YOU GET THE feeling Christy Fagan may need to invest in a bigger trophy cabinet after the year he has just had.
Since October 2013, the St Patrick’s Athletic striker’s honours list includes: SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title, FAI Cup, FAI President’s Cup, PFAI Player of the Year award and League of Ireland Gold Boot.
As the 25-year-old will tell you himself, he is playing the best football of his career right now. 20 league goals this season, 27 in all competitions and, crucially, two in the Saints’ first FAI Cup final win in 53 years would certainly suggest that.
Pat’s fans will have breathed an enormous sigh of relief then when he agreed a new two-year deal to remain at the club despite plenty of interest from elsewhere.
As well as inquiries made by a couple of rival Premier Division clubs, Fagan was wanted by former Sligo Rovers manager Paul Cook — these days in charge of League One side Chesterfield.
After visiting the club and taking his time over the decision, however, Fagan informed Liam Buckley that would be turning down the greater financial awards on offer in England and staying put in Inchicore.
“I spoke to Paul a couple of times before the end of the season so he kind of knew where we stood with things,” Fagan said. “Once the season was over I went over and he showed me around and offered me a contract. I told him I had to go home and think about it and speak to the family and in fairness he was good to me and gave me a bit of time.
“In the end I thanked him for the offer and told him that at the time it just wasn’t right for me.
There were a few different things. Nothing in particular — it wasn’t money-wise or football-wise. It was just that there were a few things that I felt it was right for me to stay.
“Liam had been patient and gave me a good offer. He knew that I had a bit of a dilemma and a couple of things to think about. Once I got myself sorted, I got in touch and let Liam know and we just sorted things out here then.”
Having learned from previous experience across the water at Manchester United and Lincoln City, Fagan was never going to have his head turned easily and admits feeling settled in his hometown four years on from the return to Ireland.
“I think I’ve probably played my best football here since I’ve been back in the league,” he says. “Since I’ve come to Pat’s, I’ve got anything I came for — a league medal, a cup medal and then I was lucky enough to get Player of the Year this year, which was a bonus.
“The value of being settled has helped my football develop. That was something to think about as well but not a major factor in the decision. It was a couple of things but that’s just it. I’m settled here and have decided to stay.”
After losing midfielder Keith Fahey to Shamrock Rovers, Buckley is also over-the-moon to have tied down his first choice centre forward.
“I always thought he was going to sign for us,” said the Saints boss. “Hopefully he felt that as well. Whether he spoke to Dundalk or Rovers or anyone else for that matter. The divil you know is probably better than the divil you don’t know.
“From where we’re at, I always felt comfortable and if the opportunity came for him to go to England, as I said to him, I’d probably hoosh him out if it meant from a career perspective that it was going to improve him.
“I’m delighted he has re-signed. Obviously he was top scorer and 27 goals is phenomenal. He just mentioned the goals and we never set a target at the start of the season. I don’t like doing that.
“He’s a quality player and he will get goals. It will be some figure at the end of the year but as long as he keeps on playing as well as he is and getting his chances, for sure he will get his fair share of goals.”
Dundalk’s Patrick Hoban, who finished joint top scorer with Fagan in the Premier Division, was in a similar situation at the end of the campaign and, unlike his fellow striker, has agreed to join Oxford United in January.
Although he is a little surprised that Hoban is signing for a club in the bottom half of League Two, he can understand why the Galway native might have made the switch.
I think he’s a top player, I would have thought he could have gone higher but I’m sure he’s got his own thinking behind the decision,” Fagan said of Hoban.
“I’m sure he’s got one eye on moving on again and he’s probably looking at a place where he’ll go in and get games straight away, which is the most important thing if you’re going to move.
“So I’m sure he made the right decision for himself and put a lot of thought into it. He’s a top player and I’m sure he’s going to score a lot of goals between January and the end of the season.”
