A REDEMPTION STORY begins.
The kind of career arc that leads to relief and celebration rather than another sober post-mortem.
It’s the re-birth of Aaron Connolly; a young man rejuvenated through maturity and revitalised by an inspirational, understanding and thoughtful manager at Hull City.
Except it shouldn’t be framed like that.
Not yet.
The pieces are falling into place but can still shatter in a million directions.
Football has taught us that.
It remains far too early to hail the 23-year-old’s form as definitive proof of a return to his best.
Whatever Connolly’s best is.
It would be remiss to fall into the same hyperbolic trap discussing his current hot streak as it was his initial emergence in the Premier League.
There has been no consistent body of work to rest a case on, only sporadic flashes of excitement and skill peppered with moments of frustration and off-field distraction.
Exactly the kind of issues clubs are used to seeing, and should be able to deal with far more proactively.
Part of the problem for Connolly is that from the moment he emerged in Brighton’s first team, scoring two goals against Tottenham Hotspur on his full Premier League debut in October 2019, he has been heralded as someone capable of being a savour for Ireland.
Yet until now – with three goals in two Championship games off the bench for Hull – he hasn’t been capable of scoring that many goals in a season.
His time at Brighton began to peter out due to injury, form, professionalism and confidence. A long-term contract had already been signed on the kind of wages a young star emerging on the Premier League scene would expect.
The drift began, loans to Middlesbrough and Venezia best forgotten before another injury-hampered spell at Hull during the second half of last season led to him getting the chance to make the move permanently.
After his superb brace off the bench secured all three points from a losing position against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, the Hull head coach who knows him so well from their early days at Brighton provided this assessment.
“He needs to get fitter but I’ve worked with Aaron for years and I’ve got a really special relationship with him,” Liam Rosenior told the BBC.
“He’s got the potential to do that on a regular basis and that’s why we worked so hard to bring him here. It’s not just the finishes, it’s the runs that he makes. It’s his timing and his movement.
“He knocks on my door every single day. That’s what I like. He’s horrible. He’s a horrible little one, the lads will tell you that, but I love him because he’s himself. He moans about everything. He moans about having to go in the pool at the hotel when we’re trying to recover, he moans about food, but you need different characters. I don’t want a group of nice guys.”
It feels as if Rosenior – or any coach – will tolerate Connolly while he still remains in that kind of no-man’s land of unfilled potential, a delicate pendulum that has yet to settle.
It’s why any manager, especially one who feels that connection or belief with a player, will feel capable of being the one to unlock the code.
But that will only last for so long.
It’s a big part of the reason Connolly has only a one-year deal at Hull and not a long-term contract to be given the time to learn and develop. He has made his mistakes now and the challenge is to show he’s capable of consistently performing.
As he told the Sunday Times over the weekend: “I learnt things about myself. The off-the-pitch stuff, my work rate. I found myself being an all-round professional.”
He clearly remains highly motivated, and ambitious, given a call-up to the Ireland squad for next month’s European Championship qualifying double header with France and the Netherlands is on his radar.
“That’s up to Stephen Kenny and it’s up to the Ireland staff to make that decision, I’d like to think I’ve done enough in the few games but I want to keep going. If it doesn’t happen for this international camp, hopefully, I’ll score a few more goals and eventually force my way in.”
Queens Park Rangers striker Sinclair Armstrong only turned 20 in June, is part of the new Ireland U21 group, and has started his club’s last two Championship games, scoring once away to Cardiff City and then being substituted after 65 minutes of a really impressive all-round performance in the 1-0 defeat to Ipswich Town at the weekend.
The former Cherry Orchard schoolboy, who then progressed through the Shamrock Rovers academy, has a contrasting image to that of ‘horrible little one’ Connolly.
One has a snarl, the other a smile.
Connolly, only three years Armstrong’s senior but who has experienced and endured far more, finds himself at a much different stage in his career.
There is an innocence to Armstrong’s situation that is long gone with Connolly, and QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth was not attempting to quell any of the excitement surrounding a powerful striker whose hopes remain brittle.
“Experienced players will help him,” Ainsworth said this weekend. “Sincs is maybe feeling the pressure a little bit as the one who has got to get the goals but, really, he’s just got to keep doing what he’s doing. He is sensational to work with, so humble as well, and he gets fans off their feet. He’s electric.
“I’ve been super impressed. Since I walked in the door I’ve known this boy has some of the key attributes required to be a top, top striker. I believe he’ll play in the Premier League. He’s just not had the belief in him that I want to instil in him. I want to work really hard on certain aspects of his game. His pace is incomparable to anyone I’ve worked with, I think, and he’s so strong as well.
“I’ve told him I will buy him a full sized mirror so he can look at himself, see that shape and use that frame to really become a striker who backs in and holds the ball up as well. He can be the all rounder. We’ll ramp his fitness up and make him more robust but I really believe he can go all the way.”
Armstrong is the next one up on the conveyor belt, then.
And while Connolly has stayed on – just about – if you don’t keep up it won’t slow down for anybody.