IF GREG BOLGER carries on like this, they might have to rename the Goal of the Season award in his honour.
The St Pat’s man ended his 18-month goal drought in spectacular fashion last night with a 45-yard lob against Derry City.
It was his first league strike since October 2013 when he curled home a beautiful finish against Sligo to help seal the title for the Saints.
That unlikely moment earned him the 2013 Goal of the Season, and now he is surely the first name on the shortlist for the 2015 prize.
Bolger even claims that his golden touch rubbed off last season — he was the man supposed to be marking Colin Healy when he scored his magnificent bicycle kick to win the 2014 award.
“I’m not prolific on the goal side of it but I’m good for one good one a season, so that’s me spent now,” he told The42.
“I nicked the ball off the man in the middle of the park and saw there was nobody in front of me and thought I’d try my luck. The keeper was a bit off and I thought I’d go for it.
“I hit it and I had a clean connection. I thought it was too far but luckily it went in so I’m a happy, happy man.
I saw him scrambling but it went so high, I thought it was going too far. I was thinking, ‘I don’t have that power.’
“Until the reaction of the crowd, I didn’t really know it had gone in.”
Goals are a collector’s item for Bolger, not just because of the quality of his strikes but because he’s better known for protecting his own back four rather than terrorising the opposition’s.
“Yeah I was thinking, ‘I better win this because if he pops it around me there’s going to be a big gap there.’
“To be fair, I thought I anticipated it well. I got my body in front and lucky for me he took the touch that I thought he was going to take.
I shoot in training and the boys are giving out to me for shooting. There was nobody in front of me so I thought I might as well shoot here. I score my fair share in training now as well!
There’s no doubt in Bolger’s mind as to which of his two Inchicore crackers was best.
“The one against Sligo is the one, it meant so much. Obviously this was a great goal but the one against Sligo probably meant more with the occasion and winning my first league medal myself and for the team, not many lads had medals.”
It will surely take something special this weekend to deny him Goal of the Month for March — and who knows, maybe we’ve already seen the Goal of the Season.
“I wouldn’t mind, I’ve been involved in all the goals the last three years,” he laughed.
The one against Sligo was voted Goal of the Season but I think that was more because of the importance. I think there were better goals.
“Then last year Colin Healy scored a bicycle kick and I was supposed to be marking him for that down in Cork.
“And now we have a contender here.”
– First published 08.00
