CRYSTAL MALICE

O’Brien’s keen for Shels to avoid his error at Hammers

- BY MARK MCCADDEN

JOEY O'BRIEN remembers one encounter with Crystal Palace that had him fearing for the health of his then-manager Sam Allardyce.

The Shelbourne manager was playing for West Ham in a Premier League game 12 years ago this month, when he was held accountable for Palace's winner.

O’Brien lost his man at a corner and Marouane Chamakh squeezed a header past Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble on the goal-line for the only score of the game.

"I haven't got the words for it [the goal] when everybody has a marker and the ball comes in from the corner, you still have your marker, you don't lose your marker but we did and being in the middle of the goal with a free header they're not going to miss," said Allardyce afterwards.

He didn't slam O'Brien in public, but the then-Hammers boss pilloried the Dubliner within the confines of the away dressing room.

"I was just thinking back to a game I played against Palace," said the former Ireland international, ahead of the visit of Palace in the Europa Conference League.

"I was at fault for a goal one time and the manager nearly had a heart attack at halftime, so hopefully that doesn’t happen to me [tonight].