Sheppard catches eye of Red Devils captain
Date Published: 05-Aug-2010
Keith Kelly
GALWAY United striker Karl Sheppard may not have got his hands on the jersey of Wayne Rooney or Nemanja Vidic after Wednesday night’s Aviva Stadium opener between an Airtricity League selection and Manchester United, but he did get a ringing endorsement from the Red Devils’ captain on the night.
Speaking in the ‘mixed zone’ in the stadium’s tunnel after the game, Waterford native John O’Shea was asked what he thought of the players in the Airtricity League selection his side had just beaten 7-1 in the first game of football at the new ground, and he singled Sheppard out for particular mention.
“The lad who came on up front, Sheppard, I thought he looked busy and wanted to have a go,” O’Shea said, something which pleased Sheppard when those sentiments were relayed to him.
“It’s nice to hear compliments from such a good player and their captain tonight, nice to hear he is giving out compliments to another Irish lad, I’m pleased with that,” said Sheppard, whose hunt for a United jersey was in vain as “they had all promised them to someone else by the time I got to talking to them”.
He came on as a 62nd minute replacement for the ineffective Paddy Madden, and the Airtricity League team immediately posed more of a threat up front upon his introduction. He linked up well with the midfield, had a couple of half-chances, and was denied a goal late on when the visitors’ sub ‘keeper Ben Amos pulled off a point-blank save to deny his back-post header late in the game.
“I thought the header was going to be a goal, but wasn’t to be. I’m pleased with how I played, pleased with the time I got, but thought maybe could have got a bit more as I thought I did well when I came on, causing them a few problems and got a few shots in.
“I got past a few players a couple of time, it’s really good for your confidence, you go past one of them and think you’ve gone past one of the best players in the world, so it gives you confidence to believe you can go past anyone,” he said.