Taking a leaf out of Mourinho's book and evergreen Amond - Shels 0-1 Waterford

Irish Daily Mirror

05-05-2025

New managers tend to come in when a team is at a low ebb, but that's not the case for John Coleman. He watched from the main stand as Waterford won their third game in a row under interim boss Matt Lawlor.
The Blues' performances under Lawlor, who heads back now to Fleetwood Town, mean Coleman has something positive to build on as he begins life at the RSC.
But they also pile the pressure on the former Sligo Rovers and Accrington Stanley manager, as expectations are a lot higher now than had he taken over while Waterford were on their run of seven consecutive defeats.
Damien Duff delved into his old manager Jose Mourinho's play-book by making a pair of first-half substitutions, when he took off Ellis Chapman and JJ Lunney after just 33 minutes against Waterford.
Mourinho never feared making an early change, with Eric Dier famously hauled off just before the half-hour mark during the Portuguese manager's time at Spurs.
Duff, in fact, once benefited from such a change, with Mourinho bringing on the winger and striker Didier Drogba for Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips after just 26 minutes of a 2006 clash with Fulham.
The early double-change didn't work on that occasion, with Chelsea losing 1-0 - mirroring Shelbourne's defeat on Monday to Waterford.
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Padraig Amond might have celebrated his 37th birthday last month, but the striker once again proved his evergreen status by netting his fourth goal of the season.
Kameron Ledwidge didn't get off the ground as he challenged for Conan Noonan's third-minute delivery from the right, and Amond headed the Blues into an early lead.
In saying that, Shels keeper Conor Kearns should have kept it out.
Instead Kearns, despite getting both hands to the ball, let Amond's header slip through his grasp and over the line.
Amond proved a menace throughout and he could have had a second when he raced onto a Tommy Lonergan flick in the 19th minute and, spotting Kearns off his line, attempted to lob the net-minder from 20 yards. That effort landed on the roof of the net.
He tested the keeper in the second-half with a fierce half-volley that Kearns could only parry.
Roddy Collins was a mile offside to describe Mipo Odubeko as 'probably one of the worst finishers I have seen in Irish football' - but the former West Ham prospect did his side of the argument no favours with a poor first-half effort, with Shels trailing against Waterford.
He did everything right until it came to the execution, beating the offside trap to latch onto a Harry Woods through-ball, before dragging his shot well wide of the far post with the goal at his mercy.
Shelbourne won the league last year thanks largely to their blistering start, which stood to them when they hit a sticky patch later in the campaign.
Monday's defeat to Waterford means they have not won in their last five games, meaning there will be less room for error this time around when we close in on the business end of the season.