Sean Gannon’s incredible League of Ireland title record as Damien Duff hails ‘best full-back’

Damien Duff has hailed Sean Gannon as the best full-back in the League of Ireland - as the Dubliner looks to extend his record to 11 title wins.

While Gannon insists that he does not count the 2011 success with Shamrock Rovers on his roll of honours, as he played just once that season, no player in the history of Irish football has been involved in as many title wins.

He has already smashed the record of seven, held jointly by Johnny Matthews and Shelbourne legend Owen Heary - and is now in the process of setting a target that will be hard to match.

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Incredibly, he has failed to win the League of Ireland in just three of his 13 full seasons in senior football so far.

And as our figures show, his lowest ever finish was fourth - in his first season proper when Shamrock Rovers failed to defend their title during the 2012 campaign.

Duff hailed his brilliant defender, declaring: “Sean Gannon is the best full-back in the league.

“He obviously has a tough task tomorrow, but if there is one player that knows Michael Duffy inside out, it’s Sean Gannon.”

Duff also spoke to Gannon’s attacking instincts, saying: “First and foremost, as always, defenders need to defend. But the message has been clear and simple with Sean all year. If you decide that he has attacked more in recent games, then it’s on Sean, not on me.”

Duff declared on Thursday, on the eve of leaders Shelbourne’s final league game of the campaign, that he had a fully fit squad for the trip to Derry.

A win would secure the title for the Reds - a first for the Tolka Park side in 18 years - while a draw or defeat would mean they would require Shamrock Rovers to slip up at home to Waterford.

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Duff has tried to make this week as normal as any other. The former Chelsea, Newcastle and Ireland star said: “It’s been the same as recent weeks. We just treat them as normal weeks, normal training weeks; same detail, so we haven’t over-talked the process or anything this week. It’s just a normal day at the office today.”

He added: “They are tight games against Derry because they are two good teams, them and us.

“Okay, of course to a tactical point of view we try to analyse who will play and we’ve a good idea of what they’ll do. But outside of that I’m not going to waste energy on what type of reaction they are going to bring or what’s the mindset of their players, of their staff or fans, because that’s time wasted. So it’s all been about us.”

He added that the title winners in his squad - including Gannon, Paddy Barrett and Shane Griffin - would have a big role to play. But he expects those gunning for a first winners’ medal to be equally clued in.

“It’s a time for men and for people to stand tall and puff their chests out. Those three guys (Gannon, Barrett and Griffin) are going to do that, along with others,” he said.

“I guess there are a few league titles in the dressing room, but there is a big responsibility also on the guys who haven’t won a league title yet. Hopefully they will win numerous titles in their careers.

“But you always have to win your first, so that is going to be the case for quite a few players also.”

Sean Gannon’s incredible career

2011: 1st place (Shamrock Rovers)

2012: 4th place (Shamrock Rovers)

2013: 1st place (St Patrick’s Athletic)

2014: 1st place (Dundalk)

2015: 1st place (Dundalk)

2016: 1st place (Dundalk)

2017: 2nd place (Dundalk)

2018: 1st place (Dundalk)

2019: 1st place (Dundalk)

2020: 3rd place (Dundalk)

2021: 1st place (Shamrock Rovers)

2022: 1st place (Shamrock Rovers)

2023: 1st place (Shamrock Rovers)

2024: ??? (Shelbourne)

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