Damien Duff: “The shift the team has put in has been amazing” | OneFootball

The Reds are back on the road in the League of Ireland Premier Division after a month as they travel to the Showgrounds to face Sligo Rovers (7:45 pm KO).

Following a jam-packed few weeks of Europe and FAI Cup action, full focus returns to the bread and butter.

After training this afternoon, Shels boss Damien Duff delivered a squad update to ShelbourneFC.ie:

“Sean Boyd is a doubt, he is dealing with a calf issue. It’s not a serious one, but we need to be cautious and not rush his recovery, as calf issues can be frustrating and unpredictable. We’ll just have to play it by ear and monitor his progress closely. Dean Williams is back to running, which is a great sign and encouraging for his recovery. It’s been a hard few weeks, but we hope Dean will be back in action very soon.”

As the Reds enter a pivotal time of the season, Duff is confident their squad depth will cope with the demands of the coming weeks: “Quality-wise, this is the best squad we’ve had since I got to Shels. Despite a few injuries, the current squad is the strongest the club has had in 20 years. The coming weeks are very exciting, with big, bloody games, and the lads are absolutely relishing it.”

The Reds have played Sligo twice already this season. Sean Gannon’s effort was deflected in by John O’Sullivan to give Duff’s side a 1-0 win in the Showgrounds, while the Bit O’Red edged a tight game 2-1 at Tolka in May. Duff feels his side was unlucky to come out on the wrong side of that game:

“You focus on the positives. In games like that, and last Monday as well against Derry, if you look at it like we let points slip away, it’ll drive you around the bend. We played well against them in Tolka, dominated the game from start to finish, but gave away awful goals. The scoreline probably didn’t reflect the quality of our performance. We watched some of it this morning, and the guys will take a lot from it. Overall, going into the game, we’re in fine form and the guys know what is needed tomorrow.”

Duff has spoken on the quality of Sligo Rovers and knows only their best will do if the Reds are to get a result away from home:

“First and foremost, it will take an utterly professional performance, and at this stage, it’s all about winning. The result is the most important thing. Sligo Rovers are currently the in-form team in the country. I watched them on Sunday night; I was there with my son. The way they lost the game was disgraceful—they didn’t deserve to lose—so they’ll be hurting and eager to bounce back. We must respect them and their manager John Russell; a brilliant manager, great players, they have a lot of quality that can hurt us.

“On paper, in real life, it’s a really tough game, and we know it will take a proper performance. But when you look back over the last 5-6 weeks, it’s been an amazing time for our club. If we had been offered this position a month ago—to go through the first round in Europe, navigate a very tricky tie in the FAI Cup, and go head-to-head with Derry and get a result—would you have taken it? I think you would. Given what the lads have been through in that few weeks, a completely new experience, it does take an emotional and physical toll on guys. They’ve handled it brilliantly, and no one should underestimate them. Despite last Monday’s result, I know there was a bit of disappointment and I can understand it, but the past month the players have been elite.”

Duff feels familiarity will suit his side as they recapture their routine, having spent the last number of weeks managing two rounds of European action:

“We’re back to a normal Friday-to-Friday schedule, granted tomorrow is Saturday. The travel, the emotions, and the physical and emotional energy spent over the last month have been immense. The shift the team has put in has been amazing, and I couldn’t be any prouder. The club should feel the same way. We’re in an incredible position, the players have done wonderfully well, we’ve ended the last two seasons really well, we’ve improved as the season has gone on, and I know we will only get better between now and the end of the season.”