'When you're not nervous it's time to jack it in and go to the pub ...
Damien Duff is adamant that it would be “stupid” to rule reigning champions Shamrock Rovers out of the league title race for this season despite the gap that the Hoops have to make up.
And for Duff’s Reds, their cause has been complicated and weakened by news that Hull City have prematurely ended the loan deal for attacker Will Jarvis, who had been due to see out the 2024 season with Shels but their top scorer is now back at Hull having played his last game on Monday.
It was honours even when the top two of Shels and Derry City met on Monday night, a tense 0-0 draw leaving things as they were in the battle for the title and even when those tensions boiled over after the final whistle, when there was a verbal confrontation between rivals manager Duff and Ruaidhrí Higgins, Duff played that down.
"Emotion, tension,” Duff said when asked what had happened. “Ruaidhrí is probably my only friend in the League of Ireland so I guess I've none left now. I never had many anyway. There is no one else to talk to.
"On a serious note, I love Ruaidhrí, whether I get a chance to speak to him now, he was the one person that kept me sane when I was in the Irish gig. So much respect for him, what he's done at Derry. He's a brilliant, brilliant guy. He's a big boy, I am. We'll brush it off,” added Duff, as Higgins also downplayed the touchline episode as “handbags”.
Derry and Shels do appear to be on course to fight it out between them for the title as Rovers are 11 points behind Shels, albeit with a game in hand. Hoops manager Stephen Bradley admitted that his side essentially needed to win every league game between now and the end of the season – Rovers have won four of the last 11 league matches and face a testing spell with domestic games moved to accommodate their European fixtures.
"Everyone keeps talking about Derry and us but I never thought Rovers were out of it, regardless of 10, 12 points,” says Duff. “Brilliant team, brilliant players, brilliant manager. Everything about them is brilliant. They've been going along nicely and they'll be happy that nobody is talking about them. I'm not stupid, they are absolutely in it.”
Shelbourne's Will Jarvis is fouled by Derry's Ciarán Coll at Tolka Park. Photo: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
Opposing number Ruaidhrí Higgins agrees. “There's more than two teams involved in it. Anyone who thinks any different is wrong,” he said.
"They [Rovers] are not out of it. One hundred percent they’re involved in because I’ve no doubt they’ve got the quality to string a load of wins together. I’m not just firing it out there for the craic – I genuinely believe that they’re in it.”
Rovers and Shels both have issues in attack: the Reds will be without Sean Boyd for a spell due to injury while losing Jarvis at this stage of the season is a major blow. Rovers were pleased to see Graham Burke, who has started just 13 league games this term, return from injury and score the winner away to Waterford last week while Rory Gaffney, absent since April, is still on his way back.
Today's Sports News in 90 Seconds - 6th August
Duff admits that nerves played a part in a sub-par display at home to Derry, where they had just one proper attempt on goal, but feels his players can get over the line.
“They're no mugs, to be top of the league for 25 f***ing games. You're allowed to be nervous,” he says.
“I was on the touchline, I'm 45, I was nervous. I'm sure Ruaidhrí was nervous. You're allowed to be nervous. It just crept into our game a tad.
"When I played as a footballer I was nervous, when you're not nervous it's time to jack it in and go to the pub. Nerves can be a fine line. The guys are ready, brilliant. We move on.”
