Shelbourne Prepares for Historic Clash with Crystal Palace

When the draw was made for Shelbourne’s maiden UEFA Conference League campaign, the pairing with Crystal Palace, scheduled to play in Dublin just before Christmas, promptly captured attention.

Anticipation and Sold-Out Stadium

The excitement surrounding the match is evident in the fact that Tallaght Stadium is completely sold out for Thursday night’s game. This demonstrates the significant interest and support for Shelbourne as they embark on this European adventure.

Joey O’Brien’s Familiar Foes

For Shelbourne manager joey O’Brien, facing Crystal Palace isn’t entirely new territory. He encountered them three times as a player during his time in England – though acknowledges the current Palace squad is a more formidable force than the one he previously faced.They’ve risen to prominence, culminating in their FA Cup win in May and their current fourth-place standing in the Premier League.

O’Brien humorously recalled a past encounter, saying, “I was just thinking back to a game I played against Palace. I was at fault for a goal one time and the manager nearly had a heart attack at half-time, so hopefully that doesn’t happen to me tomorrow night.”

A Memory of Big Sam

The manager in question was Sam Allardyce, during O’Brien’s time with West Ham in 2013. O’Brien remembers a specific instance where he lost his marking of Marouane Chamakh,who headed in the game’s only goal.

“That’s one that sort of sticks in the memory as, as I said, I think the manager was going to have a heart attack. So I was more concerned about hopefully him not having a heart attack going mad at me than the outcome of the game.”

O’Brien continued, reflecting on the growth of Crystal Palace, “When I was over there playing against them and stuff like that, they obviously weren’t at the heights that they’re at now, so it just shows you what’s possible for a football team.”

Focus Amidst League Hiatus

With the League of Ireland currently in its off-season, Shelbourne’s recent schedule has been entirely dedicated to preparing for their European commitments.