| Club: | Shelbourne |
| Season: | 2021 |
| Chrtitle: | Chairman |
| Chairman: | Andrew Doyle |
| Mgrtitle: | Head Coach |
| Manager: | Ian Morris |
| Stadium: | Tolka Park, Dublin |
| League: | League of Ireland First Division |
| League Result: | 1st (promoted) |
| Cup1: | FAI Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | 1st Round |
| Cup2: | League of Ireland Cup |
| Cup3: | Leinster Senior Cup |
| League Topscorer: | Ryan Brennan (15) |
| Season Topscorer: | Ryan Brennan (15) |
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| Body1: | FF0000 |
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| Shorts1: | C60000 |
| Socks1: | C60000 |
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| Updated: | 21:00 01 November 2021 (UTC) |
| Prevseason: | 2020 |
| Nextseason: | 2022 |
The 2021 Shelbourne F.C. season was the club's 126th season in existence and their first back in the League of Ireland First Division following relegation from the League of Ireland Premier Division at the end of 2020. Shelbourne won the First Division title and promotion to the Premier Division following a 1–0 win over Treaty United on 1 October 2021.[1] Shelbourne competed in the FAI Cup, but the League of Ireland Cup was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.[2]
Shelbourne began the 2021 season with a 0–0 draw away to Galway United; Georgie Poynton, Sean Quinn and Ryan Brennan were the only surviving members of the 2020 squad in the starting eleven, with ex-Cork City defender Kevin O'Connor standing in as captain. New signing Glen McAuley received a red card in the 41st minute for a dangerous challenge on Maurice Nugent in a game which saw 9 players make their Shels debuts.[3] Following a 3–3 draw with Bray Wanderers, Shels picked up their first win of the season at home to Wexford, an own goal by Conor Crowley settling the tie.[4] Shelbourne won 11 out of the next 14 games and club captain Luke Byrne returned to the starting line up for the 1–0 win at home to Athlone Town on 7 May 2021.[5] The Reds topped the league table the following week after their 2–1 win away to Cobh Ramblers, and stayed there unopposed for the rest of the season.[6]
Fans returned to Tolka Park for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on 25 June 2021, with 100 supporters allowed in for the visit of Cork City. The 2–1 win gave Shelbourne an 11-point lead at the top of the league table.[7] Sean Quinn and Glen McAuley departed the club in July, while Eric Molloy, Kameron Ledwidge and Yassine En-Neyah arrived as Shelbourne looked to strengthen their squad ahead of the final ten games. Molloy made his debut as a substitute as Shels exited the FAI Cup in the first round via a 0–2 defeat away to UCD[8] Due to squad absences a much changed team lined up against UCD in the league on 7 August 2021, with Under-19's goalkeeper Jack McCarthy making his debut and keeping a clean sheet after Brendan Clark and Jack Brady were unavailable for selection.[9] Shelbourne suffered their first defeat of the season away to Galway United the following week, but would only lose one other game during the reminder of the season.[10]
The next four games saw Shelbourne draw at home to Bray Wanderers, win at home against Wexford, and win away to Cobh and Cabinteely. A win at home to Treaty United on 1 October 2021 would see Shelbourne secure promotion, and Georgie Poynton's 74th minute spot kick secured the 1–0 victory. At the final whistle fans burst onto the Tolka Park pitch to celebrate the return to the Premier Division with players and staff.[11] The next two games saw a 1–1 draw at home to Athlone Town and a 0–2 defeat away to Cobh.
Manager Ian Morris announced his departure from the managers position on 25 October 2021, effective the end of the season.[12] The final game of the season saw UCD visit Tolka Park on 29 October 2021. Despite early pressure from Shelbourne, UCD went ahead through Evan Caffrey early in the second half. Ex-UCD striker Yoyo Mahdy replaced Brian McManus late on and scored an equaliser in the 88th minute to preserve Shels unbeaten home record for the 2021 season.[13] Following the final whistle fans were invited onto the pitch to see the team presented with the First Division Trophy.
Damien Duff was announced as manager for the 2022 season on 3 November 2021.[14]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 2021 season.
