Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures Behind the Lines Sportswriters discuss their careers and the work that inspires them. Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Tolka Park during the half-time power cut.Ryan Byrne/INPHO League of Ireland Power cut at Tolka but champions Shelbourne blow Derry City away Lengthy stoppage as lights go out but Damien Duff’s side show intent with rip-roaring start to title defence. 10.39pm, 14 Feb 2025 Share options David Sneyd reports from Tolka Park Shelbourne 3 Derry City 1 DAMIEN DUFF HAS long since dragged Shelbourne from the darkness. Out of obscurity they have become League of Ireland champions. They started the defence of their title on this much anticipated opening night in rip-roaring fashion, racing into a 3-1 lead playing the kind of aggressive, confident football that has become the norm. Derry City, under new boss Tiernan Lynch, looked bamboozled by the energy, power and authority of the home side. They have been the closest challengers for the last three seasons but this looks like it will be a different kind of campaign for them. They needed something dramatic to happen here. A sign from above. And then the lights went out just as the teams left the pitch at half-time. Tolka Park was covered in darkness. A blown fuse box required just under one hour of work to ensure an abandonment was avoided. A club statement released before full-time explained that the club’s electrician was on hand within two minutes and with further assistance from colleagues in the ESB they were able to get the show back on the road. Advertisement The spark that has been infused in the champions over the winter remained. It had only taken nine seconds for Shels to signal their intent, Boyd winning a header in the air for Mipo Odubeko to get a sight of goal from 20 yards. The shot was tame but the menace clear. Sean Boyd scores the first from 40 yards.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO And then things really swung into life. Sean Boyd’s first was a cracker, although it was the beginning of a nightmare first 45 for Sam Todd. The Derry centre back’s attempt at a clearance from Harry Wood’s ball over the top was flimsy. It fell perfectly for Boyd, but he was still 40 yards from goal. The striker saw that goalkeeper Brian Maher was on stranded the edge of his box having possible anticipated needing to clear the danger originally. Boyd’s effort was first-time and curled to Maher’s left and in. But Derry responded through a combination of old and new on 14 minutes. Dominic Thomas was one of four winter signings in the starting XI and he was allowed cut inside on his left foot on the right. His cross to the back post was met by Michael Duffy, the hometown boy, and his header back across Conor Kearns was arrowed into the corner. The travelling fans erupted behind the goal at the opposite end. They were still lighting pyro and smoke was travelling across the pitch when they fell behind again within seconds of the re-start. Kearns launched it, Boyd held off Todd to tee up Evan Caffrey and his sharp left-footed strike just outside the area took a slight deflection off Mark Connolly on its way into the corner. It took Shels until the final month of last season to score three goals in a game on their way to the title, but they did so here by the 44th minute. Todd’s nightmare continued when he was slowest to react as Kerr McInroy fizzed a ball into the feet off Boyd just inside the area. His touch enticed the defender just enough to flick a lazy leg out and the penalty was inevitable. A darkened Tolka Park.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Shels’ top scorer in 2024 stepped up and then slipped as he took his spot kick, and while Maher got a hand to it the ball still ended up in the same corner where the first goal of the night ended up. Duff raced across the pitch – which cut up badly very early on – to give his half-time team talk and by the time he reached the dressing room the rest of Tolka had been plunged into darkness. They still had light in their section of the ground but for the next hour they worked frantically to fix the blown fuse box. Once the game was able to resume, Shels picked up where they left off in terms of being on the front foot. On another night, Mipo Odubeko could have stolen the show with a hat-trick. Just like the flurry of first-half goals, his pace in behind helped create openings between the 58th and 64th minute. He beat the offside trap for the first, controlling the ball over his shoulder coming into the box on the left, taking another touch to open his body and striking the post with the outside of his right foot. Shels’ Evan Caffrey celebrates scoring his side’s second goal of the game.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO He flashed an effort wide from the opposite side moments later and was then sent clear again only to miss the target. The relationship between him and strike partner Boyd was evident, so too with teammates who knew they had an outlet to play into space as Derry pushed up. Related Reads Cork City and Galway United finish all square after four-goal battle Magic in Molde: 24 hours with Shamrock Rovers fans on historic European trip 5 gifted young players to watch in the League of Ireland this season Todd made a fine recovery block on Odubeko 10 minutes from time when it looked as though he had sold a lovely swivel and dummy. Shels look to have the kind of energy and authority that pushed them clear at the top from the start last season. We know they can go the distance. Shelbourne: Conor Kearns; Sean Gannon, Paddy Barrett, Sam Bone, Kameron Ledwidge; Harry Wood (Rayhaan Tulloch 87); Mark Coyle (captain), Kerr McInroy (JJ Lunney 66), Evan Caffrey; Sean Boyd (Ellis Chapman 81), Mipo Odubeko (John Martin 87) Derry City: Brian Maher; Ronan Boyce, Mark Connolly (captain), Sam Todd, Shane Ferguson; Michael Duffy, Adam O’Reilly, Carl Winchester (Sadou Diallo 61), Dominic Thomas (Paul McMullan 78); Liam Boyce (Sean Patton 69), Patrick Hoban (Gavin Whyte 69) Referee: Robert Harvey. David Sneyd Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Power cut at Tolka but champions Shelbourne blow Derry City away”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Power cut at Tolka but champions Shelbourne blow Derry City away”. 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