Fenlon gives players a break

Shelbourne manager Pat Fenlon has given his players three days off ahead of next week’s UEFA Cup showdown with Lille at Lansdowne Road.

With the eircom League champions out of the FAI Cup and having no Premier Division match scheduled this weekend, Fenlon has handed his squad a break with a first round first leg tie against the French side looming next Thursday.

Fenlon, who this week received the Philips Sports Manager of the Month award for August in recognition of Shels' Champions League heroics, told the club website: “We’ve had a fairly hectic schedule recently, so I don’t see any need to organise a friendly game and it’s an ideal opportunity to give the players a break.

"We’re back on track now on the domestic front following our win over Dublin City and the lads have earned themselves a few days off. We’ll come back refreshed for the Lille game.”

Alan Moore and Stuart Byrne will get an extra break though, as both are suspended for the first leg having picked up yellow cards in the Champions League qualifiers.

Defender David Crawley fell foul of the eircom League disciplinarians yesterday when he was handed a one-match ban effective September 15, after reaching four penalty points.

His ban means he will miss the rearranged home game against St Patrick’s Athletic on Monday, September 20.

In the same round of Disciplinary Commission findings, Shels chief executive Ollie Byrne was fined €250 and severely warned as to his future conduct as a result of being reported by the referee following the match against Drogheda United on July 18.