| Name | Nationality | Position | Date of birth (age) | Previous Club | Signed in | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||
| 1 | Brendan Clarke | GK | March 26, 2021 | St Patricks Athletic | 2021 | ||||
| 25 | Jack Brady | GK | March 26, 2021 | Limerick F.C. | 2019 | ||||
| 55 | Jack McCarthy | GK | Unknown (aged 17) | Drogheda United F.C. | 2021 | ||||
| Defenders | |||||||||
| 2 | Michael Barker | DF | March 26, 2021 | Bohemians | 2021 | ||||
| 3 | Kevin O'Connor | DF | March 26, 2021 | Cork City | 2021 | ||||
| 4 | Ally Gilchrist | DF | March 26, 2021 | Derry City | 2021 | ||||
| 15 | Maxim Kouogun |  | DF | March 26, 2021 | Wealdstone | 2021 | |||
| 16 | John Ross Wilson | DF | March 26, 2021 | Bray Wanderers | 2021 | ||||
| 23 | Luke Byrne (c) | DF | March 26, 2021 | Shamrock Rovers | 2019 | ||||
| 24 | David Toure | DF/MF | March 26, 2021 | Trainee[15] [16] | 2021 | ||||
| 28 | Stephen Negru | DF | Unknown | Trainee | 2021 | ||||
| 32 | Kameron Ledgewidge | DF | March 26, 2021 | Southampton | 2021 | ||||
| Midfielders | |||||||||
| 5 | Yassine En-Neyah | MF | March 26, 2021 | Nottingham Forest | 2021 | ||||
| 6 | JJ Lunney | MF | March 26, 2021 | Bohemians | 2021 | ||||
| 7 | Eric Molloy | MF | March 26, 2021 | Waterford F.C. | 2019 | ||||
| 8 | Gerardo Bruna |  | MF | March 26, 2021 | Derry City | 2021 | |||
| 10 | Ryan Brennan | MF | March 26, 2021 | St Patricks Athletic | 2019 | ||||
| 12 | Denzil Fernandes | MF | March 26, 2021 | Cobh Ramblers | 2019 | ||||
| 14 | Brian McManus | MF | March 26, 2021 | Preston North End[17] | 2020 | ||||
| 17 | Shane Farrell | MF | March 26, 2021 | Finglas United | 2018 | ||||
| 18 | Dayle Rooney | MF | March 26, 2021 | St Kevin's | 2015 | ||||
| 19 | Gavin Molloy | MF | March 26, 2021 | Bohemians | 2020 | ||||
| 20 | Kyle O'Connor | MF | March 26, 2021 | Trainee[18] | 2021 | ||||
| 26 | Georgie Poynton | MF | March 26, 2021 | Waterford F.C. | 2019 | ||||
| 30 | Alex Nolan | MF | March 26, 2021 | Shamrock Rovers | 2019 | ||||
| - | Attackers | ||||||||
| 9 | Michael O'Connor | FW | March 26, 2021 | Ross County | 2021 | ||||
| 11 | Yousef Mahdy | FW | March 26, 2021 | UCD | 2021 | ||||
| 21 | Alex Cetiner | FW | March 26, 2021 | Trainee[19] | 2020 | ||||
| 65 | Stanley Anaebonam | FW | March 26, 2021 | Unattached[20] | 2021 | ||||
| Players who left the club mid-season | |||||||||
| Alex O'Hanlon | DF | March 26, 2021 | Glentoran | 2018 | St Mochta's | ||||
| Glen McAuley | FW | March 26, 2021 | Bohemians | 2021 | Athlone Town | ||||
| Sean Quinn | MF | March 26, 2021 | UCD | 2018 | Released | ||||
| Position | Staff | |
|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Ian Morris | |
| Assistant Coach | Alan Reynolds | |
| 1st Team Coach | David McAllister | |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Paul Skinner |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2021 | Brendan Clarke | Free | [21] | ||||
| 1 January 2021 | Michael Barker | Free | [22] | ||||
| 1 January 2021 | John Ross Wilson | Free | |||||
| 1 January 2021 | JJ Lunney | Free | [23] | ||||
| 1 January 2021 | Glen McAuley | Free | |||||
| 1 January 2021 | Free | [24] | |||||
| 1 January 2021 | Free | [25] | |||||
| 1 January 2021 | Free | [26] | |||||
| 8 January 2021 | Yoyo Mahdy | Free | [27] | ||||
| 3 February 2021 | | Free | [28] | ||||
| 18 February 2021 | | Maxim Kouogun | Free | [29] [30] | |||
| 22 July 2021 |  | Unknown | [31] | ||||
| 30 July 2021 | | Yassine En-Neyah | Unknown | [32] | |||
| 30 July 2021 | | Kameron Ledgewidge | Unknown | ||||
| 4 September 2021 | | Stanley Anaebonam | Unattached | Unknown |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2020 | GK | Colin McCabe | Unknown | [33] | |||
| 31 December 2020 | DF | Unknown | [34] | ||||
| 31 December 2020 | DF | Aidan Friel | Unknown | [35] | |||
| 31 December 2020 | MF | Oscar Brennan | Unknown | [36] | |||
| 31 December 2020 | MF | Unknown | [37] | ||||
| 31 December 2020 | MF | Gary Deegan | Unknown | [38] | |||
| 31 December 2020 | MF | Unattached | Released | ||||
| 31 December 2020 | FW | Aaron Dobbs | Unknown | [39] | |||
| 31 December 2020 | FW | Unknown | [40] | ||||
| 31 December 2020 | FW | Unattached | Released | [41] | |||
| 31 December 2020 | FW | Retired | Released | [42] | |||
| 1 July 2021 | DF | St Mochta's | Released | [43] | |||
| 5 July 2021 | MF | Sean Quinn | Unattached | Released | [44] | ||
| 23 July 2021 | FW | Glen McAuley | Unknown | [45] |
See main article: 2021 League of Ireland First Division.
