Reds Ready for Season Opener in Waterford | OneFootball

Shelbourne FC are looking to make a winning start to the 2026 SSE Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division season campaign.

Joey O’Brien’s Reds make the trip to the RSC to face Waterford FC in Friday night’s opener.

The Reds face a competitive curtain raiser but manager Joey O’Brien is pleased to have virtually a fully fit squad to choose from, he spoke to ShelsTV after training on Thursday:

“There are a few lads still working their way back up to full speed, but pre-season has been good.

“Everyone has had minutes on the pitch. We had a shortened pre-season because of the late finish last year, but the squad looks refreshed and recharged.

“We’ve played a good number of friendlies, and most of the lads have now had two full 90-minute games. Everyone is chomping at the bit for tomorrow night.”

Both teams will be eager to get off to a winning start and lay down an early marker in what is set to be another tight and exciting season in the League of Ireland.

O’Brien has been pleased with preparations during a condensed pre-season: “We had a shortened pre-season coming back, finishing so late last year, so from a fitness point of view we wanted to make sure we played good, competitive games.

“We weren’t only focused on winning friendlies, it was about getting minutes into legs. We’ve had a couple of lads come in, new players settling, so really those games were about getting a chance for lads to get to know each other and start building partnerships and combinations, and that’s been really positive.”

O’Brien feels the squad is in good shape ahead of the new campaign: “A big plus is the age profile. It’s a really good squad, with experienced lads, and at the same time there’s a young spine running through the group. The few weeks’ break hasn’t hurt the fitness at all. ”

There’s a sense of de-ja-vu for O’Brien and his side as they hit the road to Waterford, the 2024 campaign opened their on the first night, and as it happened, Will Jarvis was also the last player signed on that occasion, the season ended with the Reds as Champions. O’Brien though is not looking at superstitions:

“A lot has changed since 2024, and going down there to play in similar conditions is going to play a part. It’s about how you manage those conditions on the night. With the weather at this time of year, it can be tough to get on good grass and actually play football the way you’d like. Sometimes you have to be adaptable, be sensible in your approach, and find ways to get results even when conditions aren’t good. That’s part of the challenge early in the season, and it’s something we’re ready for.”

With the addition of Will Jarvis earlier today, O’Brien’s squad for 2026 is complete. The Reds boss feels the club are perfectly placed going into the campaign: “It’s been brilliant, and I have to thank the board for their support on the recruitment side. Luke Byrne has done unbelievable work, people see him on the sideline and the help he is on the coaching but the recruitment side of things has been massive and the work he’s done there has been vital from the club’s point of view. Getting Will Jarvis in, keeping Wessel Speel and getting Chuck on a permanent, the club have backed us, Luke has put in a huge amount of work as well, building those personal relationships and getting deals over the line. There’s a hell of a lot that goes on behind the scenes. The board have backed it, supported it, and helped make it all happen. The club is in a very good place, we’ve been supported in bringing new players in, but also important as well, we’re not being put under pressure to sell our best players the minute there’s interest from England, that’s huge for us to have that trust.”

A number of academy graduates including James Roche and Dan Ring have signed pro terms and gone out on loan for the season ahead. O’Brien feels the club is operating in a way that allows young players to from academy teams to first team environment:

“It was a big thing I wanted to push with the lads, to help them close that next gap. We don’t have the same pro academy set-ups as some clubs, and between 16 and 18 you can miss out on a bit in terms of the learning and growth. So the way our first team is providing that pathway now is massive in terms of quality and opportunity.

“Loans like this are a real chance to bridge that step. It’s too big otherwise. It’s the only real way to do it. You need matches that mean something, where there’s pressure, where there’s something on the line, and where performances actually count. That’s how players learn. That’s how you build endurance, resilience, and real capability for first-team football.

“If you look at Lewis Temple as a recent example, it took him two loan moves, Wexford and Longford, before he came back ready to go. He was only 20, but his body was stronger, his game was more mature, and he was ready to compete. He’d played games, he’d learned, and even though he was unlucky with injury, that pathway really worked for him. He would’ve played a lot more games for us were it not for an injury, then Lewis at the end of that got the move he deserved.

“It’s easy to have young players sitting around here, oh keep them in case we get injuries, have them at training every day, but that can actually slow their development not playing with purpose in games that matter. We don’t want that. Dan and James are players we believe can be first team players for Shelbourne. The next stage for them is to be out playing proper first team football. Right now, at this moment, that’s the most important step in their development.”

Squad List 2026