Damien Duff identifies Shelbourne's main area for concern as title race intensifies

Ex-Ireland legend Damien Duff knows League of Ireland leaders Shelbourne need to start firing again with just six games to go

Damien Duff has vowed to ‘figure out a way’ to get Shelbourne firing again so they cross the finishing line in first place.

The Reds saw their Premier Division lead reduced to three points after losing 1-0 in Galway last night while Derry City and Shamrock Rovers drew 1-1 at the Brandywell.

Jimmy Keohane scored a cracking goal to fire Galway into a second-minute lead and the Tribesmen were good value for their victory and could have won by more.

READ MORE: Dundalk boss Jon Daly sets clear objective after three weeks without a game

READ MORE: League of Ireland title race takes another twist as Shelbourne lose to Galway

Shelbourne have recorded just one win in their last seven league games and that form will be a cause for concern with just six matches left in the title race. After a run of games on the road, Shels have four home games in those final six outings with Duff looking to turn Tolka Park into a fortress at this vital juncture.

But the manager admits some of his players have gone flat at precisely the wrong time of the season - and knows he must fix it.

Duff said: “To win leagues you have to be at your best and I don't think we are. There's a lot of guys not at their best and effectively that's on me. There's a lot of individuals throughout the team and the squad that ain't playing to the best of their ability and it’s on me.

“It's going to affect performances. Are we playing at our best level as a team? I don't think so. So it's up to us, or me, to keep figuring out a way.”

Duff hinted at personnel changes for next Friday’s home clash with Sligo Rovers and said: “We're in the business end of the season and it's a strange position .There's six games to go and we're trying to find our best team and best formation which doesn't happen too often.

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“You're going for a league and trying to figure out 'what's best here?' But we need to try and figure it out soon. There's been a lot of changes (with players leaving and arriving) in the last few months, but we'll keep working hard and being positive.”

With Dundalk saved for now after stepping back from the financial abyss, it means the league table remains unaltered. Had the Lilywhites results been expunged, Derry City would have leapfrogged Shels into first place in a revamped table.

Duff is glad it hasn’t come to that but first and foremost feels Dundalk’s demise would have been a dark day for Irish football.

“I thought for the league that if this happens, there's been so many positive news stories, (about how) it's grown and grown and grown. We would have been a laughing stock, the league, as a whole, if it happened. Dundalk, an iconic club, a big club and for them to go out of business would have been the worst.”

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