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Introducing The Football Sack's first ever 'Adopted Club'. Followed by both our most far-away listener Niall Farrell of Dublin and also our Perth correspondent Neil Sherwin (pictured right in his Shels away kit), Shelbourne FC is being announced as the Irish club for all followers of 'The Sack'!
Here you will find a short history compiled by Niall, including club legends, rivals and why he follows 'The Shels'. I hope you enjoy this as much as we're enjoying putting these together. And remember, if you have a club you feel we could adopt, or just support a local club in Australia, click here and let us know about it!
History
Shels were 
founded in the southside Dublin suburb of Ringsend in 1895. The club played in the Irish Football League (which was then for clubs North and South of the border) until 1921- winning three Irish cups and finishing as runners-up in the league once.
After the North/South split in 1921, the Reds played in the League of Ireland (LoI). Over the next 85 years, Shels won thirteen league titles, seven FAI Cups, seven LoI shields and one League Cup.
founded in the southside Dublin suburb of Ringsend in 1895. The club played in the Irish Football League (which was then for clubs North and South of the border) until 1921- winning three Irish cups and finishing as runners-up in the league once.After the North/South split in 1921, the Reds played in the League of Ireland (LoI). Over the next 85 years, Shels won thirteen league titles, seven FAI Cups, seven LoI shields and one League Cup.
The club moved Northside to Tolka Park (in Drumcondra), where they play their home matches today.
In 2004, Shels came the closest any Irish team had ever come to qualification for the Champions League group stages. Having defeated Croatian champions Hajduk Split, Shels were drawn against Spanish league runners-up Deportivo La Coruna and were just a match away from the group stages. Massive amounts of money were spent in the attempt to get into the Champion’s League, and this crippled the club financially. In 2006, Shels collapsed and were demoted to the First Division by the FAI.
Since 2006, our story has largely been one of despair. In 2007, with two weeks to get a squad together (after almost all of the previous Shels players left), Dermot Keely managed to cobble together a makeshift team. The following season, we were a point clear of Dundalk with one match left. Needing only a win at home to Limerick to send us back up the the Premier Division, many were confident of a return to the glory days.
With a minute of stoppage time, Limerick’s Colin Scanlon scored an equaliser to level the match at 1-1. Silence gripped a packed Tolka Park. I have been a football fan my whole life, and I have never seen so many fans cry. Last season and this season have been largely dissapointing- Shels lost in the playoff semi-final last season. This season Shels are four points off a playoff spot, but a new manager and an exciting new batch of youngsters mean the future is bright for Shelbourne FC.
This Season
As already mentioned, this season has been relatively dissapointing. Manager Dermot Keely endured a torrid first half to the season, and resigned just after the halfway mark following a dissapointing loss to Wexford Youths. New boss Alan Matthews has just taken charge, and comes with a proven track record of success with limited resources at clubs like Longford and Drogheda.
Shels currently sit in fifth position- with only second and third placed teams getting into the play-offs. Top scorer for the season is Sporting Fingal loanee Dinny Corcoran, with seven goals.
Legends
Shels have had a lot of famous players in the past. Familiar names to non-LoI fans would be Jimmy ‘Jink’ Johnstone (the Celtic legend) and in the modern day Wes Hoolahan (now with Norwich City). Tony Sheridan is famous as the scorer as one of the greatest goals of Irish football history during a cup final against rivals St.Pat’s (see it on Youtube).
Recent heroes include Mark Rutherford, Anto ‘Bisto’ Flood and current goalkeeper Dean Delany.
Rivalries
As an old Dublin club, Shels naturally have rivalries with every other club in Dublin. Our closest geographical rivals are Bohemians, while St. Pat’s and Shamrock Rovers are traditional rivals on the southside of Dublin. Recently, a smaller rivary has developed with Sporting Fingal, due to Shels playing in the same division as them for two seasons and the perception of Fingal as a ‘franchise’ club (they were only founded in 2007).
Minor rivalries exist with Cork City, Derry City, Dundalk and a whole host of other LoI clubs.
Why I support Shels (and I think you should too)
Shels is a club steeped in history, but with a bright future. There’s always an element of hoping that we’ll return to the glory days, even if we have been dire lately. As a Shels fan, I’ve learned to relish the little victories. Sure, we may have been mediocre all season, but we beat rivals Shamrock Rovers and Sporting Fingal on the way to a Leinster Senior Cup final (to be held next month) against Bray.
Shels also have a great fan culture, and supporters group Briogaid Dearg (In Irish: Red Brigade) are renowned for their tifosi diplays.