Harpal Singh Interview,
May 19th 2009, Keith Wallace.
“Liverpool may have Michael Owen, but we have Harpal Singh,” said then Leeds United manager George Graham in 1998. “I’m not too sure about that, but apparently so, I’ve heard it a few times,” the same Harpal told the DFC Magazine this week when asked about that comparison to Owen. “That was maybe when I was 15 or 16 in the youth team and I was playing with the under-18s. He obviously seen me playing on a couple of occasions and he was happy with how I was progressing.” Since then, Harpal has played for six clubs, including most recently Sligo Rovers and Bohemians, before continuing life in the League of Ireland when joining Dundalk earlier this year.
Academy kid
Singh joined the Leeds academy in the early 90s and stayed there until mid-2005, a lengthy period which included loan spells at Bury, Bristol City, Bradford City and Stockport County. “I joined Leeds when I was ten years old, that’s when I went into the academy,” Singh explains. “I went full time when I left school at 16, that’s when I signed my first professional contract. I was born in Bradford but I had lived in Leeds all my life so that’s how I ended up there. I played for my local junior team, a scout seen me there and he asked me to go down and train in the Leeds academy. I joined then and was involved in the youths teams from that age. I was playing in the reserves and youths teams for about three seasons (after signing professional) and then I went on-loan to Bury first (in the 2001/02 season). I was there for three months and then I went back to Leeds. David O’Leary was manager at the time and I was involved in the first team, I was on the bench a few times. Then I went on-loan again to Bristol City and spent a month there, and when I came back I signed a new deal at Leeds.”
Loan progress
With no place in the first team forthcoming, the left-winger crammed three loan spells – at Bury, Bristol and Bradford – into just two seasons between 2001-02 and admits that it was difficult moving about so much. “It was,” he says, “but it was good experience to go out on-loan. The three months that I spent at Bury were fantastic. It took you away from the comfort of being at a club like Leeds where everything was done for you and to see what it’s like in the lower leagues. And getting to play competitive football every week was good for me and it helped me to progress. The following season (02/03), I went to Bradford City on-loan and spent a month there which, again, was good. It was a good experience but then I went back to Leeds, they asked me back again, and I was involved in the first-team squad. At the time, Terry Venables was the manager and I was on the bench a few times again. Obviously then, he got the sack as well. There was a lot of chopping and changing with managers so it was difficult for a young lad to come through.
Gannon guidance
“It was (frustrating),” the 27-year-old adds, “because when David O’Leary was there he rated me highly and he was always talking to me and telling me that I’d get an opportunity at some point. When he left the club, then Terry Venables came in and it was the same under him, he was happy with the way I was playing. When he left, Peter Reid was there for a spell and then Kevin Blackwell took over and he took a lot of his own players in. The squad was just massive and for someone like myself that hadn’t played much it was difficult to really make an impact. I initially went on-loan then to Stockport around February 2005 and I was there for a month, and I made the move permanent at the end of that month. Chris Turner was the manager at the time. I was there for a year and a half. I left Leeds because of a lack of first-team opportunities. At that stage, I needed to play regular football. I had been playing reserve football for four or five years and it wasn’t getting me anywhere. You want to be playing competitive football and that’s what I needed at that point. Chris Turner left around Christmas time then and Jim Gannon came in. We were struggling at the time but we managed to avoid relegation. Jim was good; he was a good manager. Obviously he knew Stockport well because he was a legend at the club. I played quite a bit which is why I had gone there, and I enjoyed it. Stockport was a good club and I was enjoying playing football on a regular basis.”
Sligo switch
Singh departed Edgeley Park at the end of the 2005/06 campaign and was the subject of interest from Sean Connor, then manager of Sligo Rovers, who were in the middle of their first season back in the top flight. Harpal, however, was unsure about the offer, but was finally convinced by the Belfast-born boss to sign on in the July transfer window after spending a spell on trial at the Showgrounds. “Sean is a big Leeds fan, so obviously he had heard of me from his time following Leeds,” Harpal explains. “He knew of me and I think he had seen me play a couple of times. It came to the end of the season at Stockport and I was looking for a new club, and obviously then Sean called me up and asked me would I fancy coming over on trial. Initially, I wasn’t too sure because I hadn’t heard much about the league at the time, but I came over for a couple of days and I decided that I needed a change, so I ended up in Sligo. It was good. I was going into the team with a lot of young players and with players who had played in England as well, like Darren Mansaram, Chris Turner and Liam Burns. It was a small squad but it was a close-knit squad. We were all living close enough to each other in the same area and there was a great team spirit. Fifth was a very good finish from us that year, because the league was very strong. You had Shelbourne, Drogheda and Cork up there, and for us to finish that high up was a good achievement. We got to the semi-final of the FAI Cup too which was a good achievement as well. I enjoyed my time there.”
