Keith Andrews describes major impact Damien Duff had on huge Brentford win

He has made his mark!

Alongside him this season is former Ireland teammate Damien Duff, in his first club role since stepping down as Shelbourne boss in the summer of 2025.

They surprised many with their ninth-place finish last season - after losing manager Thomas Frank and a few star players - but Saturday's performance was level above what we saw in 2025/2026.

There was speculation online over the impact that Duff has had over the team, with some downplaying his influence given the pedigree of Andrews.

However, the latter made it clear just how important Duff is to the team, with a gushing description of his role in the team.

Following the win, Andrews said: “He’s got a lot of responsibilities – he’s my number two.

“He’s a magnificent coach, he’s brilliant support for me day-to-day. He’s someone I trust implicitly, someone who’s already built up a really good rapport with staff members and players.

“They’ll look at his playing career, but that’s just a tiny bit of it for me. What makes him who he is? It’s his craft, his coaching, the level of detail, his passion.”

Brentford and Ireland captain Nathan Collins shared similar sentiments as well.

He added: “Ah he’s class. He’s just himself. Really honest, standards are really high. He has a lot of energy.

“He’s looking more at the attackers, that was his position, but he still helps me with a few bits. He’s another voice, another established coach, someone that bounces off people really well.

“He doesn’t care who it is, he speaks the way he speaks to everyone else. We like how honest he is, that’s really important. I knew he was a good coach [before Brentford], what he did back in Ireland was impressive.”