Paul Smyth interviewed by Keith Wallace
October 11th 2007
IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD!…Four months after shooting down Dundalk’s title challenge in Monaghan, Paul Smyth arrived at Oriel Park hoping to pay for his sins by helping the Lilywhites back to the Promised Land. Though Smyth’s winning goal last November ended the Louth side’s 20-match unbeaten run and ultimately cost them the First Division crown, it is highly unlikely that it cost the club a place in the Premier Division thanks to the FAI’s super duper promotion criteria. Now, however, following that disappointment, Smyth has changed sides and has his eye firmly on netting top flight football for his newfound home this year.
Born and bred in Monaghan, Smyth began his soccer career at Gortakeegan and made his League of Ireland debut in 1999, when, at the age of 17, he broke into the first-team under Billy Bagster. “Billy gave me a run in the team,” Smyth recalls, “and I scored on my home debut; I came on against Saint Francis I think with 10 minutes to go. We were 3-0 up, I think he just threw me on as a token, and I got the ball at the edge of the box and scored from 25-yards. That was a nice way to come into the league. He didn’t play me then until the very last game of the season down in Cobh – I wasn’t even going to go because I was sick of travelling around and not getting on. He said he’d start me, and I scored again, so that was two goals in two games. Then the following season, I played every game and think I scored about six. I played up front with Andy Myler – he scored 17 goals that season I think – he was very good to play with and I learned a lot off him as a striker. We finished down the bottom and Billy got sacked, which was very disappointing, because he was a very likeable man and he was a good character, but I suppose he wasn’t getting results. It was very good to work under Billy, and I was very grateful to him for giving me my first taste of League of Ireland football.”
Following Bagster’s departure, Bobby Browne entered the Monaghan hot-seat and remarkably brought the club promotion to the Premier in his first full season in charge. “That was very unexpected,” Paul admits. “Bobby came in and finished off the season after Billy got sacked. He came in and threw a team together, which didn’t look like a promotion team at the very start. That was the year of the Foot & Mouth. We were actually sitting maybe fourth before the Foot & Mouth, and whatever happened after that, we just went on a run of twelve matches unbeaten. We actually played Dundalk behind closed doors and beat them 4-0 – that was a big result. We went down to Limerick then on the last day and we had to win to get second place and we won 2-0, so there was a big party down there. It was good – it was probably the most enjoyable season I’ve ever had.”
Smyth was unable to sample his first taste of top tier football, however, as he instead decided to take up a scholarship in the States. “I was playing for the Irish schools,” the 26-year-old explains. “We were playing England in Galway and a coach, who was Irish, approached me after the game to come over to the Christian Brothers University down in Memphis. It coincided with Monaghan getting promoted, and I nearly decided not to go and instead stay and play in the Premier. It took nearly six months to think about it and then I decided to give it a go.”
In hindsight, though, Smyth admits that that move was the wrong option. “To be honest, it would be a big regret that maybe I didn’t stay and play in the Premier, because I only stayed in America for a year. It was a good experience, but I don’t think it helped my career – it maybe stalled my progress. I thought I was doing well when I was 18 that year, I got an international cap with Brian Kerr as well for the under-18s against Northern Ireland. I was going to college and playing games, and it was good, but the season only ran from August to November. It was a short season, so when it was over, I came home for Christmas. There was nothing to play for after Christmas, so I was mad keen to get back home. I enjoyed the experience, I got voted ‘Freshman of the Year’ and done well over there. But, to be honest, I’m a bit of a home bird and it was very tough leaving home. The worst thing probably was that my family kept ringing every couple of days. When they’d ring, the whole estate used to be on the phone chatting, and I missed home a lot, so the odds were stacked against me to stay for the full four years. I’d say that’s why I left over there, a bit of homesickness and I always kind of wanted to get back. I thought the soccer over here was better as well. Over there, it was alright, but we beat teams 12-0 or 13-0 and you be thinking ‘maybe I shouldn’t be here’. It was a good experience, though, the weather was fantastic and the lifestyle was top notch.”
Smyth returned home in 2003 and joined Finn Harps. However, that was another stay that was cut short as he lasted just three months in Donegal due to a lack of first-team football. “I suppose probably the problem up there was that Jonathon Speak (the manager) was still playing. We were both on the bench and he was coming on instead of me – he was the boss, so I was up against it there. I mostly played reserve games, so I left Harps after about three months. The travelling up and down was tough too, I was travelling up with Tom Mohan, who was up there as well at the time. That was a lot of hard work, because I was working as well and I was going from work straight to training, I wasn’t home until late at night and I wasn’t getting into the first-team, so I decided that that was enough up there.” During his stay at Ballybofey, Paul saw little action, however, on his only appearance for Harps, the winger made a bit of a name for himself against his hometown club, as he explains…“I played one first-team game in the League Cup against Monaghan. I only played one game for Harps and scored. It’s funny the way it happened, because somebody was down injured and everybody was shouting to put the ball out of play. Nobody would put the ball out of play, even they wouldn’t put the ball out. So, I got the ball and said … and I went on and put the ball in the net. There was a bit of a funny atmosphere after the goal went in. I’m still getting stick over it down there.”
