Shelbourne coach criticises defence as Damien Duff goes incognito

May 19, 2025

Shelbourne assistant Joey O’Brien says “some mad stuff” defensively is hampering their title defence following another defeat.

With manager Damien Duff suspended from the touchline, Shelbourne lost 1-0 away at Bohemians – their third defeat in four games.

It means they are now seven points behind Shamrock Rovers, who occupy the top of the table. The goal came from an error by Mark Coyle, who lost possession inside his own box before dragging down his opponent.

Coyle was shown a straight red before Dayle Rooney dispatched the penalty. Duff could only watch on from behind a hill at the School End of Dalymount Park after picking up five yellow cards.

Dressed in a black cap and long black jacket, Duff had a chair and a clipboard as he oversaw a fourth defeat of the campaign.

Interesting viewpoint for Damien Duff at Dalymount Park. pic.twitter.com/3Z5Yg0Yupk

— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) May 16, 2025

Shelbourne assistant hits out at defending

O’Brien took responsibility for speaking to the press following defeat and labelled some of the defending “really, really poor.” He said: “We got a turnover of players, you know. Since last season, the lads leaving in the summer and this season there’s been a turnover of players.

“So it’s (about) finding a way. But yeah, without a doubt, I suppose the standout thing is we weren’t making them (mistakes), we weren’t giving up goals that we’ve given up this year.

“You look at a lot of the goals we’ve given up, they’ve been really, really poor, you know, from an individual point of view; mistakes, ogs, whatnot. Some mad stuff.

“That probably hasn’t really happened to us over the last few years. But look, as I said, it’s just about the lads nailing down the performance, concentrating for 90 minutes and trying to eradicate them out of games.

“You can do a lot of work and talk about certain things, but if you keep making mistakes regarding the backline with the goals we’ve been giving away, it’s an uphill task,”

“There’s obviously a lot of good teams, not a lot of difference in a lot of the teams.

“The first goal (against Bohs) is a massive thing. The first goal is a massive turning point in the game. Obviously it was a bad decision by Mark (Coyle).”