Signing for Shels
Credit:
As most readers of my column will know, I became a free agent after Sporting Fingal ceased trading. A number of clubs, including Premier League clubs, held discussions with me with a view to signing. I first met Alan Matthews in the Crowne Plaza four days before I officially signed for Shelbourne. What struck me most about Alan was his burning ambition for the club and his genuine honesty and integrity. We spoke for well over an hour on all matters football over a couple of cups of coffee. We only started discussing my potential move to Shelbourne in the final 10/15 minutes of our conversation. After leaving the hotel, and with other offers on the table, I gave the matter serious consideration. I had more or less made up my mind that I would sign for Shelbourne.
I went home to discuss the situation with my partner Amanda. She told me to do what I considered best for me. I think she was happy when I decided to sign for Shelbourne because of all the grounds I have brought her to over the years, Tolka Park was the one she liked best. According to Amanda, she loved the mix of young and old at the games, along with the atmosphere that no other ground has and of course, the chipper! I put pen to paper with Shelbourne on Sunday 13th February 2011. I signed for the club I supported as a young lad and was looking forward to the challenge ahead in getting Shelbourne back to the Premier Division.
After joining Shelbourne, we had a training session in Tolka Park and as I was walking behind the goal heading towards the dressing room I got a tingle in the back of my neck as I realised I was joining a club steeped in history and with great players that have graced the Tolka Park pitch for years. I was in the stands cheering on my heroes during the 90’s, now I was going to play on that same pitch in the red colours that are synonymous with Shelbourne. When I got home that evening, I wanted to get to know more about the club I was joining. As a fan, I knew all about the 90’s but I wanted to know more. Players can go training, play 90 minutes of football and go home and repeat this every week for the season and not actually get to know the club they are actually playing for. I wanted to be different in this regard. I want to know the in’s and out’s of the club. I want to know the history of the club, be on first name terms with everyone working at Tolka Park on match nights, stop and talk to fans, answer their questions and try to be a role model for the young supporters of Shelbourne.
After reading up on the club that evening (and following evenings), I learned a lot about the club. I read all about former players who played for Shelbourne. I found out that Jimmy Johnstone, the 1967 European Cup Winner with Celtic played nine games for Shelbourne during the 1977-78 season. I read all about the clubs record goalscorer. No, not Jason Byrne, Glen Crowe or one of my favourite Shelbourne players Stephen Geoghegan. It was in fact Eric Barber. He scored a record 126 goals for the reds. His association with Shelbourne spanned four decades starting in the fifties as a player and ending in the eighties as the club’s manager. A real fans favourite when I was a supporter was Wes Hoolahan. His performance against Deportivo in the Champions League Qualifier is the greatest League of Ireland performance from an individual I have ever seen.
Jason Byrne scored for fun while with Shelbourne and earned himself two international caps whilst at Tolka Park, a feat not achieved by many in recent seasons playing League of Ireland. I could go on and talk about other players I didn’t realise played for Shelbourne. Eoin Hand and Joe Haverty are two of these. I did not realise until the other day that Gerry Doyle tried to sign my father for Shelbourne back in 1974. But I suppose the one name that will always be associated with Shelbourne is of course the late Ollie Byrne. I never got the opportunity to meet the man but his love and devotion for a football club in Ireland was evident for all to see.
The success of Shelbourne FC is phenomenal. 13 League of Ireland titles, 7 FAI Cup wins, 1 League Cup win, and 19 Leinster Senior Cup victories say it all. However, at the moment, those days seem so far away. The club are in the First Division and have experienced heartbreak over the last few years in trying to escape from the division. Mention the word Limerick to any Shelbourne fan and I’m sure you will get a shake of the head or a frown from them. Sporting Fingal beat them in the promotion play-off the following year. I joined Shelbourne because I believe the squad Alan has assembled is good enough to achieve promotion to the Premier Division. Four of my former team-mates at Sporting Fingal are club mates now at Shelbourne. Stephen Paisley, Colm James, Lorcan Fitzgerald and Kevin Dawson. The Premier Division is where I want to be playing football and, in that regard, I am no different to any ambitious footballer but I want to be playing Premier Division football with the team I supported as a child, a club that my father got me interested in, a club steeped in history with so many great players that have played for the club.
But that was then and this is now. A new campaign, a new hope. We were delighted to get the ball rolling last Saturday week in Flancare Park when we came from behind to beat Longford Town 2-1. I was delighted to score the equaliser – my first goal in my first competitive game for the club. David Cassidy got a wonder goal for us and should be a real contender for goal of the season. I had scored 3 goals in a pre-season friendly against Baldoyle United but to score my first competitive goal for Shelbourne on my first competitive start, was quite special. And on Sunday we beat Crettyard United 1-0 in Carlow in the Leinster Senior Cup where once again I got on the score sheet with the winning goal five minutes from time. I cannot wait to play in Tolka on Friday in our first home game of the season when we take on Wexford Youths.
