Duffy: I’m a defender but goals always on my mind
ASK any Irish football fan who is likely to be the leading Irish goalscorer in the Premier League this season and many would go for Shane Long. Or perhaps Robbie Brady, if he can get back playing again soon.
Few, you suspect, would jump at Brighton’s man-mountain Shane Duffy who currently leads that select in-house chart with two goals and fully expects to add to his tally with 30 games to be played.
Duffy is also on the two-goal mark for Ireland and is targeting many more goals should he remain an automatic selection as the fulcrum in defence.
While Noel Cantwell’s return of 14 goals may be beyond his reach, Richard Dunne (eight) and Gary Breen (seven) are realistic targets.
‘I feel like I can score in every game, I feel like I’m a threat at set-pieces in the box,’ said Duffy ahead of Nations League battle with Denmark tomorrow.
‘Every time we get a corner, I feel like I’ll always get a chance. It’s not the most important thing that I have to worry about, that’s defending and keeping clean sheets but it’s always a nice bonus if you can help the team by scoring.’
It was Duffy who ignited World Cup fervour last November when he headed Ireland in front against the Danes in the second leg of the play-off.
For 23 minutes, Ireland were Russia-bound, but the joy didn’t last as the team collectively imploded.
For Duffy it was ‘one of the worst’ experiences of his playing career, one which will only be par- tially erased by victory tomorrow.
‘I’m looking forward to getting the chance to play, to put it right, and hopefully I don’t leave here (Aviva Stadium) with the same feeling as last time,’ he said.
At Brighton, Duffy’s third-season alliance with Lewis Dunk is set in stone, but in his 21 Irish appearances he’s had a variety of partners at the back, Ciaran Clark, Richard Keogh and Kevin Long among them.
He could have two for company tomorrow if Ireland switch to a 3-5-2 line-up.
If so, he’ll be ready. ‘It’s just about adapting. It’s still the same basics of defending - winning tackles and headers,’ he said.
‘In training with Brighton, we do three at the back. We played it last year with against Chelsea and I played it a few times here with Ireland. It’s a nice formation if you get it right.
‘If you play on the right of the three, you’re more in touch with your wing-back.
‘If you’re in the middle, you have to do both sides and command a lot of what’s in front of you as well. It’s just about adapting and working on it with the manager.’
After shipping nine goals to Denmark and Wales, Duffy is adamant concentration levels will not dip around the Irish camp heading into the Nations League double-header.
‘If you have a bad night, both teams can punish you. They have done that to us before so we have got to be at our top game; we have got to be all at it.
‘We know we can get results against these teams, because we have done before but if we slip off for a second, we get punished and the game will be past us and done.’
Those hefty defeats to Denmark and Wales have raised questions marks about where this Ire-land team is headed. Duffy has heard the whispers.
‘We’ve had a few bad results, and some people outside the camp may be losing belief. But inside we have good leaders who will tell you the right things, who have the belief. They tell you the right things, you have to listen and believe you can win.’
This is where the positivity and motivation of manager Martin O’Neill can play its part.
‘It’s up to the players and a top manager who is going to organise us and get us set up the right way.
‘He’s got a lot of experience in the game to go on and knows what he’s talking about and what he does, and we trust him.
‘You’ve got to trust in what he does and go out there and perform better than the last two competitive games.’
Duffy played for Northern Ireland at underage levels but, like fellow Derry native James McClean, he always had his heart set on a call-up from the Republic, which came after a chat with Liam Brady, the former Irish assistant manager.
Even though he declared in 2010, he had to wait four years for his first cap, and another two for a competitive appearance, yet his focus never wavered in that time. In contrast, Declan Rice has pulled back from the brink of a competitive cap which would have tied him to Ireland. Has does Duffy view the Rice recoil? ‘I’ve been asked about it quite a lot and I feel he just has to make his own decision, to not let anyone else get involved in it and do what he feels.
‘If he feels he wants to go other ways, at least then he won’t look back with regret.
‘If I was speaking to him, I’d say, “Just make sure no-one influences you and just pick what you feel in your heart and don’t regret it when you’re older.’
Duffy never had an ounce of regret about his international calling, which has proved a huge blessing for Ireland as he will buttress the Irish defence for the foreseeable future, with a goal or two more thrown in for good measure.