JOEY O’BRIEN declared in his low key appointment as new Shelbourne boss he wanted the players to take all the focus.
And Harry Wood would as he inspired Shels to a victory over ten-man Cork City at Tolka Park.
Wood – the man who scored the title winner for the Reds last year – scored after two minutes and made one for Mipo Odubeko after six minutes as the O’Brien era started at speed.
Damien Duff’s former assistant only took charge full-time 24 hours earlier – he was in charge for two draws previously when Wood and Odubeko also scored – with a low key statement.
There was no fanfare with just a statement realised on the Shelbourne website where O’Brien declared: “It’s not about me, it’s all about the players. This is a proud moment for me, but the focus is on them and what we do together from here.”
And that is what happened as Shelbourne started quickly, stayed cool when they wobbled midway through the game, and then won it late as JJ Lunney scored a fortuitous goal.
It was far from a perfect win.
Bottom club City were still let back in the game before half-time when Kitt Nelson scored and it may have been a different outcome had Charlie Lyons not been sent off after 50 minutes.
But after a tough few weeks at Tolka following Duff’s shock resignation, a win ahead of going into Champions League action against Linfield next week was a huge boost for confidence.
And the foundations were laid by Wood as Cork City debut goalkeeper Conor Brann was beaten twice inside the opening six minutes.
City were the masters of their own downfall with the concession of the first goal after just 88 seconds being self-inflicted.
They were in comfortable possession moving the ball around midfield and defence when centre half Lyons was closed down by Wood.
He tried to pass the ball out to Matthew Kiernan but Wood intercepted and raced in to scoop over the advancing Brann into the empty net.
O’Brien punched the air in celebration, and was doing so again on six minutes with a goal that was all about Shelbourne’s passing and movement.
They moved the ball quickly through midfield before Wood and Evan Caffrey played a one-two on the right and crossed low for Odubeko to fire home from close range.
Shels fans were in dreamland as their team produced the good expected of champions and it could have got even better for them.
Brann did well to save a shot from Coote later on while Odubeko fizzed a shot narrowly wide when he took advantage of a loose Cork pass in defence on 20 minutes.
Yet Shels’ bad old habits were still there too, and the visitors were never out of it as the mistakes totted up on both sides.
Darragh Crowley was only inches away from turning in a Freddie Anderson looping header when the defender was unmarked from an Alex Nolan free kick a minute later.
And two minutes from half-time, Shels’ defensive lapses finally cost them when Kitt Nelson pulled a goal back that his side scarcely deserved.
It came off a set-piece as Nolan swung it in from the right and it was returned across goal by Lyons to Anderson to teed up Nelson to fire through a thicket of legs into the net.
But whatever chance the visitors had was virtually extinguished three minutes later when Lyons was shown a straight red card for a challenge on McInroy.
And Shelbourne kept getting chances with Dan Kelly, Wood and Norris all going close before Lunney settled in seven minutes from time.
Again, it was a goal that City’s defence will not want to see back as he chased an over hit corner from the left out to the right flank.
And while there is not doubt that he was crossing the ball, no City man reacted as it bounced in the six yard box and into the net.
Shelbourne 3 (Wood 2, Odubeko 6, Lunney 83)
Cork City 1 (Nelson 43)
Sun Star Man – Harry Wood
Shelbourne: Kearns 7; Coyle 7, Barrett 7, Ledwidge 7; Caffrey 7 (Boyd 60, 6), McInroy 7 (Kelly 60, 6), Lunney 7, Norris 7; Wood 9 (O’Sullivan 79, 6), Coote 7 (Chapman 60, 6); Odubeko 7 (Martin 71, 6).
Cork City: Brann 5; Mbeng 5, Crowley 5, Anderson 5 (Lutz 76, 6), Lyons 4, Kiernan 5; Murray 5 (McLaughlin ht, 6), Bolger 6; Nelson 6 (O’Sullivan 56, 6), Nolan 6 (Kelleher 56, 6); Maguire 5 (Dijksteel ht, 6).
Referee: R Harvey (Dublin) 6.
