“Enjoy It”: O’Brien’s Message to Players and Fans Before Sligo Clash | OneFootball

The League of Ireland Champions Shelbourne welcome Sligo Rovers to Tolka Park tomorrow in the penultimate home league fixture of the season.

Speaking ahead of the game, Reds boss Joey O’Brien confirmed that only long-term absentees Conor Kearns and Sam Bone remain unavailable, while Sean Moore continues to be monitored after a recent groin issue:

“Same squad as the other night, Paddy Barrett is still suspended and the other boys are a bit away yet. We thought about appealing Pat’s ban, but given the wording of the ruling and the way the fixtures fell, two games in a week, it was only a week really he missed, so we left it. Lewis stepped up and was brilliant. He’s been patient and he’s done really well. He waited for the chance and took it very well, really pleased for him.”

A win for the Reds at Tolka tomorrow would be a massive step towards a top three finish, O’Brien knows there is a big fight feel to nights like this: “There’s a cup-final feel to it, we say it every week, this stage of the season, but it is the truth, at the business end where you want to be, with something on the line. It’ll be the same tomorrow night. Sligo are a really difficult opponent, if you’ve seen the form table, they’re second in it, which shows how dangerous they are. We’re expecting a really tough game, they’re a real attacking team with proper quality everywhere, we know we need to be on it to get a result.”

The Reds enter into their next UEFA Conference League matchday next Thursday, with a trip to North Macedonia. O’Brien though says their full focus will not stray from tomorrow:

“No, definitely not, it hasn’t even come up, to be honest. The plan was always this week, it’s a massive one we said was probably the defining week of the season. Rovers, Cork, Sligo, no thoughts about Europe on Thursday, just knuckling down and having a big week. Friday–Monday was great, but it’s gone now and means nothing, it’s on to the next one. There’s loads on the line, and it’s the last Friday night under the lights this season. We know what we have to do, now it’s about delivering”

With just three League of Ireland games remaining, O’Brien admits it’s hard to believe they are closing in on the finish line: “It’s mad how quick the season’s gone, it creeps up on you and suddenly you’re two weeks from the end. On Monday we’ve kept the squad fresh, and that’s the benefit of how strong it is. I’ve mixed it up and changed it, I’ve banged on about the depth and you don’t want to just talk about it you want to give lads opportunities to play. We’ve picked certain players for certain games.

When it’s all said and done, League, Europe, Cup, we’re probably close to 50 games this season, give or take. There have been a lot of three-game weeks that add up, so we’ve tried to keep the lads fresh mentally and physically. The boys who haven’t played as much are chomping at the bit and they bring real freshness and energy and as a staff we’ve seen the benefit the last few games in particular.”

Not many Reds would have predicted how the season would unfold, and while O’Brien hasn’t had the time to sit back and reflect in great depth and the twists and turns that led him to taking the top job at Tolka Park, he opened up on his pride at becoming Shels manager earlier this summer:

“I am in a privileged position, feel like one of the luckiest people in the world really to manage this club. I’ve said it to the lads a few times across the year, what we do, being involved in professional football, we’re so lucky. When you feel that, you’ve got to enjoy it. Going out and playing football is everything, for someone like me, the next best thing is coaching and managing, being right there at the front of the fight. It’s a special place to be and we never take it for granted, you’re lucky but you have to enjoy it. Forget the stress and pressure.

I always think about the people in the stands, everyone has stuff going on in their lives, people come to Tolka on Friday, we want to give them a release. Our players are lucky to do what they do, there is plenty of people who live and breathe this club and would do anything to put on that jersey on a Friday, our lads get to do it, and they need to enjoy that responsibility and embrace it, because when they succeed, what that does for people, the lift it gives, the joy it brings, there’s nothing like it.”

“There’s something special about Irish football, about Tolka Park, that’s what we live for. It’s the last Friday at home in 2025, a monster game with a great atmosphere no doubt. The message? Enjoy it.”