Follow the leader
Two weeks before the end of that campaign, however, Connor left Sligo and a fortnight later was unveiled as the new boss of Bohemians. Singh says, though, that that news didn’t unsettle the Bit O’ Red for the final two games of the 2006 season and that he was delighted when he was offered the chance to follow Connor to Dalymount Park. “Obviously there were rumours of him leaving beforehand and stuff, and when it came about it’s just part and parcel of football, people move on and you’ve just got to accept it,” the winger states. “I saw out the season at Sligo and Sean asked me what I thought about coming up to join him at Bohs. It was a no-brainer for me really. I moved on to a bigger club and something that I wanted to be part of. It was a step-up, Bohs were a big club and it was a good opportunity. The first season I joined, I tore my groin in pre-season which ruled me out for six weeks and then my first game back I dislocated my shoulder up in Derry, which was a nightmare. I had to have an operation which meant I missed four months of the year, so I didn’t really get playing at all that season. I got back playing towards the end of the year, I played maybe five or six games, but it was a difficult time.”
Fenlon frustration
A month after the season ended, Singh was again faced with a change of manager as, despite finishing third in the league, Connor left Bohemians, leaving the door open for Pat Fenlon to take charge. Harpal struggled to gain a first-team place under the former Shelbourne manager, however, something which left him frustrated. “It was difficult under Pat,” Singh says. “He came in and he had his own ideas and he wanted to bring his own players in. I found myself not playing as much as I wanted. I was back fit, the previous season I wasn’t playing due to injury, but this time I found myself on the bench a lot of the time. I didn’t really get much playing time which was frustrating. With things like that you’ve just got to put your head down and work hard, and hopefully wait for an opportunity to come.” After playing a part in Bohs’ League & Cup double – the winger missing out on a league medal by a single game – he decided to leave the Gypsies and return to England after a two-and-a-half-year exile.
Dundalk delight
Back in his homeland, Harpal’s future was left in doubt as he pondered his options. However, it wasn’t long before an offer came, although it again came from Ireland and his former boss Connor, who had just landed the job at Dundalk. “My initial plan was to move back to England,” Singh explains. “I had a couple of bad years where I didn’t play much due to injury and then being on the bench, I decided that I was going to move back to England. I had my head set on that and I was actually back in England when I got the call from Sean. Obviously he told me that he had got the job here and he would like me to come in. Initially, I wasn’t sure as I was back in England and I had my head set on staying there, but I decided then that I’d like to come over. I’ve enjoyed my football most when I’ve been playing under the Gaffer and I decided that it was something I’d like to do again. It’s brilliant here, it’s a great club. I think the fans are probably the best in the country. The turnout we get every week at home is fantastic and the away support is brilliant too.
On the up
“I didn’t realise it was such a good club until I came here,” he continued. “It’s a club with a lot tradition and history as well. The town is decent, everything is at hand, so I’m enjoying it. The people are good too. You get recognised now and again when you’re walking around, everyone is wishing you the best and encouraging you for the next game, which is always nice. On the field, it’s been a mixed start for us. We’ve had some good performances and then we’ve followed it up with some inconsistent games. But I think it’s been more down to maybe a few individual errors which have cost us, some goals in games where we could have picked some points up, but I think when you have a new squad like this it takes time for the team to gel. I think you’ll see the team over the next few weeks picking up and the performances will come together, and I think we should do well. We’ve just got to take it one game at a time and hopefully stay clear of the bottom three because that’s obviously something that is always in the back of your mind. You look at the table and the teams down there, and that’s the last place you want to be.”
Tying the knot
Singh, who started Dundalk’s first ten league games before missing the last two against Galway United and Drogheda United through suspension and sickness respectively, will again be absent when the Lilywhites return from the midseason break in July as he is going away to get married. However, despite his contract ending next month, he is hopeful that he will return to the club once his honeymoon is over. “I’m due to get married in a few weeks’ time, which was planned over a year ago,” Harpal said. “I’ll be away for about three weeks. Initially, I had only planned to stay here up until the wedding but I’m in talks with the manager now about coming back after the wedding. Hopefully I will be coming back, which would be in July. It shouldn’t disrupt my fitness too much. Obviously, I’ll be doing a bit when I’m away and trying to keep on top of everything, so it shouldn’t really disrupt things too much. I’m loving it so I’d like to come back. I think we’ve got a good squad. It’s a small squad but we’re all moving in the same direction, we’ve got a great team spirit and I think we can do something this season. The standard of the league is good. I think it’s more even this year. I think anyone can beat anyone now really. Like last year, you seen Bohs run away with the league but I don’t think you’ll find that this year. Obviously you do see a lot of upsets in results and I think you’ll find that this year.”
