(The following was printed in The Shelbourne Fanzine, issue no.50, in March 2012, entitled - 117 years vs. 117 weeks, published by Red Inc.)
Finally the Real Reds, Shelbourne F.C, are big-time once more. Promotion to the Premier Division brings along with it more glamorous league outings against the likes of last years Europa League qualifiers Shamrock Rovers and last years FAI Cup champions Sligo Rovers. Old rivalries will be renewed with Dublin derbies against St.Patricks Athletic and Bohemians, and of course there will be a short trip up north on the M1 to Dundalk, a great rival since beating Shels to the title on the last day of the 1998 season. Of course with the return of these more high profile matches Tolka Park attendances will rise in numbers once more. Many lapsed Reds will return to their Friday night routine of making a date in their diary to be in Drumcondra no later than 8pm.
It is however, heartening to see a hardcore element of Shelbourne fans who have stuck with the club over the past five years in the graveyard league that is the Airtricity Division One. With the first division somehow now only consisting of eight teams and the foregone conclusion that Limerick will prevail as eventual champions after a monotonous season, it makes it all the sweeter knowing the Reds won't have to endure these fixtures anymore. There were many joyous memories encountered in Tolka Park and further afield over the past five years entwined in an abundance of both frustrating and heartbreaking moments too.
In typical Shels tradition, it culminated in a bittersweet finish by clinching promotion but yet still losing out on, a not so coveted, title of Division One champions, which went to the newly formed club from Cork. There were very few Reds who were disheartened by the eventual score that night as all that mattered was after five gruelling years travelling the length and breadth of Ireland, promotion was finally achieved.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that the club were on the brink of collapse. To see a Shelbourne team enter onto the pitch in Tolka Park against a Waterford XI, for a friendly match in February of 2007, evoked so many emotions within Shelbourne fans when they knew there was still a club to follow, after the well documented financial problems. Supporting the Reds is a way of life. You can experience extreme highs and almost instantaneous lows throughout the course of a season.
The first league match after demotion to Division One on Friday the 9th of March 2007 against the now defunct Kildare County seems like an eternity away now. Finishing in a 2-2 draw with goals from Brian Gartland and an 88th minute equaliser from Darren McKenna after Philly Gorman, a man who is now apparently good enough to line out for the Reds in the top flight of league of Ireland football, put Kildare ahead from the penalty spot. However, the final score was quietly irrelevant that day, at least we still had a team to follow both home and away.
Shelbourne have always been associated with bringing a sizable away support wherever they travel. Even in Europe during the glory days, Shelbourne had a respectable following, regards numbers that travelled. Evidence of this is the fact that when they played Spanish giants, Deportivo La Coruna in the 2004 Champions League qualifying rounds, they were the only team to fill the away section of the Riazor Stadium that year, even though Deportivo made it to the semi-finals of the competition.
In terms of away days over the past five years there have been some very memorable encounters. In May of the ‘08 season thanks to a Bisto Flood brace, Shels cut Dundalk’s lead at the top to just two points in an enthralling 1-3 victory in Oriel Park. In early September of the same year James Keddy scored twice in an unforgettable trip to Limerick in what was one of the highlights of the discover Ireland division. Keddy curled a free kick inch perfect into the net on the 86th minute mark to put the Reds into the lead. However just as Shelbourne fans began to think that three points were secured, Limerick dealt Shels a cruel blow equalising only a matter of minutes later. What followed will stick in the memory of many Reds for years to come. The sheer ecstasy of Keddy somehow managing to repeat his heroics and guide another free kick into the goal of Limerick ‘keeper Dave Ryan, in front of a few hundred strong band of travelling Shelbourne men and women. Shels eventually won 1-2 in what was an emotional roller coaster last five minutes of the match. The adulation and utter pandemonium can only be experienced from attending the match itself, albeit in the desolate surroundings of Jackman Park.
The second last game of that season was a proverbial six-pointer in the R.S.C. against Waterford United. Shels came out on top with a 0-1 victory after David McAllister, a player now settled in an ambitious Sheffield United side, neatly slotted home a penalty. The match saw Shelbourne cult hero, Dean Delany, put in a near perfect performance in goal in front of 500+ travelling Shels fans in full voice, which set up a do or die finish against Limerick, ultimately ending in the most cruel of circumstances. That was the night many Reds fans started to believe, started to think maybe this was the victory that would eventually see the Reds back where they belong in the Premier Division. That hope silently echoed through the away section where the strong away following were in full voice cordoned in by stewards in the Valhalla of over zealous stewarding that is, coincidentally John Delaney’s hometown club, Waterford United.
I must mention the unpaid work ShelsTV puts in for fans abroad to keep up to date on how the Reds are progressing, by putting together a weekly highlights package of an extremely high standard. However, nothing will ever match the passion, the tension, the adrenaline fuelled chants and celebrations, the relief and general experience of a Shelbourne away day. Although ShelsTV is a great way to view match highlights it should never be used as an excuse to not attend an away match itself.
