For the Duff household, it wasn’t a particularly happy Easter weekend, but Shelbourne’s second-half comeback at Tolka Park last night ensured it finished on a high.
Damien Duff admitted afterwards that he had to apologise to his wife Elaine because of the cloud that followed him home from a terrible scoreless draw with bottom club UCD on Friday night.
He also needed to ‘kiss and make up’ with attacker Matty Smith after going through him in the Belfield inquest, with the Scot responding by playing a big role in the important win over Sligo Rovers.
A treble switch at the interval was required to help turn a loss into a victory, with a freak own goal by John Mahon proving decisive.
Duff happily accepted the gift that will improve the mood at work and home.
"It's the first result I've taken home,” said Duff, reflecting on the UCD struggles with the former Ireland international giving his players the silent treatment in the immediate aftermath.
“I think I've been extremely good with my wife and kids and never taken even the poor ones home with me. I've always been fine.
"But that one hurt me. I was really, really angry and had to pull my wife, Elaine, (aside) on Saturday and say, 'Apologies if I'm a bit on edge today, but I'm still not happy'.
"It's the first time I've done that. It's the first time I haven't spoken to them after a game because I probably said things at half-time (in UCD) that I regret. So if I'd gone and spoken to them at full-time, I'd really regret them.
"It hurt me. Not because of a point against UCD, I'll take anything that's going. It was the performance and the manner of the performance. The fans didn't like it either and that hurt me as well as it's never nice to see.
"It's not a team I knew. It wasn't our team and wasn't a Shelbourne team."
Duff said he had to strike a slightly different tone with his players ahead of the Sligo Rovers game, while there was another important discussion at the interval ahead of the vital reshuffle.
“Listen, you soon have to get over it,” he said, “It’s my life. I told them that before the game. I said this isn't a job to me, so apologies if I'm hard on you. But I love you, I hate you. They know that and I'm sure it's reciprocal. I'm sure they love me some days and hate me other days.
“I’m so pleased for Matty Smith. I was very, very hard on him on Friday night.
"It probably hurt him, but the one thing I knew I'd get out of him, as he's a tough, tough man from Scotland... I knew I'd get a reaction.
"He is a brilliant player in the league and maybe he lacked that bit of belief recently.
"But we kissed and made up over the weekend, me and Matty, and he was absolutely immense on Monday night. I don't think anyone can disagree with that."