Damien Duff: “Do you settle for that, or do you want more?” | OneFootball

The League of Ireland Champions Shelbourne FC kick off the 2025 SSE Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division campaign at Tolka Park against Derry City tomorrow (7:45pm KO).

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

“There are a couple of players missing, Tyreke Wilson has a long-standing issue, and we’re not sure when he’ll be back. We’d rather have him back fully fit sooner rather than later, we’re keeping an eye on that.

“Daniel Kelly is back on the pitch and looking well. He’s working on the side of the pitch, and even watching him, you can see the attributes that will make him a great fit for us. We’re excited to get him back, so he should be back in training in the next week or so. Aside from that, everyone else is good, although some are in better shape than others. Two or three players missed a lot of pre-season.”

The Reds boss had to contend with plenty of injuries on the run-in, and managing the return to play is nothing new to Duff. He’s confident that the squad is in good shape after a positive pre-season campaign:

“Even if you go back to the Rovers game at the tail end of last season, I think we went there with 12 fit players. That, though, was a one-off with a lot of injuries and suspensions. It doesn’t matter, that will happen. Injuries, suspensions, they never fall at the ideal time, there’s no such thing. We won the league last season, we had a highly competitive squad. Do we have a bigger squad? Do we have a better squad? Do we have a squad with more quality? Yes, but it’s important that the lads become a team now, work hard together, and play for each other.

“That’s the foundation we’re built on since day one. Picking teams will get more difficult as the season goes on. The guys who are out are dealing with fitness issues, and when they are physically right, the competition will be huge. Having that headache is a good problem to have, especially when we’ve got players on the bench who can come on around the 60–70 minute mark, and we know they have the ability to change the game.”

The Reds had the advantage of a competitive game at home to bring the curtain up on the 2025 campaign, as they defeated Drogheda United 2-0 in the President’s Cup. Duff felt it was the perfect prep:

“It was a very good performance, impressing a lot of people, myself, the staff. The demands we place are very high. Of course, we want more. We know there’s more in the tank moving forward. It was an impressive, professional display, the perfect game. We want to see that and more tomorrow.”

Tomorrow’s game is a repeat of the 2024 League of Ireland title decider. Which the Reds won 1-0, Harry Wood, the jerseys off, six minutes to go… Reds know that story well….

Duff, though, feels it will have no bearing on the outcome tomorrow night and that Derry will be a very different side then the one they faced on November 1st 2024:

“I think they’re a bit of an unknown. A change of manager, and he’s brought in big players with big CVs, and a different formation. We’ve tried to take as much as we can from pre-season footage, but until you go toe-to-toe, you don’t really get a feel for them. I imagine they’ll be thinking the same about us. He won’t know our power, strength, and quality until he sees us. It’ll be an interesting, intriguing game, one the lads cannot wait for. I could feel that around the training ground today. The atmosphere is different. There’s a different bite and tension, and that’s exactly what we want to see for this game.”

It will be an emotional occasion for Duff when he walks out at Tolka Park for the first time in a League of Ireland game since ending the Reds’ 18-year wait for the ultimate prize in Irish football. It’s an occasion the manager is relishing:

“I’ve openly said it—the Brandywell was the greatest night of my life. That kind of success is like a drug. That night we had up there, what that meant to us, to the fans, to everyone, that feeling is addictive. Do you settle for that, or do you want more? Because it was so beautiful, the greatest night of my life. You chase it, and you’ll do anything to get it again. This is the first step, this is where it starts again. It’s going to be emotional. But the minute the game kicks off, you put it aside and try to channel that into the performance on the pitch. We need to bring that edge, that bounce heading into 2025, but it’s also about those other magic ingredients, quality and calmness.”

Team Power of One will join the Reds for the opening night. Shelbourne FC became an official partner of the group of five Irish fathers: John O’Driscoll, Conor McCarthy, Enda McNicholas, Roger McMorrow, and Daragh Kelly—who rowed 5,000 km across the Atlantic Ocean in memory of Saoirse O’Driscoll, John’s daughter, who passed away from congenital heart disease. The group raised over €547,000 for charity. They’ll be doing a collection in Tolka and on Richmond Road before the game and will be presented to the crowd at half-time. Duff has urged Shels fans to support the cause and give the guys a proper Shels welcome:

“I can’t wait to see the guys. They’re amazing people. What Team Power of One has done is genuinely iconic and truly inspirational. I urge all Shels fans, if you pass by the bucket, please, please donate generously to support them after that incredible row. Our team, it’s well known we look at other teams, winners, sports, anything we can to take inspiration from. Team Power of One have been a huge inspiration for us, myself, the staff, and the team. How have they inspired us? It’s really simple, they’ve inspired us to be relentless.”

Watch all the action on Virgin Media, coverage begins from 7:30pm with kick off at 7:45pm. Commentary from Bernard O’Toole and Eoin Doyle. There’s live national radio commentary on Off The Ball on Newstalk with Nathan Murphy from 7pm.

Gates will open at Tolka Park from 6:15pm, with hot food, confectionery shop, Reds Bar and merchandise shop also opening and available from 6:15 PM. After the game, enjoy live music from The Macks Band in the Reds Bar. Make the most of your match day at Tolka Park, your support of our vendors, bar and merch is most appreciated.