Joey O’Brien has officially replaced Damien Duff as the Shelbourne manager on a long-term contract.
Duff resigned on June 22nd, following a patchy run of results by the League of Ireland champions, that leaves them fifth in the Premier Division, 16 points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers.
The Shelbourne board confirmed O’Brien’s promotion ahead of tomorrow night’s visit of Cork City, the first match at Tolka Park since Duff’s surprise departure.
The 39-year-old was named interim manager for last week’s draws in Waterford and Galway but the Drumcondra club, led by co-owner Neil Doyle and chief executive Tomás Quinn, decided to formally promote the assistant coach before the Champions League first-round qualifier, first-leg against Linfield next Wednesday.
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“Joey has been a fundamental part of the team’s success over the last few years and proved himself to be an outstanding coach, leader and communicator,” said Luke Byrne, the club’s technical director.
“The appointment of Joey gives us continuity and stability at a crucial time in the season as well as the club’s long term strategic plan.”
Quinn added: “We’re confident Joey is the right person to lead us into the next chapter of Shelbourne’s journey.”
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Duff and O’Brien, the former Republic of Ireland teammates, have rejuvenated Shelbourne since their appointments in November 2021. After reaching the FAI Cup final in their first year, they qualified for Europe in season two and last November the pair guided the 25-1 outsiders to the club’s first league title since 2006.
O’Brien, who won fives caps for Ireland, finished his playing career at Shamrock Rovers in 2021 just weeks before the move into professional coaching.
“This is an incredible honour, of course being honest it was unexpected, not something I was thinking about,” said the 39-year-old. “The opportunity came up, and I was asked to take it. I didn’t take long to say yes, I’m obviously delighted to be given the chance and grateful for the trust shown in me by the owners and the board.”
It could prove a season-defining month for Shelbourne, with Linfield coming to Tolka next Wednesday and the second leg at Windsor Park on July 16th before a trip to Limerick to face Fairview Rangers in the FAI Cup second round.
