A REFLECTIVE AARON Connolly has admitted he endured “more downs than ups” during his time with Brighton, and hopes he can kick-start his career with a loan move ti Middlesbrough. 

Connolly burst onto the scene with two goals against Spurs on his full Premier League debut in 2019 but failed to establish him as a regular in the first team from hence, completing 90 minutes in the Premier League just five times in more than two years. 

The Irish international has now moved north to Middlesbrough on loan for the rest of the season, with Irish manager Stephen Kenny previously saying Connolly would benefit from the “focus” of a loan spell in the Championship and regular football. 

Connolly has picked one of the division’s form teams: under new manager Chris Wilder, ‘Boro have won four of their last five league games and are a point outside the play-off spots. 

Speaking to reporters following the completion of his move to ‘Boro, Connolly said the purpose of the loan move is to rediscover his love of football and rejected assertions in the Irish press that his career is at a crossroads in spite of the fact he is only 21.

“There’s been stuff said in the media beforehand, probably nothing to do with football really. Most of it is false. You don’t need to believe everything you need. 

“I don’t know where that comes from. It doesn’t put any more pressure on me. Every game you play your career could be at a crossroads: one minute you could be the best player and another everyone wants you out. I’ve just got to get on with it. It’s the life of being a footballer, I guess. 

“I want to get back to enjoying football again. Help Middlesbrough as much as I can, score goals, enjoy football and at the end of the season hopefully that could lead to go up the division, challenging in the play-offs, automatic [promotion], who knows. For now I want to help the club as much as I can. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s about staying longer or using Middlesbrough to get back into the Brighton team, I’m here as a Middlesbrough player now and I want to help Middlesbrough as much as I can. 

“I want to play football again. I want to be challenging for a starting spot. I spoke to the gaffer on Christmas Eve, we had a good phonecall and I knew I wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. No waiting around, and get in 1 January. Don’t miss any more games, and hit the ground running.” 

Connolly did allude to some difficulties at Brighton, and though he didn’t elaborate on them, says he is learning about things he must develop both on and off the pitch. 

“It’s all a learning curve. It’s not always going to be start every game, score every game and have a perfect career. There is going to be ups and downs, and I’ve had more downs than ups in my Brighton career. It’s like a fresh start, I want to get back playing and enjoying football. 

In every game you have to point to prove. I’m going to Middlesbrough purely to help the club, not to prove a personal point to anyone. I don’t need to prove personal points to anyone. I need to get back to playing football, doing what I love, enjoying the game, scoring goals and helping the club. The Premier League is the toughest league in the world and obviously I had a good start scoring two goals [against Tottenham] but after that, it didn’t go as well as planned. But that is part and parcel of football. I am going to be 22 shortly and I am still learning the game. I need to learn different aspects of the game on and off the pitch so that’s definitely one thing I want to show people, that I can still score goals. I’ve done it in the U23s, that’s the reason I got into the Brighton first team. It’s not about proving anyone wrong, it’s to show people I can score goals. 

“[2021] was tough. It’s like telling someone who comes into their job that they can’t do their job; you work all week and then you’re not going to do your job on a Saturday, which is what everyone looks forward to. It was tough, it was hard to deal with at times. Maybe I did the wrong thing at times, and I wish I could have reacted differently to certain things, but I’m still learning different aspects of myself on and off the pitch. 

“I’m a footballer, I am not anything else. Trying to deal with things being said about you, as well as not playing and not scoring the goals you want, is tough. But I’m a footballer first and foremost and that’s the most important thing.” 

Connolly added he wants to “show the Middlesbrough fans I’m the striker they have been looking for.”

He hopes to make his debut in Saturday’s FA Cup tie away to Mansfield.