Liam Buckley concedes defeat in pursuit of Ireland legend Damien Duff

Liam Buckley has conceded defeat in the battle with Shamrock Rovers to secure the services of Damien Duff.

The former Ireland international has yet to be officially unveiled as a Hoop but, having tried to entice him to Richmond Park, the St Patrick’s Athletic boss now fully expects him to turn up in Tallaght in the near future.

“I presume he’ll go to Rovers,” said Buckley. “We met up with him and he’s a great lad. He’ll be a great addition to the league. I know he’s carrying a bit of an injury but he’s supposed to be fit around August and if that’s okay, he’ll go on and play.

“From an experience point of view he would have been a good ally in the dressing room for all the lads. From a professionalism point of view, he’s played with Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, he’s had a career with Ireland, that experience would rub off on some of the lads here.

“He’s very professional, that’s why he’s had the career he’s had, and that sort of experience does rub off on players. But it looks like he’s going to Rovers. We’ve got a good group of players. Would he have fitted in? I’m sure he would have. I’m sure he’ll fit in up in Rovers.”

Among Buckley’s own stars, Chris Forrester has once again bagged a gong by picking up the SSE Airtricity/SWAI Player of the Month award for June, the third time this scorer of spectacular goals has claimed the prize.

Four goals in four games did the trick this time and, despite the disappointment of the club going out of Europe and the fact that they currently trail league leaders Dundalk by 16 points, the 22-year-old midfielder hasn’t given up hope of a major twist in the title race.

“We always say that we’ll push on until the end,” he said. “We knew Dundalk would be there and that there would be challenges — although maybe not as much as there has been. But we’ll still push them until the end and I don’t think it’s over. I think there could still be a slip up.

“We also have the FAI Cup to play for and the semi-finals of the League Cup in a couple of weeks so it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ve been knocked out of Europe which is not ideal but there’s still a lot to play for. I’d also like to get a European spot next season as well, that’s vital for us.”

Buckley struggles to think of a League of Ireland player with whom Forrester could be directly compared but, outside the league, reckons Matt Le Tissier is a useful reference point.

“There’s very few I can remember scoring goals like Chris and he’s only in it a few years,” said the manager. “The thing you remember is the Rovers goal: I was standing there looking at it and when he flicked it over him, I thought he was just messing. I thought the referee had blown for offside or something, and turned away. It was only when I saw the replay, I realised it was a tremendous finish.

“Le Tissier? There would be comparisons, yeah, because of the spectacular goals they’ve scored.”