The following year, again in the despair of the first division, saw some very memorable away fixtures. In April of 2009 the 100 or so fans, outnumbering the home support, who made the journey to Terryland Park to see Shels overcome Mervue United were treated to a heroic performance from a Shelbourne legend Kevin Doherty. Doherty bravely headed home a Dave Crawley corner with only two minutes of regulation time left to play. Doherty proceeded to celebrate in front of the away contingent almost scaling the waist-high wall separating the terrace from the pitch. The determination and gut shown by Doherty was epitomised by his Terry Butcher-esque bloody head bandage which is nearly as memorable as the winning goal itself.
In the same season of ‘09, another trip to Limerick was the fixture which had Shels fans making summer travel arrangements. The hero of the hour this time was, the now cult hero, David Cassidy, making his mark on our beloved club by slotting home an injury time winner. The skilful, solo, last minute effort came after an excellent 70th minute penalty save from Dean Delany which saw the confidence of the Reds increase in what was a fiery encounter which saw a plethora of yellow cards and both teams finishing with ten men.
Again, the celebrations can be witnessed on ShelsTV but this still will never compare to the feeling you will get when your team scores a last minute winner, particularly against a side who broke the dream of promotion the previous season. Clambering across bodies, bouncing up and down and trying to grab hold of the petite figure of David Cassidy, who immersed himself in the travelling support, playing the majority of the match with a broken nose! Grabbing hold of strangers who you now feel as if they are family as you both engulf yourself in the feelings of victory, pride and passion for the Reds.
These handful of away trips are only some of the many memories encountered over the past five years travelling Ireland supporting the Reds. Summer trips to the sunny south east to play Wexford Youths were always enjoyable, sampling the Pinot Grigio or the Chianti at halftime which were always reviewed as being too sweet or a bit woody by the masquerading suave Shelbourne following. Trips to the ever hospitable Gortakeegan, home of Monaghan United, were always quaint affairs, although on the football pitch it was never a happy hunting ground for the Reds.
Five years of travelling many miles to rural locations in all four provinces of Ireland with a group of like-minded fans of course had it's lower ebbs. One example of this was ‘gravelgate’, when a match in Ballybofey was called off while fans were en route to Donegal. This was due to Finn Harps scattering too many pebbles on the playing surface in an attempt to prevent a waterlogged pitch. However, it must be said there were certainly a lot more positives than negatives in the pursuit of promotion for the Reds in terms of away days.
An away trip in the latter part of last year’s promotion clinching season came in the form of a semi-final cup replay. This away fixture was just across the River Liffey in Inchicore and subsequently a large number of Reds made the trip across to the south side of Dublin. The Reds came away with a 1-3 victory in what will be etched in the memories of fans both young and old for the foreseeable future. The atmospheric passion, the mass hunger for victory over Dublin rivals St.Pats and the indescribable feeling of enchantment throughout the match are highs real football fans live for. It is this feeling that so many Shels fans felt on leaving Inchicore that night, I hope might ignite their want to travel to away matches more often with Shels.
Although my previous descriptions of away games over the past five seasons might be inane ramblings, just words to many fans, to a select few it will be so much more. To a select few who make the effort of organising half days from work, working around college timetables and perhaps saving a nights drinking money in order to be able to afford an away trip, this will remind them of the joyous occasions. It is looking back on the trouncing received at the hands of Cork in Turners Cross last season and the monsoon like conditions in Drom, county Galway, the same year that make promotion into the premier division all the more satisfying. Friendships have formed over the years between the band of travelling supporters, as you get to recognise the same faces in stadia across the country.
So as the Reds are big-time once more, it is notable that the amount of away trips lessen. Eight teams, including Shelbourne, are all within the Pale. If you include Monaghan too as Gortakeegan is within reasonable cycling distance, that means there is only three sides who away day status remains, namely, Sligo Rovers, the newly formed Cork City and another club in it's early stages of life Derry City. So taking the geography of our opponents into consideration, it's never been easier for the Shelbourne faithful to attend away games. All matches are within reasonable driving distance, with the Bohs match even within walking distance from Tolka Park. The Carlisle Grounds of Bray is located adjacent to the DART station, so there’s no reason why away crowds should not greatly increase this year.
This year, the first away match the club will be running a bus to will be Dundalk away, which falls on Good Friday. With many pubs and clubs closing on this Holy Day what better way is there to spend a dull Friday than to sample a Shels match up in Oriel Park? After five years exiled in the first division with little to cheer about, not forgetting about a Leinster Senior Cup champions title, it is of paramount importance to show other clubs of the league the Reds are back. With the resurrection to top flight football, hopefully will come a strong following both home and away, particularly for the more wanderlust of Redsmen. The good times are back, so make the most of it while it lasts and revel in the vivacious experience of a Shelbourne away trip.
S.DAWSON 08/03/12
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