Mathews goal still on target
Credit:
When Alan Mathews took the reins as Shelbourne manager, he made his objectives clear.
Speaking to extratime.ie in July after his side lost 2-1 at home to Derry City, who at the time were runaway leaders at the top of the table, Mathews outlined the goal simply: “to try and get out of this league.”
Now, thirteen matches into his reign in Tolka Park, that objective is about the only thing that hasn't changed. Derry lead by just a point, while Shels have leapfrogged Limerick and Waterford United and are now within striking distance of the top two.
The objective, though, is now more clearly on the horizon than it has been all season. Shels beat Cork City Foras Co-op 2-0 at home in what was a must-win match, and Mathews spoke afterwards to extratime.ie.
"That's still the objective- to continue working as hard as we can and try and win as many matches as we can. We'll see where it takes us at the end of the season. In the last few weeks results have been very good so we need to keep it going."
Mathews cut a delighted figure after the match. His side won the match thanks to strong starts in both halves. Marc Hughes scored after just 35 seconds, while Stephen Paisley got the second ten minutes after half time.
It was, Mathews says, a "great start - a wonderful finish from Marc [Hughes]. I thought our performance in the first half in particular [was good], we played with a good tempo and a real pace to our play. Ray Scully probably should have got a goal just before half time to make it 2-0 from a very good position."
In his tactical assessment of the match, Mathews was frank and accurate. "Cork had possession but it was all in their own half and it wasn't really affecting us. There a good side, they've got a lot of good players and we needed to get a second goal."
That second goal did arrive though; through recently-signed centre back Stephen Paisley. "And again, a wonderful start to the second half. Stephen Paisley again makes a contribution and his partner [Ian Ryan] gets across and gets another goal. We've worked on these things and we've asked the players to all make a contribution from set pieces."
Paisley may have had a starring role in the Shels attack, but the defensive display was what carried the day for the Reds, as Mathews acknowledges. "We had to defend and we did. You have to do the work to get the points, and we did the work tonight. "
Honesty is one attribute Mathews seems to prize in his players, and when asked about how confident Shels are with four matches remaining in the season, Mathews reflects that honesty. "We'll look to Derry first. It's not a cliché, we'll just look to the Derry game. It's a difficult league [with] difficult matches week in week out. You need to be focused on the next challenge, the next challenge is Derry and that's what we'll do."
Speaking to extratime.ie in July after his side lost 2-1 at home to Derry City, who at the time were runaway leaders at the top of the table, Mathews outlined the goal simply: “to try and get out of this league.”
Now, thirteen matches into his reign in Tolka Park, that objective is about the only thing that hasn't changed. Derry lead by just a point, while Shels have leapfrogged Limerick and Waterford United and are now within striking distance of the top two.
The objective, though, is now more clearly on the horizon than it has been all season. Shels beat Cork City Foras Co-op 2-0 at home in what was a must-win match, and Mathews spoke afterwards to extratime.ie.
"That's still the objective- to continue working as hard as we can and try and win as many matches as we can. We'll see where it takes us at the end of the season. In the last few weeks results have been very good so we need to keep it going."
Mathews cut a delighted figure after the match. His side won the match thanks to strong starts in both halves. Marc Hughes scored after just 35 seconds, while Stephen Paisley got the second ten minutes after half time.
It was, Mathews says, a "great start - a wonderful finish from Marc [Hughes]. I thought our performance in the first half in particular [was good], we played with a good tempo and a real pace to our play. Ray Scully probably should have got a goal just before half time to make it 2-0 from a very good position."
In his tactical assessment of the match, Mathews was frank and accurate. "Cork had possession but it was all in their own half and it wasn't really affecting us. There a good side, they've got a lot of good players and we needed to get a second goal."
That second goal did arrive though; through recently-signed centre back Stephen Paisley. "And again, a wonderful start to the second half. Stephen Paisley again makes a contribution and his partner [Ian Ryan] gets across and gets another goal. We've worked on these things and we've asked the players to all make a contribution from set pieces."
Paisley may have had a starring role in the Shels attack, but the defensive display was what carried the day for the Reds, as Mathews acknowledges. "We had to defend and we did. You have to do the work to get the points, and we did the work tonight. "
Honesty is one attribute Mathews seems to prize in his players, and when asked about how confident Shels are with four matches remaining in the season, Mathews reflects that honesty. "We'll look to Derry first. It's not a cliché, we'll just look to the Derry game. It's a difficult league [with] difficult matches week in week out. You need to be focused on the next challenge, the next challenge is Derry and that's what we'll do."
About Niall Farrell
Niall Farrell is our correspondent at Tolka Park, covering the goings-on at Shelbourne. You can visit Niall's website for further information and contact details- niallf.net. View Full Profile