The players at Shelbourne want to create our own bit of history. We want to be the team that takes Shelbourne back to where the club belongs. We will strive for that this season and we are determined and confident we will achieve just that.
I went home to discuss the situation with my partner Amanda. She told me to do what I considered best for me. I think she was happy when I decided to sign for Shelbourne because of all the grounds I have brought her to over the years, Tolka Park was the one she liked best. According to Amanda, she loved the mix of young and old at the games, along with the atmosphere that no other ground has and of course, the chipper! I put pen to paper with Shelbourne on Sunday 13th February 2011. I signed for the club I supported as a young lad and was looking forward to the challenge ahead in getting Shelbourne back to the Premier Division.
After joining Shelbourne, we had a training session in Tolka Park and as I was walking behind the goal heading towards the dressing room I got a tingle in the back of my neck as I realised I was joining a club steeped in history and with great players that have graced the Tolka Park pitch for years. I was in the stands cheering on my heroes during the 90’s, now I was going to play on that same pitch in the red colours that are synonymous with Shelbourne. When I got home that evening, I wanted to get to know more about the club I was joining. As a fan, I knew all about the 90’s but I wanted to know more. Players can go training, play 90 minutes of football and go home and repeat this every week for the season and not actually get to know the club they are actually playing for. I wanted to be different in this regard. I want to know the in’s and out’s of the club. I want to know the history of the club, be on first name terms with everyone working at Tolka Park on match nights, stop and talk to fans, answer their questions and try to be a role model for the young supporters of Shelbourne.
After reading up on the club that evening (and following evenings), I learned a lot about the club. I read all about former players who played for Shelbourne. I found out that Jimmy Johnstone, the 1967 European Cup Winner with Celtic played nine games for Shelbourne during the 1977-78 season. I read all about the clubs record goalscorer. No, not Jason Byrne, Glen Crowe or one of my favourite Shelbourne players Stephen Geoghegan. It was in fact Eric Barber. He scored a record 126 goals for the reds. His association with Shelbourne spanned four decades starting in the fifties as a player and ending in the eighties as the club’s manager. A real fans favourite when I was a supporter was Wes Hoolahan. His performance against Deportivo in the Champions League Qualifier is the greatest League of Ireland performance from an individual I have ever seen.
Jason Byrne scored for fun while with Shelbourne and earned himself two international caps whilst at Tolka Park, a feat not achieved by many in recent seasons playing League of Ireland. I could go on and talk about other players I didn’t realise played for Shelbourne. Eoin Hand and Joe Haverty are two of these. I did not realise until the other day that Gerry Doyle tried to sign my father for Shelbourne back in 1974. But I suppose the one name that will always be associated with Shelbourne is of course the late Ollie Byrne. I never got the opportunity to meet the man but his love and devotion for a football club in Ireland was evident for all to see.
The success of Shelbourne FC is phenomenal. 13 League of Ireland titles, 7 FAI Cup wins, 1 League Cup win, and 19 Leinster Senior Cup victories say it all. However, at the moment, those days seem so far away. The club are in the First Division and have experienced heartbreak over the last few years in trying to escape from the division. Mention the word Limerick to any Shelbourne fan and I’m sure you will get a shake of the head or a frown from them. Sporting Fingal beat them in the promotion play-off the following year. I joined Shelbourne because I believe the squad Alan has assembled is good enough to achieve promotion to the Premier Division. Four of my former team-mates at Sporting Fingal are club mates now at Shelbourne. Stephen Paisley, Colm James, Lorcan Fitzgerald and Kevin Dawson. The Premier Division is where I want to be playing football and, in that regard, I am no different to any ambitious footballer but I want to be playing Premier Division football with the team I supported as a child, a club that my father got me interested in, a club steeped in history with so many great players that have played for the club.
But that was then and this is now. A new campaign, a new hope. We were delighted to get the ball rolling last Saturday week in Flancare Park when we came from behind to beat Longford Town 2-1. I was delighted to score the equaliser – my first goal in my first competitive game for the club. David Cassidy got a wonder goal for us and should be a real contender for goal of the season. I had scored 3 goals in a pre-season friendly against Baldoyle United but to score my first competitive goal for Shelbourne on my first competitive start, was quite special. And on Sunday we beat Crettyard United 1-0 in Carlow in the Leinster Senior Cup where once again I got on the score sheet with the winning goal five minutes from time. I cannot wait to play in Tolka on Friday in our first home game of the season when we take on Wexford Youths.
The players at Shelbourne want to create our own bit of history. We want to be the team that takes Shelbourne back to where the club belongs. We will strive for that this season and we are determined and confident we will achieve just that.
