It's not often you see a League of Ireland club represented on the BBC and even less often does it come on Later with Jools Holland. However, that's what happened on Friday night when Dublin artist and Shelbourne fan For Those I Love – also known as David Balfe – performed his track I Have A Love.
The song was written after Balfe's best friend and former bandmate Paul Curran died by suicide in 2018. After Curran's death, Balfe penned the song as a tribute to his friend and fellow Shels fan. The performance was recorded at Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin and, at the end, Balfe held up Curran's "Coolock Reds" flag which still travels around the country with Shels fans to matches home and away.
The Reds face Shamrock Rovers on Monday night in their final game of the season, needing a win – although a point will likely do – to stay up. It'd be a fitting response to Balfe's BBC performance for Ian Morris's side to finish the season with a flourish.
By the numbers
15: That's how many Uruguayans have scored in the Premier League, after Edinson Cavani scored Manchester United's third goal against Everton on Saturday. Top of the list is Luis Suaréz, who netted 69 times in the league – best of luck naming the other 13.
Word of mouth
"I said to him before the game: were you nervous last night? And he said 'No', and I said: 'Well I was, thinking about playing you tomorrow, son.'" – Neil Warnock was getting jittery about giving 18-year-old Nathan Wood his Middlesbrough debut against Nottingham Forest last week. He need not have worried: Boro won 1-0 and Wood put in a solid performance at centre-half.
"We were set up to fail. It's an absolute shambles. I can't praise the boys enough for the character they've shown. That's all I'm going to talk about today." – Manchester United manager Old Gunnar Solskjaer was not one bit happy with the 12.30pm kick-off time for his side's match against Everton on Saturday, just more than 48 hours after the squad had returned from Istanbul.
“After yesterday’s mistake, I take full responsibility and onus for it. To my team-mates, manager and the supporters, I vow to put the next one in. I will not let one failure hold me back.” – Ademola Lookman probably wasn’t the most popular player in the Fulham dressingroom after his failed 98th-minute panenka penalty against West Ham on Saturday cost his side a last-gasp point. On Sunday he addressed the embarrassing moment on Twitter.
Nani leaves in tears after red card
When Real Madrid knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2013, Alex Ferguson was absolutely irate with a harsh red card for Nani which changed the course of the second leg at Old Trafford, before which United had been leading 2-1 on aggregate.
The Portuguese winger was sent off for a very innocuous challenge in what would be Ferguson’s last Champions League match in charge of United before he retired at the end of that season.
These days Nani is lining out for Orlando City in the MLS and still, it seems, getting very harshly sent off. On Thursday Orlando were playing Columbus Crew in the MLS when the 33-year-old winger was shown a red card, after a VAR review, for what seemed to be a very soft foul.
Perhaps it was the memory of the last time he was harshly sent off, but the former United player was seen to be in floods of tears as he left the pitch on Thursday. Maybe he feels referees have it out for him, and, on the evidence, he might even have a case.
McMillan joins Crowe in illustrious group
After scoring three goals away from home in the group stages of the Europa League, Dundalk will still be feeling a bit sore that they didn't come away with at least a point from their meeting with Rapid Vienna on Thursday.
While they did, at least, commit nine fouls – after managing to avoid fouling completely against Arsenal the previous week – their defensive lapses cost them in what was a pretty positive attacking performance.
And indeed there was even some history made as David McMillan came off the bench to score twice – both from the penalty spot – which brings his tally of European goals up to 11. That leaves him as the joint highest scorer for Irish clubs in European competition, with former Bohemians and Shelbourne striker Glen Crowe at the same mark.
McMillan’s tally also means he’s the first player ever to score double figures in European competition for a single Irish club, with 10 of his goals coming for Dundalk, while he also netted for St Patrick’s Athletic in 2011.
