Duff’s Shels make a point
Leaders overcome illness in camp
FOR Damien Duff, the glass was halffull after a Bank Holiday blankety blank in Tolka Park ended Shelbourne’s sixgame winning run.
A hard-earned draw against Derry City maintained the Reds’ unbeaten start to the season.
‘Calm defending. Calm defending,’ barked Duff in the final minutes of a game that began brightly but fizzled out as the teams cancelled each other out.
Three shots on target said it all — there were more yellow cards.
Arguably, there was greater fury between the rival technical areas in the second half than on the pitch.
At the final whistle, it was honours even and handshakes allround after an outcome that was fair, if low on entertainment.
Duff praised his players for coping with a virus that ran through the home dressing room.
‘I’d go as far to say that is probably the best point we’ve earned in two and a bit years and you’re probably looking at me going, “are you crazy?” I’m not.
‘The whole squad is sick, there is some almighty virus going around so they’ve been on the toilet, in the toilet.
‘For the effort they put in, the players were absolutely heroes because they were dead on their feet.’
‘There was a flatness in the air but I think that was just the game that brought that. It’s a big point,’ he insisted.
With the on-going Ireland managerial vacancy the talk of the sport, there were angles aplenty on show at kick-off.
Stephen Kenny, the former manager, was in the stand, while two of his assistants for a time, Duff and Rúaidhrí Higgins, were opposing managers.
If the FAI needs a negotiator to bring sides together and hammer out a deal, perhaps Bertie Ahern, another enjoying his Bank Holiday in the Tolka enclosures, could give it a dig out.
Early on, it was a decent enough duel. Derry were the better team in the first half although Shels had the best clear-cut chance, which they squandered.
With an eight-point deficit to make up, Derry’s intent was clear as they pushed bodies forward with Michael Duffy and Paul McMullen up in support of Patrick Hoban.
Will Patching was on target with a header which Conor Kearns plucked the ball from under the crossbar and then went close with a rasping freekick just before the break.
Shels had a couple of moments. Paddy Barrett pinged a ball over the top for Evan Caffrey who volleyed over on the run.
Just before the half hour, a Shels counter attack saw three red jersey bearing down on two Derry defenders.
The Derry line felt they weren’t getting the break of the ball in 50-50 challenges and let referee Eoghan O’Neill what they thought of some of his calls.
In saying that, they had reason to thank the Tipperary official who waved play on when the ball jumped up and caught Gavin Molloy’s arm inside the box.
After the break, with Hoban missing with a groin issue, there was little activity at either end for the 3,932 attendance to get their teeth into.
Shane McEleney was in the right place to intercept a pass for Jarvis with Derry at full stretch, and that was as close as Shels got.
For the visitors, Paul Mullen turned and shot wide, while Patching’s free took a deflection off the wall and forced Kearns to parry to his right.
After losing at home to Galway on Friday, Higgins got the response he was looking for.
‘It was a much better performance in terms of commitment. We’ve had some difficult nights. Losing to Galway hurt the most,’ he said. SHELBOURNE: Kearns; Gannon, Barrett, Molloy, Wilson; O’Sullivan, Lunney, Caffrey (Farrell 62); Burt (Ledwidge 82), Smith (Martin 64), Jarvis (Boyd 82). DERRY CITY: Maher; Boyce (Todd 89), S McEleney, Connolly, Coll, McJannet; Patching, O’Reilly; Duffy, Hoban (Mullen h/t), McMullan (Kelly 76). Referee: E O‘Shea (Tipperary)