Paul Fennessy

IT FELT like do or die for Shelbourne at Tolka Park on Friday night.

Second-bottom in the form table and without a win in six matches, Damien Duff’s side knew they could scarcely afford to drop points against Waterford.

Their title challenge looked in danger of unravelling after Pádraig Amond’s penalty put the visitors in front in the 37th minute.

The hosts’ players needed to stand up and be counted, and one man in particular was integral to the come-from-behind win.

As the crowd grew restless and half-time approached, a moment of opportunism changed the course of the game.

Waterford had been given earlier warnings as they were caught playing out from the back.

On this occasion, after a hopeful ball upfield, Sean Boyd capitalised on defender Darragh Leahy’s heavy touch to nip through on goal and slot home.

Suddenly, the negativity around the ground, which had intensified after the opener, vanished and Waterford players’ backs were against the wall.

“I thought [Leahy] was going to take a chance,” Boyd told reporters afterwards. “You watch players throughout the season. I closed him down and could see he was going to feint, I got a hand on him, and he took a bad touch. Thankfully the linesman or Rob [Hennessy] didn’t give a free kick. I was able to take a touch, I knew the goalkeeper was coming out, I just lifted it over his head, it was more instinct.”

Boyd’s second goal, which gave the hosts some breathing space with 10 minutes remaining, was just as significant.

After Chrissie Pattison was adjudged to have fouled Tyreke Wilson inside the area, Boyd stepped up and blasted the penalty home off the underside of the crossbar.

“The first one was more instinct, and the second one I was nervous, it was a big moment, the run-in. I knew if I scored we were probably going to win the game. I practise penalties, so I wasn’t surprised.”

It is not the first time the 26-year-old has proved an influential figure for the Tolka Park outfit.

In three seasons with Shels, he has 29 goals from 74 appearances.

Boyd has found the net nine times from 25 matches this season, leaving him five off Pat Hoban at the top of the scoring charts, though the Derry City striker has played five games extra.

Yet the striker was eager to pay tribute to manager Damien Duff after his side’s latest win.

“Like anyone they have their days or whatever, he can be tough one day then kiss and hug you the next, but he’s been amazing. The players have probably let him down a bit over the last while. If one man deserves to do well in football, it’s him.”

Whatever happens, for Shelbourne to be challenging for the title is an overachievement given their limited resources.

Boyd is one player whose personal story mirrors the team’s unlikely, against-the-odds rise.

He was a promising player with title rivals Shamrock Rovers, but injuries tempered his progress and the youngster was released by the Tallaght side.

Still, the lowest point of Boyd’s career was around the corner. In December 2019, during a game organised by the Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland for out-of-work footballers, he suffered a catastrophic ACL injury.

At 21, his career looked in danger of ending before it had really started. The following year at the beginning of the Covid lockdown, he was still without a club and on the dole.

Yet with Stephen Bradley and Shamrock Rovers assisting with rehab, Boyd managed to get his career back on track.

After a year out of action, the forward joined Finn Harps ahead of the 2021 season following a successful trial, having previously spent time there on loan during his Rovers stint.

At that point, he was just happy to be playing football again. Being part of a title-challenging side was far from his mind.

“I went to Finn Harps and you’re probably thinking: ‘Are you really going to go from Finn Harps to winning the league or pushing for winning the league?’ Probably not.”

10 goals in 44 matches for the Donegal side persuaded Shels to gamble and sign the player regardless of his injury history.

Even since then, it has not been straightforward. Last year, more woes restricted the Swords native to 10 Premier Division appearances.

Yet Duff’s men invariably look a bigger threat with Boyd in the team and fortunately, that has been the case more often than not this season.

Boyd is wise enough to know that occasions such as last Friday should be savoured and that life as a professional footballer can be as unforgiving as it is joyful at the best of times.

“It might have taken time,” he reflects. “Nights like [Friday] in Tolka with three games to go, winning a game, a huge game, the place buzzing, scoring two goals, with friends and family here, I probably didn’t think it was going to happen but it’s a night to remember.

“I feel good, I feel fit, I feel strong. I’ve been waiting, I’ve had to be a bit patient, let my body look after itself and take care of it. I feel like I’m finishing the season strongly.”