The former Republic of Ireland defender, who made 109 appearances in the Premier League across spells with Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United – facing Palace three times as a player (one win, one draw, one defeat) – has been with Shelbourne since November 2021.
He was named manager in July of this year, and subsequently led his side to a historic first-ever UEFA league phase qualification – where he will once again come up against Palace, this time at Tallaght Stadium.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday night's game against Palace at Tallaght Stadium, the Shels boss recalled one particular meeting with the Eagles at Selhurst Park...
Factfile
- Head Coach: Joey O'Brien
- Nickname: Shels; The Reds
- Ground: Tolka Park
- Thursday's game is being played at Tallaght Stadium due to UEFA regulations.
- Founded: 1895 (130 years ago)
In O'Brien's words...
In his pre-match press conference, O'Brien recalled a 1-0 defeat to Palace at Selhurst Park in December 2013, when Marouane Chamakh escaped him at a corner to score the winning goal – with Sam Allardyce in the West Ham dugout that day.
O'Brien joked: "I was just thinking back to a game I played against Palace. I was at fault for a goal one time and the manager nearly had a heart attack at half-time, so hopefully that doesn't happen to me tomorrow night! That's one that sort of sticks in the memory.
"I was more concerned about hopefully him not having a heart attack going mad at me than the outcome of the game!
"When I was over there playing against them [Palace], they obviously weren't at the heights that they're at now – so it just shows you what's possible for a football team."
