Heary: They see a big crowd, they see police all around and it's a proper game

Owen Heary believes his Shelbourne players will have learned more from Friday’s 3-0 FAI Cup second round defeat to Shamrock Rovers than any First Division game this season.

The Reds were thoroughly outclassed by their illustrious cross-city opponents at Tolka Park, with second-half goals from Brandon Miele, Graham Burke and James Doona sealing a deserved win.

With 1,731 fans in attendance the Drumcondra ground has seen few games of that magnitude in recent years – the last was a 3-0 semi-final defeat to Derry City in 2012 after the Reds had beaten Rovers in the previous round.

Heary feels it is games of that scale that will help them return to their former glory in the week it was announced the club has wiped out all legacy debt relating to the excesses of the Ollie Byrne years.

While Heary feels his young players may have let the occasion get to them to an extent, and they showed signs of mental fatigue as a result, it will stand to them overall.

“We had James Brown the right back, Dayle [Rooney], Dylan Grimes, so we have a fair few young lads from the 19s [in the squad],” said Heary.

“That’ll be more beneficial for them tonight than playing any under 19s game or playing in the First Division where there’s only a couple of hundred at it.

“We’ve a lot of young players here and I think they would have thought a lot about the game over the last couple of days and it drains your energy.

“It’s like going into a cup final – you see most players get cramp in a cup final because of the energy they spend thinking about it.

“It was no different today where young players are coming down. They see a big crowd, they see police all around and it’s a proper game.

“They haven’t had that here for a long time, especially the young lads who have stepped up from the under 19s, who have possibly never played in front of a crowd like that.

“I think, overall, for them it’s a good learning experience and that’s more beneficial to them, playing against a good Rovers team.

“The passing, movement and everything that’s involved in being a good football team was there for Rovers and for us, we have to aspire to hit that level over the next year or two.”

The Reds are out of contention for the one promotion spot to the Premier Division but one carrot Heary has for his team is the prospect of a Leinster Senior Cup final if they can beat St Patrick’s Athletic tonight.

Shels have been inconsistent in the league all season but oddly all-conquering in the Leinster Senior Cup, following up a deceptively one-sided 4-2 win over Wexford with a 3-0 thumping of Bohemians at Dalymount Park.

With either UCD or a likely second-string Dundalk side waiting in the final, it’s a cup they can realistically target as their first trophy since they last one the competition in 2010.

“It can turn from a poor weekend to a good weekend. It’s important that we get recovered between now and Monday.

“We’re playing Pats, another Premier team, another difficult game. They got beaten in the cup (2-0 at home to Galway) so I’m sure they’re going to put out a strong team and try and win and get in the final.

“Bohs and Wexford here were comfortable wins. It means nothing – going into a semi-final, anything can happen.

“I’m just hoping the players don’t use, like they did today, a lot of nervous energy thinking about the game. I hope they just express themselves and play.”