“Duff: We’re Not Looking Back — It’s About Making New Memories” | OneFootball

The Reds are on the road for the first game of what will be a busy Bank Holiday weekend. Damien Duff’s side make the trip north to face Derry City (7:45pm // LOITV), before welcoming Waterford FC to Tolka Park on Monday.

The champions return to the Ryan McBride Brandywell for the first time since clinching the title at the venue back in November 2024.

Shels boss Damien Duff delivered an upbeat squad update on Thursday evening: “Boydy is still short-term and not back on the pitch yet. Good news is Daniel Kelly is back in the squad, but there’s a long way to go so we won’t risk him or rush him in any way. It’s a good boost for him, and the players are all really pleased, they are all very fond of him.”

The Reds trained on the astro in the AUL this week in anticipation of the trip to Derry, and Duff was pleased with their week’s work on the training pitch:

“It’s harder to train in these conditions, Irish players aren’t used to it. That heat, scorching, we trained on astro to get a feel for the surface; dry, hot, sticky astro is never pretty. But the lads are in great form and it’s been a good training week.”

With a busy month ahead Duff knows stringing results together on Friday-Monday gameweeks will be particularly important: “It’s a bit like the Friday–Monday turnaround we had earlier in the season with Galway and Rovers, quick turnaround, tough opposition, but I was pleased with the performances in both games. The next step now is turning those strong performances, where we’ve maybe edged it but not quite got the result, into wins. That’s the challenge, and the players know that.”

Derry City picked up successive wins over Galway United and Sligo Rovers before a narrow loss to Waterford FC last time out. Duff knows they are formidable opposition: “They’ve got some very dangerous individuals, I’ve said before they’re still a relatively new team, and I think there’s still a bit of that in them. The manager would probably agree. They’re still trying to find their best line-up, and obviously we’ve prepped for them well. But once you’ve done your prep, you have to respect the opposition, and then it’s all about us and what we do.

“There are a lot of good memories up there, not just that one, late equaliser last May, a big point in the end, a win there in our first season. It’s a big pitch, the biggest in the country, and we like keeping the ball. It’s an astro surface for both teams, and like I said, we’ve been training on it all week. The lads have got a feel for the bounce and the movement of the ball. We’re really excited about both Friday and Monday.”

The Reds opened the season with a win over Derry City at Tolka Park on the opening night, reflecting on that game Duff said:

“We’ve used clips from that game in our meeting. It was useful for us to get a feel for some of their individuals who haven’t played in the league before. Dom Thomas, Winchester, Holt. Liam Boyce is back from Scotland with a big, big pedigree. It’s important our players are familiar with what they’re up against.”

A reminder of the Reds last visit to the Brandywell is not needed for any Shels fan, but Duff has not spoken about it once with the players this week:

“It’s impossible to forget, but I haven’t mentioned it. I could’ve used a visual, a quote or shown footage, but no, I didn’t, it’s about making new memories. If you dwell on the past, it holds you back from your future. The trophy isn’t ours anymore, we need to go and win it again.”