Sean Boyd on celebration: "I'd do it again."

Sean Boyd celebrated in front of Bohemians fans after netting the all-important third goal in Shamrock Rovers' 3-1 win at Tallaght Stadium, enraging the travelling Gypsies support – and then said after the game, “I'd do it again.”
 

The 18 year-old striker was sprung from the bench by caretaker Hoops boss Stephen Bradley in the 65^th minute and duly netted his first senior goal for the club in the Dublin Derby. It was a hotly contested game, particularly in the first half, but for Boyd that only made his strike all the sweeter – especially as he had planned his celebration beforehand.

“Yeah, a lot of drama. Every single Rovers and Bohs game is probably the same, but that's my first game I've played in so it's unbelievable, really,” Boyd told media post-match.

“A few of my mates are Bohs fans and I put a picture on social media saying 'Can't wait for the Bohs game.' And they commented on it being like 'Just don't score' and that, so I just said, 'If I do score I'm running straight over to yous!'”

When asked if he regretted his celebration in the face of the hostile reaction from Bohs fans, he replied, “Not really, I don't really care. It's the biggest game of the season for our fans. Rovers fans would love that as well, so I don't regret it one bit. I'd do it again.”

The goal itself is a contender for goal of the month, an excellent team move which saw Dean Clarke feed it toward Boyd whose deft flick allowed the ball to continue through to Gary Shaw.

He in turn produced a flick of his own to return the ball to Boyd and his first-time finish left Bohs 'keeper Dean Delany with no chance. The Malahide native was keen to praise Shaw's role in the build up afterwards.

“I seen Deano pass it into me and I just flicked it around the corner to Shawsy, one-two, and then smashed it. I can't believe how fast it went in, I can't believe it,” said Boyd.

“Shawsy's really good, he always gets in front of his man so he's like a wall. I tried it just a few seconds before, I tried to pass it in but the centre-back obviously stood in. And then the second time the ball got flicked around the corner and thank God he [Shaw] got in front of his man.

“Shawsy's very good at that,” Boyd continued. “He's great to link-up with, he's easy to play with, he's like a wall, gets in front of his man, he's good.

“It's really important when you're playing up front on your own that you hold the ball up. Just watch him, he's unbelievable at it. Ten times out of ten he'll hold the ball up and bring in people around him, and he's really good in the air too.”

It has been a good week for Rovers' U19 contingent, four of whom just signed professional terms. Boyd was one of those four, while Aaron Dobbs was another. The 17 year old striker made his first Premier Division start against Bohs and excelled, creating the second goal for Dean Clarke and winning the man of the match award.

Boyd hailed the impact Dobbs had against Bohs. The twice capped Republic of Ireland U18 international also said he owed former Hoops boss Pat Fenlon “a lot of credit” for bringing him into the first-team set-up – the Bohs game was his fourth substitute appearance in the league this season and his eighth in all competitions.

And while Boyd admits losing a manager in mid-season “is not ideal”, he was full of praise for Bradley and said he would like to see him stay on for the rest of the season if that could be worked out. The current caretaker boss doesn't have the UEFA Pro License required to manage in the Premier Division and so cannot be in charge for more than 60 days.

“Yeah, I know him really well,” said Boyd of Bradley. “When I first came to Rovers he was my coach at the 19s and I've known him for a few years now.

“He's really good, really good to work with. He's friendly, you're able to talk to him. Obviously I'd like to see him stay, he's one of the best coaches I've had.”

On Bradley's willingness to throw the kids in, Boyd said, “He told us, to be fair, he'd play us as much as he could and if we're doing well, we're doing the right things, he'd give us our chance – and he showed that tonight, didn't he?”