No Mourinho gallop for Damien Duff as Shels sit pretty at top

The Drumcondra outfit snatched a dramatic victory against Stephen Kenny's side on Monday evening.

Shelbourne manager Damien Duff, right, and St Patrick's Athletic manager Stephen Kenny at Richmond Park on Monday night. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

José Mourinho taught Damien Duff some of his managerial tricks at Chelsea but he desisted from replicating the Special One’s celebratory gallop down the touchline on Monday.

There were parallels between late winners for Shelbourne at Richmond Park and Porto 20 years ago at Old Trafford but Duff restricted his reaction to within his zone.

“There's not many better feelings in life, and I mean in life, than a last-minute winner,” said Duff about the goal which keeps Shels four points ahead at the summit by the midway stage of the season.

“In other circumstances, I'd probably run the length of the pitch and I'm on it with the players but I'm not going to run past an opposition dugout.” 

Stood in that St Patrick’s Athletic technical area was a motionless Stephen Kenny, reeling from a two-match losing start to his stint back in the League of Ireland.

Kenny’s recruitment of Duff for his Ireland project in 2020 lasted six months and its apparent no sentiment exists in the world of Duff.

“That’s not a story to me,” he deadpanned, killing off the reunion angle. “I don't speak to anyone so it's irrelevant who is on the sideline.

“I used to do a bit with Stephen Bradley at Shamrock Rovers.

“He'll be on the sideline against us at Tallaght this Friday but it's irrelevant. This is all about the team, the staff and players of Shelbourne FC.” 

Kenny, meanwhile, has outlined the deficiencies in the Saints team he inherited, adamant a rebuild for next season rather than build for a late title tilt is the priority.

“Damien has had three years with this Shels team and they have a really cohesive side whereas St Patrick’s Athletic aren’t at the moment,” he observed.

“You can sort of sense they aren’t. Part of the process now is to formulate that.

“There was a big turnover of players in pre-season which can be an issue in itself. The clubs with minor changes are in first, second and third places of the table.

“With such high turnover, you can sense an imbalance in the squad but now we have to rectify that.” ends