When the draw was made for Shelbourne’s maiden UEFA Convention League marketing campaign, Crystal Palace coming to Dublin two weeks earlier than Christmas jumped off the web page.
The anticipation among the many supporters is mirrored in the truth that Tallaght Stadium will likely be bought out on Thursday night time.
However after all for Shels supervisor Joey O’Brien, the prospect of dealing with the Eagles just isn’t a novelty, contemplating he confronted them thrice as a participant throughout his time on the far aspect of the Irish Sea – albeit a model much less heralded than the one which received the FA Cup in Could and has clambered as much as fourth within the Premier League.
“I used to be simply considering again to a recreation I performed in opposition to Palace. I used to be at fault for a purpose one time and the supervisor almost had a coronary heart assault at half-time, so hopefully that does not occur to me tomorrow night time,” he quipped at Wednesday’s press convention.
The supervisor in query was Large Sam Allardyce and it got here again in 2013 throughout his time with Palace’s fellow Londoners West Ham when the striker he was marking, Marouane Chamakh, peeled off him to go in the one purpose of the sport.
“That is one which type of sticks within the reminiscence as a result of as I stated I feel the supervisor was going to have a coronary heart assault,” the previous Republic of Eire defender added.
“So I used to be extra involved about hopefully him not having a coronary heart assault going mad at me than the result of the sport. After I was over there enjoying in opposition to them and stuff like that, they clearly weren’t on the heights that they are at now, so it simply exhibits you what is attainable for a soccer workforce.”
With the League of Eire in hibernation, Shels’ schedule of late has been solely centered round their Convention League journey which has allowed O’Brien the time to go and have a detailed up take a look at the modern-day Palace.
On Sunday, he took of their 2-1 victory at Fulham, a end result that underlined their high-flying begin to the Premier League season.
Nevertheless, as impressed as he could be by how “properly coached and drilled” Oliver Glasner’s aspect, O’Brien is adamant that his aspect mustn’t put an excessive amount of undue deal with the reputations of the opposition and bear in mind how far they’ve come themselves inside strain moments of their very own just like the title decider in Derry final 12 months.
“It is about us and I carry on saying that as a result of that is the message I have been saying to the lads,” O’Brien stated at Wednesday’s press convention.
“Generally you’ll be able to suppose too far about issues and consider who you are enjoying in opposition to and the place they’ve come from and stuff like that. However for me, that does not work. It is about your self, being happy with your personal journey, how you have obtained right here, unimaginable tales to get to this recreation.”
Straying from the white traces of the pitch to supply a wider perspective, he added: “Stress in soccer and stuff like that, it isn’t strain, it is an absolute privilege to be on this scenario. Right here folks speak about these video games having strain on them. Stress is, I learn a narrative a couple of chap over in Gaza going to search for meals for his household, questioning whether or not he got here again to get sufficient meals for his household or his household was nonetheless going to be alive. That is strain.
“This for me is not strain, it is an incredible alternative for us as a soccer membership and the lads as gamers to actually exit in entrance of, I feel it is bought out, a bought out crowd to actually present how good footballers they’re and that they belong on the pitch.”
He fished within the reminiscence financial institution once more to underline how far Shelbourne have come, recalling a time within the not so distant previous when he was within the opposition trenches, able to face a membership that didn’t have the firepower to offer an actual risk.
“I performed in opposition to Shelbourne, I feel my final season enjoying at (Shamrock Rovers) or the 12 months earlier than that, so what’s that, in all probability 5, six years in the past,” he stated.
“There wasn’t a lot of a warm-up completed by me, if I am being trustworthy, and in the end that was as a result of my physique was so dangerous, but in addition in all probability as a result of I felt I did not want it. I feel them days are lengthy gone for this soccer membership, the place this soccer membership has gone by means of funding and folks coming in.”
The Palace recreation is Shels’ penultimate fixture in a league section that has seen O’Brien’s workforce decide up a solitary level from their opening night time in opposition to Swedish outfit BK Hacken in October. Since then, they’ve tasted defeats in opposition to Shkendija, Drita and AZ Alkmaar, though the performances have been higher than the outcomes have proven.
The latter recreation the place they went down 2-0 within the Netherlands, having stored it scoreless till the seventieth minute in opposition to a workforce that includes Eire’s hero of the hour Troy Parrott, affords a template of types for Thursday.
“There have been a number of positives,” O’Brien stated.
“I feel we began rather well within the recreation. Their first shot on track did not come till the second-half. So going away from residence in Europe and having that was actually good. I felt that in possession we didn’t present our actual high quality and the way good we’re as gamers, so that may be a massive factor for me tomorrow, that the lads embrace the problem and present how good we’re in possession.
“In order that’s an space of enchancment. In the end once we get possibilities, ensure we take them.”
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