After that disappointing time at Finn Park, it was off to the Irish League for Smyth, as he joined County Fermanagh club, Ballinamallard United. “I went there out of the blue,” he states. “The manager, Harry McConkey, rang me and was the keenest manager ever to sign me, so he got me up there. It was one night during the week for training and then the games on Saturdays, so it was handy enough for me. It was the best little ground you ever seen, it was a fantastic pitch and they were lovely people and all, but the standard of football wasn’t great. I enjoyed my time up there, though. I spent a season and a bit with them. I left I suppose because I wanted to get back into the LOI. The problem with me living in Monaghan is that if you want to play in the LOI, you’re going to have to travel if you’re not playing for Monaghan. Dundalk is the closest club, otherwise you probably have to go to Dublin. So, I went back to Monaghan after that. I knew that there was a change of manager there, and Mick Cooke, in fairness to him, came looking for me. I met Mick and I liked what he said, so I said I’d give it a go again with them. It was nice to get home and it was handy for me.”
Paul admits that it was good to be back in the League of Ireland, with the Monaghan-Dundalk derby one of the main reasons for that. It’s a fixture that Smyth has a proud scoring record in, with the most important of those goals coming in last year’s end of season game at Kingspan Century Park when Monaghan inflicted a painful 1-0 defeat on the Lilywhites. “I always enjoyed coming here,” he says, “or Dundalk coming down to us – those were the big games. I enjoyed playing those games, because they had a different feeling to them than matches at Harps and Ballinamallard. It’s a local derby, and over the years, it’s unbelievable, we always raised our game against Dundalk. We’ve had very good results against Dundalk, even myself, if you look back through the stats, I’ve probably scored against Dundalk more than any other team. It’s a one-off, it’s like a cup final for Monaghan, there’s always a big crowd down and we have nothing to lose. If we’re beaten, who cares, the pressure is always on Dundalk, because they’re obviously the bigger club. The game last November, we knew that Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers were head-to-head, and if we nicked something, it would probably spoil the party and put them off track. And that’s the way it turned out. I remember the goal well, it was very early. The ball seemed to be bouncing around the box and the next thing it fell and I sidefooted it past Chris Bennion. Dundalk had numerous chances to probably go on and beat us easily enough, but we defended solidly and hung on.”
That strike ultimately handed Rovers the title by a single point, but ironically, Smyth was to find himself at Dundalk just four months later. Having assembled his squad for the new season, John Gill’s plans were thrown into disarray following the sudden departure of Wayne Griffin in late February, with the lateness of the approach for Smyth meaning he could only be signed on-loan. “January came back around,” Paul explains, “Mick Cooke was back on the phone, and I had no other option, so I signed back for Monaghan again and was looking forward to the new season. I had asked Mick to be considered as a striker, because I had spent the previous year as a winger and I wasn’t getting the best out of myself. Then in the window, he signed Robbie Farrell and Willie Doyle, and when pre-season came around, I found myself being third choice striker, so I was a bit disillusioned. Then John rang me with the news, and it was a godsend. Dundalk is a club I always admired, so I was delighted I got the call. John rang me and asked me what was the story, and I said I was signed with Monaghan, but I asked him could he give me a couple of days to see what I could do. So, I rang the Director of Football, John Heffernan, and he was very obliging – he said he wouldn’t stand in my way and that he’d look into it to see if there was any avenue we could go to maybe get out of the contract. It came back that the only way I could come here was on-loan, so, I rang John back and asked him would a loan deal suit and he said it would. That was it then, I rang Mick Cooke and he wished me all the best.
“When I was saying that I would have preferred a place as a striker with Monaghan, that probably went out the window when I came to Dundalk. Obviously, I know Dundalk is a bigger club and they’re going to be challenging for promotion and it’s the sort of team that you would play anywhere for; I just wanted to get in and try my best to get into the first eleven. I’ve played a good number of games this season, so I’m happy with the way it’s went. This is by far the best set-up I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never been treated any better than this anywhere. I’d like to stay here as long as possible. Hopefully, fingers crossed, we can do the business and get promotion, and if John Gill wants me to be here next year, I’ll be here – there’s no doubt about it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this season.”
