Shelbourne head West to face Galway United with no away supporters

Shelbourne nearly faced next Monday’s blockbuster clash against Shamrock Rovers being played at an empty Tolka Park but Conor Kearns reckons they’ll still suffer from the absence of their fans at Galway United on Friday.

A decision by the FAI’s disciplinary control unit to penalise Shels with a home venue closure arising from a pyrotechnic incident in Drogheda United recently was overturned on appeal last week.

While the swift turnaround time of decision, appeal, assembly of appeal committee and different decision has caused widespread intrigue, the league leaders must serve their punishment with no away supporters at Eamonn Deacy Park.

Damien Duff’s side had their unbeaten run ended by Bohemians last Friday and must navigate a tricky assignment against the First Division champions before tackling the Premier champs in Monday’s live televised, sold-out clash in Drumcondra.

“The supporter-player relationship has been vital; we feed off each other,” said Shels goalkeeper Conor Kearns.

“They don’t cheer if they don’t have something to shout about. The people who put their hands in their pockets are still relying on us to make their Fridays enjoyable.

“The fact that they can’t be there doesn’t change that; yeah the atmosphere will suffer but the responsibility we feel remains.

“They’re still watching us, they’ll be at the bar in Tolka cheering us on, so it’s just as crucial to bring home three points now more than ever, as a debt of gratitude.

“We can’t be too fearful of not playing in front of our supporters. We hope that nothing like what we saw in Drogheda ever happens again in this league.

“But it’s not just Shels, it’s a league-wide issue. Unfortunately the last few weeks have shown us, anything can happen – closures