his club’s promotion back to the top flight after a six-year absence.
‘Medals have been tough to come by in a lengthy career, I suppose,’ he said.
‘You have to be in a really good team or have a little bit of luck. I won the EA Sports Cup [with Drogheda] but probably not too many others - a lot of seconds and runner-up medals - so I’m glad to get this one over the line and I’ll enjoy the weekend.
‘I’m a bit overwhelmed, but it’ll be good to get the medal around my neck.
‘It was a very tough game. Drogheda threw everything at us, played a high tempo and kept the ball really well and gave us problems in the second half especially.’
Ryan agreed he owed a debt of thanks to his goalkeeper Colin McCabe for the save that prevented him scoring an own goal, during the Drogheda attack which led to his elder brother being sent off for a second yellow card.
‘One came off my studs there,’ he recalled. ‘Collie has been excellent all year and so has everybody in that dressing-room, right through to the backroom staff and the gaffer especially. It’s brilliant for him in his first year in coaching.
‘I was saying to the lads there ‘Sean was entitled to go for that’ and for me it’s not a second yellow. Sean will be disappointed, but that’s football and some go for you and some don’t.’
It will be no consolation to Drogheda to hear that Ryan believes they were the toughest team Shelbourne faced in the league this year.
‘We’ve played everybody three times and every time Drogheda have put it up to us and all were really tough, close games,’ he pointed out.
‘It was a draw here last time and 2-1 in Tolka, but there was nothing in those games at all and they could have been three 0-0s. I think they’re the second best team in the league.
‘Commiserations to Drogheda and best of luck to them. You don’t know what the team coming down [from the Premier Division] possess, but I hope Drogheda go up in the play-offs.’