IT HAS BEEN an eventful year for Brandon Miele both — on and off the field.
One of nine players released by Newcastle United last summer, the Dubliner returned home and joined Leinster Senior League club Bluebell United to keep active. It proved a worthwhile experience, as the 20-year-old got to test himself in senior football for the first time.
“In that league you’re playing against men who just want to go through you and smash you, so it toughens you up,” he recalls. “I didn’t want to sit back and stop playing, I wanted to keep my fitness up and keep the ball at my feet so I went to Bluebell to keep myself ticking over.
“I was hoping that a League of Ireland club would come and Shamrock Rovers did. It was a no-brainer when Pat (Fenlon) rang me.”
As the Tallaght native explains, he jumped at the chance to sign for his local club. Miele spent the opening month of the season on the bench, but his patience has paid off of late as the attacking midfielder has become a regular in the Hoops team, who sit third in the Premier Division table after just one defeat in 17 matches.
“I think we’ve done well,” said Miele, who has impressed with five goals for the club so far. “It took me a while to get into the team. I just needed to be patient and to bide my time.
When I got my chance I had to take it and I think I did. I think I’m more of a regular in the team now so I have to kick on and start scoring more goals and doing well for the team.”
“I’m always confident in my own ability. I think you have to be. But I knew I wouldn’t walk into the team – I knew it would take a while.”
Away from football, Miele and his girlfriend Sinead also recently celebrated the birth of their first child. Before Friday night’s win over Galway United, the pair used the League of Ireland mid-season break to bring seven-month-old Bella on holiday as they spent the week recharging the batteries in a small village outside Naples, where some of Miele’s family are from.
The arrival of his daughter has helped him refocus his efforts into carving out a successful career in the game and providing her with the life she deserves.
“It makes you want to make more money, push on and get the best career I can to give her the best life she can have,” he says. “So it does push you.”
The long-term goal is to have another stab at England but Miele is well aware that he must establish himself as one of the best players in the league before that happens. The former Ireland U19 international also has ambitions of representing the Boys in Green at U21 and, eventually, senior level.
“You have to be patient,” he says. “You can’t just expect things to happen after a year or two years. It’s up to yourself to perform every week and show people what you can do.”
In team-mate Keith Fahey, Miele has living proof what can be achieved. Ex-Arsenal and Aston Villa youth Fahey also came back across the water and had a stint at Bluebell before developing into top class midfielder in the League of Ireland. From there, he earned a move to Birmingham City in 2009 and went on to win 16 senior caps for Ireland.
Fahey appears has taken Miele under his wing and the youngster feels privileged to be able to learn from him and fellow ex-Ireland international Stephen McPhail.
I’ve become really close to Keith and we’re good mates now. Him and Stephen are very experienced players who have done a lot in their careers.
“They’re good people to be around and you can speak to them for advice on what to do and what not to do. They’re good roles models for young lads coming in and the U19s that train with us would look up to them.”
Miele will be hopeful of retaining his place in the Rovers starting line-up when they travel to Luxembourg to face FC Progrès Niederkorn in the first leg of their Europa League first qualifying round tie on Tuesday night.
“It will be a good trip to Luxembourg. To be honest, I don’t know much about the team we are playing but hopefully we can go there and get a win. It’s going to be a massive experience. Hopefully we can go far and get one of the big boys.”
Brandon Miele launched the new Adidas range of ACE and X football boots in Dublin last week. They will be available from Life Style Sports nationwide from 1 July and can be pre-ordered from www.lifestylesports.com
