Who were your football heroes growing up?
That would be the Leeds team of the 1970s. Johnny Giles, Billy Bremner…
That team certainly had an impact on your style!
Yes! Norman Hunter was another one!
How did you start playing in the League of Ireland?
I played for a youth team called Cambridge Boys. We were a very successful side and by the time we were old enough a number of clubs looked at us. In particular, Dundalk, Shelbourne and Bohs were interested. Myself and another former Dundalk player, Paddy Joyce, both went to Bohs.
How did you find the step up from junior football?
It was very hard. Unlike now or the player that I became, I was a very small 18 year old. So I found the physical demands very difficult and the training sessions very hard. I had to work to get my fitness levels up to what was expected. Bohs had quite a lot of experienced players so it was difficult to get into the first team. I got some experience in the B side and I eventually made my debut against Shamrock Rovers in the President Cup Final in the 1978/79 season. I even managed to score in a 2-0 win.
You had ten years in total at Bohs. Was the Glasgow Rangers European tie the highlight?
It probably was alright. But we had some other great times. We reached a few cup finals although we didn’t win any of them! But we played against some great sides in Europe like Dynamo Dresden and Sporting Lisbon.
How did your move to Dundalk come about?
I had been at Bohs or ten years and the manager, Billy Young, was not getting the financial backing that he needed to bring the club forward. Every year Shamrock Rovers would sign our best players like Paul Doolin. I actually had agreed terms with Jim McLaughlin to sign for Shamrock Rovers before I met up with Turlough O’Connor. He just sold the club to me very well. I certainly had no regrets. Even though Rovers went on to win three more league titles I loved playing for Dundalk. The people up at the club were fantastic.
What was your first impressions of the club?
Bohemians was a very strict regime. The training was mostly fitness based. There was a huge difference at Dundalk. There was much more emphasis placed on football. I also loved the family atmosphere in Oriel Park. There was great people. We all had a great relationship with Eamonn Hiney who loved the football club.
You were a central midfielder but soon you were converted into a right back. Did that annoy you?
Not at all. That came about after Dave Connell picked up an injury. By this time Tom McNulty had broken into the side and was doing very well. So Turlough asked me to moved back into right-back. I still managed to get forward quite a bit and affect the game. But obviously not as much as being in centre midfield.
The team was full of very experienced players….
Yes we were not afraid of anybody. We took no prisoners!
The supporters loved your all action style…
That was just my make up as a player. Football is like a theatre and my role was “the tough guy”. I loved it but I am just a softy off the pitch!!!
What are your memories of the 1988 Double Win?
The win over Derry City was the turning point. I think we had been on a rocky patch and some people had written us off. But I remember looking at the fixtures and thinking that if we won that match then we would have a great chance to win the league. We went two goals down and I think I scored with a header from a corner to get us back in the game. It was a case of just saying to ourselves that we had to win or the league title was gone. You only get these chances to win the league a handful of times and many don’t get the chance at all. So it was great to come back and win the match. Turlough always used to say you don’t win the league in the early months. The idea was to remain in contention and then take care of business at the end of the season.
By the 1990-91 season Dave Mackey had arrived and you found yourself back in the centre of midfield. Was it good to be back?
Yes it was great. While I did well at right back it was restricting. I had much more authority on the game in the centre of midfield. I think my form in the centre of midfield in 1990/91 was possibly the best of my career.
You then finished up at Bohs again…
Yes I went back to Bohs in 1994 when Turlough asked me to sign. I was just finishing up my playing career and was a squad player for the year. I moved into coaching a schoolboys team for a few years. As is the case with coaching, one night a week soon became much more than that. But I really enjoyed my football career.
