OWEN Heary is happy with the direction his club are going after some shrewd transfer business over the last few weeks has helped give Shelbourne’s promotion hopes a shot in the arm. “I’d like to think that we are turning into more of a professional
OWEN Heary is happy with the direction his club are going after some shrewd transfer business over the last few weeks has helped give Shelbourne’s promotion hopes a shot in the arm. “I’d like to think that we are turning into more of a professional club with the type of players I’m bringing in,” Heary said after watching his side record a 3-1 win over Cobh Ramblers at Tolka Park on Friday evening. “The likes of Karl Moore and Paddy Kavanagh, who I worked with at Bohs and know what he is about, and how professional they are. You are hoping the likes of Shane [Farrell] and Dayle [Rooney] see how they are and that rubs off on them. We have a good blend of young payers and senior pros so hopefully that will keep us intact for the playoffs if we get there.” The victory saw Shels rise to third in the table with four games remaining. UCD look like they will secure the automatic promotion spot so a playoff position is more of a realistic aim, and this win could prove vital to hitting that target. The home side took the lead through James English after just three minutes. Cobh equalised midway through the first half, but a fine Alan Byrne effort was followed by a penalty from English in the space of three second half minutes to hand Shels all three points. “I think we got complacent to be honest because it was a little bit too easy for us at the start,” said Heary. “We scored a goal and had a couple of chances, then we sort of overplayed at the back instead of given it into the midfield, getting Karl on the ball and getting Paddy on the ball. We stopped doing what we were doing. We started taking the extra touch and all of a sudden a goal goes in via a deflection and it’s 1-1. The fellas got a little bit panicky because we know we have to win these games. “We regrouped at half-time and told them not to panic. That’s why we have a decent bench; because we can bring players on who can change games. “It’s important to keep doing the right things when lads get a little bit nervous because they know they have to win. In fairness to Cobh, they weren’t bad. They were hard to break down but once we got the second goal we were able to relax a little bit.”
League of Ireland
