But the 27-year-old midfielder was not given a crash-course in defending, because he has done it before and it showed when he turned in an excellent display.
Roeder: "That just shows you how versatile Damien Duff is. I know he has played at left-back a number of times for Chelsea and done really, really well. When I asked him to go an play there, I was not asking him to have a new experience.
"He is such a good pro that whatever you ask him to do, he does it with a willingness that makes a manager's life a lot easier. That is one of the beauties of him, as well as the ability he has. He looked very comfortable because he is a good player on the ball.
"Teams who like to pass the ball or want to pass the ball must have good full-backs that can play, and Damien Duff certainly can play. But as far as being a long-term left-back, those days are quite a few seasons away, I would guess. He is not ready to drop back there yet on a regular basis.
"But as he proved, he can do the job. He had a big smile on his face after the game in the dressing room knowing he had done an excellent job for the team."