Joey O’Brien praised the Shelbourne supporters after an emotional night at Richmond Park saw the Reds extend their unbeaten run to four games with a huge Dublin derby victory over St Patrick’s Athletic.
A first-half strike proved enough for Shelbourne to secure a massive three points against their title-chasing rivals, easing some of the pressure that had built following a difficult run of form throughout April.
But after the game, O’Brien’s thoughts quickly turned to club captain Paddy Barrett, whose mother passed away earlier this week.
“It was a lovely touch by the fans,” O’Brien said after the match.
“The whole squad went down to the funeral on Wednesday to show love and support to his family. Pat was watching tonight and I’m sure this put a smile on his face for a half hour or so at this time of grief.”
The result continued a recent upturn for Shelbourne after a difficult spell which saw questions raised over O’Brien’s position following a sharp slide down the table after the international break.
— Shelbourne FC (@shelsfc) May 15, 2026
Despite the poor results, the Shelbourne boss insisted performances had remained encouraging throughout much of the run.
“We obviously had a bad April,” he admitted. “But you can only focus on the performance when you’re in bad form and some of our performances were really, really good.”
Joey O’Brien pointed specifically to last week’s frustrating 0-0 draw against Sligo Rovers, a game he felt his side fully controlled despite failing to find the breakthrough.
“We totally dominated the game last week and on another day we’d have had three or four goals,” he said.
“All I can focus on as a coach is performance and preparation. If we get those performances at home, more often than not we’ll win.”
Injuries have also played a major role in Shelbourne’s inconsistent campaign, with key players such as Paddy Barrett, Odhran Casey, Mipo Odubeko, Milan Mbeng, Will Jarvis and Ali Coote all missing significant periods.
However, O’Brien believes the return of several important players is beginning to lift the squad at a crucial stage of the season.
Milan Mbeng made his first start since February against Pats, while striker Mipo Odubeko returned to the matchday squad after a lengthy absence.
“They’ve both been out for a long time,” Joey O’Brien explained.
“They’re explosive players, which is great for us to have, but you need to be careful when players are coming back from hamstring injuries.”
“Milan is slightly ahead of Mipo. Mipo might have been able for 10 or 15 minutes tonight, but another week’s training will do him good and hopefully we can get him back on the pitch next weekend.”
— Shelbourne FC (@shelsfc) May 15, 2026