SHELBOURNE captain Mark Coyle says “perspective is everything.”
The Reds may have drawn on Friday night against Sligo Rovers, but that also strengthened their position in the title race.
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And while they may be facing the in-form team in the League of Ireland tonight in St Patrick’s Athletic, he knows everyone would gladly swap places with Shels.
Stephen Kenny’s Saints visit Tolka Park this evening on an unbeaten six-game league run and having won four in a row scoring 12 games in the process.
By contrast, Shelbourne have one league win in their last eight, and failed to score in four of those games.
Yet three clean sheets in that game has meant they have lost one two during that run too.
And it all means Shelbourne have a larger leader now than they did two months ago with a four point lead over Derry City with five games to play.
Coyle said: “Perspective is everything. We’re obviously disappointed that we didn’t get the three points against Sligo.
“But at the same time if you asked me before the game that we won, (Shamrock) Rovers won and Derry won, we’d have been in the same scenario.
“Right now, we’re actually a point better off, so perspective is everything. You just have to brush it off and look forward to Monday.
“I’m very proud obviously of the boys and the effort we have put in this year. Hopefully we can just keep it rolling and make it happen.
“You have to focus on the job at hand and do what you can and bring what you can to the team to win as many games as possible.”
And facing the most in-form side in the league also presents its own challenges, though Coyle says it is easy to ignore the background noise.
He continued: “We have been top for most of the year but there is always that talk around. We have to focus on ourselves.
“They are the in form team and will probably think they can come and do a job on us, we know that.
“But at the end of the day, it’s a 90-minute game of football.
“And if we can bring the effort we showed here on Friday, with a bit of added quality, we have no doubt that we can win the game as well.
“They have been flying and they have a great team with a lot of dangerous players.
“But it’s a Dublin derby and we know we’re capable of beating them and that’s just what we have to do.”
And Shels only have to remember all three previous meetings this season, and the final clash last year, with the Reds winning the last four derbies with the Saints.
But the last one of those was in May in what was Kenny’s second game in charge with the Saints a different proposition now.
Coyle added: “If it’s May, I didn’t even know that, but it’s that long ago that a lot can change.
“When a new manager comes in it’s difficult then to put your finger on what it is they have done compared to the last time.
“We definitely have homework to do as we know it will be a great challenge.”
ALL TALK
But Coyle insisted that the key for Shelbourne is not to get caught up in talk of St Pat’s or how any of their title rivals are doing, but continue to focus on themselves.
He said: “There are plenty of harsh Monday’s where you come in (training) and they are honest with you.
“That’s why we’ve got where we are, through that honesty and taking the feedback on board and making it work.
“If you want to be a better team you have to take that honest criticism or constructive feedback, take it, learn from it and try do better.
“To be honest with you and I know it’s cliche but you have to focus on yourself and I really do mean that.
“You just have to win your games and whatever else is happening, we know it’s in our hands so we have to go and do the business on Monday night.
“By no means will it be easy as they are flying, a great manager and team, so we know it will be a tough challenge.
“But every game is a tough challenge as you’ve seen here Friday. We have to go and make it happen.”
