The start to the first League of Ireland title defence in almost two decades has been steady rather than storming from Shelbourne.
Damien Duff's side clinched the title in dramatic fashion with a last-gasp win against Derry last November, having held on for dear life from an early season point of dominance.
A comprehensive win over the same opposition on the opening night of this campaign seemed to have Shels on the right track but the ship has steadied somewhat in the weeks since.
Compared to the 19 points Shels took from their opening seven games last year, they sit on 12 so far after three wins, three draws, and a loss from the same amount of games this year.
It is not something that greatly concerns club captain Mark Coyle and, though he feels Shelbourne can improve as the season goes on, he still believes they have improved in several major areas from last season's title win.
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Shelbourne captain digests biggest change as defending champions
14 February 2025; Mark Coyle of Shelbourne after the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Shelbourne and Derry City at Tolka Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Coyle spoke to Balls.ie and the Irish media on Wednesday afternoon, as he and his teammates prepare for a crunch top-of-the-table clash with St. Patrick's Athletic in Inchicore on Friday night.
The 28-year-old said that Shelbourne had been sloppy but, on the whole, their control of games had vastly increased from last year.
"What I would say is...we had that great run (at the start of last season), but overall we are probably performing overall better than we did last year," Coyle argued when asked to comment on Shelbourne's performances thus far.
"In terms of results, it’s probably not going as well for us, so it’s just important that we keep consistently improving and making sure we are right for each game.
"I just think when I look at games we’ve played, I would say the majority of the games where we didn’t get a result was from our own mistakes. That’s probably where we haven’t been performing as well as we did last year. We were very good in that aspect last year.
"But, in terms of on the ball, we are dominating teams. I would actually say on Friday night against Sligo, it was probably the worst we’ve been on the ball but we won. It was just through hard work and working hard for each other. If we can get a mixture of the two we can be a real force.
"On the ball and how we’ve been dominating teams, it’s been the best since I’ve been at Shels in terms of creating chances. That’s probably due to how well teams have been set up against us. So it’s about looking at it again and us and what we can bring."
In tandem with that shift, Coyle said he had noticed a change in how opposition teams approach facing the defending champions.
There's robably not necessarily a target [on Shelbourne's backs], but definitely teams have set up differently and have probably given us a bit more respect in terms of when we have the ball.
They have definitely brought their A game as well, because there has been no easy game this year. There is definitely that aspect of it.
But for us, it’s about how we approach the games and what we bring and what we impose on the games. I would say we haven’t reached the levels we expect of ourselves, but we are a hard-working group and we will continue to do that to make sure we do.
Shelbourne strengthened over the winter, and Coyle says that the added competition for places has increased motivation across the squad. The skipper also thinks that some valuable lessons were learned en route to the title last year.
"We definitely learned from the experience of last year," Coyle reflected, "I think a big aspect of it is not panicking, remaining calm, because it’s a long, long season. We haven’t even gotten through the first round of games yet, so there is no need for panic, it is just about working hard and making sure we rectify the mistakes we made in past games."
28 March 2025; Shelbourne manager Damien Duff celebrates after his side's victory in the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Sligo Rovers and Shelbourne at The Showgrounds in Sligo. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Last Friday saw Shels score two early on in Sligo and hold on for victory. It was a win that had Damien Duff riled up in the Shels dugout, and the importance of victory was not lost on Mark Coyle and his teammates.
I think the biggest aspect of it was that we got through it winning a bit ugly. It reminded me of last year, in some ways, of how we won a lot of games. That willingness to work hard for each other and do anything to get the three points. I think that really stands to a group when you win games like that, so I’d say that was probably the biggest satisfaction from the game.
So, on to this Friday.
St. Pats v Shels. Stephen Kenny v Damien Duff. Top of the league v defending champions. For Coyle, Friday's opponents are right in the mix to win this year's title.
"Of course they’re serious [contenders]," Coyle said, "There’s a lot of quality in their group, they’ve got a lot of top players and obviously a manager who’s been there and done it numerous times in Stephen Kenny. They’re proper challengers, as are we."
'As are we.' A quiet statement of intent from the Shelbourne captain.
A week after travelling to Inchicore, Shelbourne host Bohemians in Tolka Park, before a trip to Tallaght later in April. Though he thinks that there are still improvements to be made for Shelbourne, Coyle admits there would be no better time of the season to find a new level.
"I would say we probably haven’t reached the levels that we want to so far," Coyle re-stated, "I’m sure if we want to keep working hard, we will.
"There’s no better time to do that than when Dublin derbies are coming up thick and fast. They are the best games for us as players because of how the fans are at them. They’re just big occasions, the ones you want to be involved in. There’s no better time for us to click into gear than now."
Shelbourne face St. Patrick's Athletic in Inchicore on Friday night, with kick-off at 7:45pm. The game is live on Virgin Media Two.
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