See main article: 2021 FAI Cup.
As of match played 29 October 2021. Substitute appearances in brackets.
| No | Pos | Nat | Name | League | FAI Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | Brendan Clarke | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | Michael Barker | 9 (4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 (4) | 0 | |
| 3 | DF | Kevin O'Connor | 24 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 (1) | 1 | |
| 4 | DF | Ally Gilchrist | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |
| 5 | MF | | Yassine En-Neyah | 6 (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 (4) | 1 |
| 6 | MF | JJ Lunney | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| FW | Glen McAuley | 4 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 (2) | 1 | ||
| 7 | MF | Eric Molloy | 0 (6) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (7) | 0 | |
| 8 | MF | | Gerardo Bruna | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Michael O'Connor | 21 (4) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 22 (4) | 7 | |
| 10 | MF | Ryan Brennan | 23 (4) | 15 | 0 (1) | 0 | 23 (5) | 15 | |
| 11 | FW | Yousef Mahdy | 9 (7) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 (7) | 4 | |
| 12 | MF | Denzil Fernandes | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | |
| 14 | MF | Brian McManus | 12 (11) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13 (11) | 2 | |
| 15 | DF | | Maxim Kouogun | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | John Ross Wilson | 20 (4) | 2 | 0 (1) | 0 | 20 (5) | 2 | |
| 17 | MF | Shane Farrell | 23 (1) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 24 (1) | 3 | |
| 18 | MF | Dayle Rooney | 16 (10) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 17 (10) | 3 | |
| MF | Sean Quinn | 2 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (2) | 0 | ||
| 19 | MF | Gavin Molloy | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | |
| 20 | MF | Kyle O'Connor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 21 | FW | Alex Cetiner | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | |
| 23 | DF | Luke Byrne | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 24 | DF/MF | David Toure | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | |
| 25 | GK | Jack Brady | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 26 | FW | Georgie Poynton | 19 (5) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 (5) | 5 | |
| 28 | DF | Stephen Negru | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 30 | MF | Alex Nolan | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | |
| 32 | DF | | Kameron Ledgewidge | 7 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (1) | 0 |
| 55 | GK | | Jack McCarthy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 60 | GK | | Colm Cox | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 65 | FW | | Stanley Anaebonam | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
As of match played 29 October 2021.
| No | Pos | Nat | Player | LOI | FAIC | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | MF | Ryan Brennan | 15 | 0 | 15 | ||
| 9 | FW | Michael O'Connor | 7 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 26 | MF | Georgie Poynton | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 11 | FW | Yousef Mahdy | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 17 | MF | Shane Farrell | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 18 | MF | Dayle Rooney | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | DF | Ally Gilchrist | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 16 | DF | John Ross Wilson | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 14 | MF | Brian McManus | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3 | DF | Kevin O'Connor | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| FW | Glen McAuley | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 5 | MF | Yassine En Neyah | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Opponents | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 49 | 0 | 49 | ||||
As of match played 29 October 2021.
| No | Pos | Nat | Player | LOI | FAIC | Total | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | FW | Michael O'Connor | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 10 | MF | Ryan Brennan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||
| FW | Glen McAuley | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 17 | MF | Shane Farrell | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 18 | MF | Dayle Rooney | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 14 | MF | Brian McManus | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2 | DF | Michael Barker | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | DF | Ally Gilchrist | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 26 | MF | Georgie Poynton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 15 | DF | | Maxim Kouogun | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | MF | Denil Fernandez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 12 | DF | Kevin O'Connor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 6 | MF | JJ Lunney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 16 | MF | John Ross Wilson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 23 | DF | Luke Byrne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Total | 31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 39 | ||||
|||}
New Home & Away kits were released for the 2021 season.
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Red | Red | Red | Worn 23 times; against Athlone Town (LOI) H(x2) & A, Bray Wanderers (LOI) H(x2) & A, Cabinteely (LOI) H & A(x2), Cobh Ramblers (LOI) H, Cork City (LOI) H & A(x2), Galway United (LOI) H, Treaty United (LOI) H(x2), Wexford (LOI) H(x2) & A, UCD (FAIC) H(x2) (LOI) H & A |
| Away | Navy | Navy | Navy | Worn 5 times; against Galway United (LOI) A, Cobh Ramblers (LOI) A(x2), Treaty United (LOI) A, Galway United (LOI) A |
Key:
H = Home
A = Away
LOI = League of Ireland Premier Division
FAIC = FAI Cup