Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture 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 Shelbourne captain Mark Coyle.Grace Halton/INPHO 'There's definitely been a recharge' - Shelbourne captain confident ahead of Champions League tie Mark Coyle moving on from departure of Damien Duff as tomorrow’s All Ireland clash with Linfield sharpens focus. 5.31pm, 8 Jul 2025 Share options SHELBOURNE HEAD COACH Joey O’Brien says his side are “looking to attack” their Champions League qualifier with Linfield tomorrow night. And captain Mark Coyle feels there has been “a recharge” among the squad since former boss Damien Duff’s shock resignation last month. Shels come into the first leg of their first round tie at Tolka Park on the back of two draws and a win in the League of Ireland Premier Division since O’Brien stepped up to fill the void left by Duff. Linfield, on the other hand, only returned for pre-season three and a half weeks ago and have just two games under their belt. David Healy’s side beat Welsh top flight side Haverfordwest County 4-0 on 28 June before losing the NIFL Charity Shield final to Dungannon Swifts on penalties last Friday. O’Brien’s permanent appointment in charge was confirmed before a well deserved home win against bottom club Cork City on the same night. Naturally, the exit of Duff remained a talking point on the eve of a historic All Ireland clash on the European stage and Coyle was asked if there was a renewed sense of purpose since his departure. “Yeah, look, it’s obviously a new era. Our new gaffer is sitting beside me. And I just think that’s what we’re focused on, making new memories. And that’s basically what we’re excited for. And there’s definitely been a recharge, you could say, or a change. And we’re just looking forward to it now,” Coyle said. Advertisement “It’s been addressed that we obviously have huge respect and love for the ex-manager. But as I said now, we’re excited for the new era, the gaffer here. It’s been great. He’s put his own stamp on things. And you can see that around the ground. There’s obviously an excitement. And that, it’s just about creating new memories now.” O’Brien is the one tasked with inspiring a turnaround in Shels’ season – they’re currently fifth but only five adrift of second place – after taking on the mantle from assistant to Duff. “Look, I think we’ve probably seen another side to him because now he is in charge,” Coyle said. “From what I’ve seen he has got all the attributes to be a great manager. But it’s down to us as players to make sure that happens for him. “He gives us that leeway to take charge of it and make sure that we go out and perform. It’s just been a good buzz and the excitement of this as well has added to that. It’s just about putting in a performance and focusing on that now,” he added, citing his belief of the improvement in the squad. Shels head coach Joey O'Brien.Grace Halton / INPHO Grace Halton / INPHO / INPHO “Yeah, I definitely do. I think if you look across the whole season, to be honest, in a lot of games we were unlucky, we put in a lot of good performances and it’s mainly been down to mistakes by ourselves. “We have also been hit by injuries to big players, which didn’t help our confidence along the way. As the gaffer said, we have a new clean bill of health and I feel like we are reaping the rewards of that now. Again, you are only as good as your last game, so it’s about going out and showing that.” The derby factor to this Champions League tie adds another enticing element, with Tolka Park a sell-out albeit with a reduced a capacity due to Uefa regulations regarding terraced areas. Just shy of 300 travelling supporters will make their way south and while O’Brien admitted he has not watched much Irish League football other than required analysis of tomorrow’s opponents, he is relishing the atmosphere and the occasion. “It’s a game that, especially here, we’re looking to attack. We’re going out to win the way we would against any team we play here, you know,” he said, insisting the 4-1 win Shamrock Rovers enjoyed over Larne in last season’s Uefa Conference League would have “no bearing” on a completely different challenge. O’Brien also preferred not to focus too much on the concession of cheap goals throughout this season. “Look, you can’t keep dwelling on it and looking back, you just have to go onto the next game and be confident and attack it. “As I said, our performances have been really good in the last three games, so that’s the only thing you focus on, your performance, and hopefully if you get that right, the result follows. “Ultimately when you get onto the pitch the two sets of players are feeling each other out and the game sort of moves on from there. I’m sure in European football, in my experience of it, you have some good halves and some bad halves. Ultimately when you are having a good half, you take advantage of that. Sometimes when you are in a bad half, you just stay in the game, knowing that it’s going to turn around for you. “That’s something that we would have touched on last year with the lads. I think last year going into the game against [St Joseph’s of] Gibraltar, we were probably lacking a little bit in experience. “But I think that run of Gibraltar and then FC Zurich, we saw how good and bad football can be at European level, how ruthless it can be. We took great learnings from that to bring into this tie.” Tomorrow – Shelbourne v Linfield, Live on RTÉ 2, 7.45pm. David Sneyd Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'There's definitely been a recharge' - Shelbourne captain confident ahead of Champions League tie”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'There's definitely been a recharge' - Shelbourne captain confident ahead of Champions League tie”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Champions League League of Ireland News in 60 seconds FreeMan in the Middle Galway's Liam Gordon to referee All-Ireland senior hurling final 20 mins ago Freeeuro 2025 Wales players unhurt after team bus involved in crash on way to training 42 mins ago Wimbledon line technology fails again as Fritz reaches semi-finals 51 mins ago FreeWimbledon Sabalenka avoids major shock with fightback win over Laura Siegemund 57 mins ago FreeCycling Pogacar wins Tour de France stage four for career century FreePlan Ahead Here's this week's GAA inter-county schedule and TV coverage FreeBack to Work Liverpool players report for pre-season training following funeral of Diogo Jota Performance Friend 'I love the way of life in the west of Ireland. They're my type of people' Murray Kinsella Reports from Canberra Kerry duo ruled out of All-Ireland semi-final Controversy Mayo GAA apologise to McStay over statement, U20 and minor managers step down Sinner advances to Wimbledon quarter-finals in bizarre fashion more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account