TOMORROW NIGHT THE distinctive clunk of five sets of floodlights will turn the grass a deeper hue of green, signifying that Friday night’s rhythms are back in town.
“I don’t like being off for that long,” says Shamrock Rovers’ new signing Aaron McEneff.
He joined from Derry City during the off-season, for whom he last played during the last week of October.
112 days on, he will make his debut for Shamrock Rovers away to Waterford.
“That’s the thing in this league, I think [the break] is too long. I don’t like being off for that long, especially during November and December. You’d be doing gym work or whatever but it’s not the same as being on the grass playing football.
“During pre-season, its obviously good to get work done, but it’s not the same as a Friday night playing in proper games.”
McEneff decided to leave his hometown club when his contract expired at the end of last season, and in November picked a move to Tallaght ahead of a gaggle of other options. Why Rovers?
“I spoke to a few clubs but I thought Shamrock Rovers was the best club for me to come to help develop as a player, and to do better for myself.
“The coaches are [a big reason]. I knew Stephen Bradley from playing in the league.
“I’ve played against Stephen McPhail and he was a brilliant midfielder. I’m a midfielder, and there are wee things in training where he’ll come up to you and have a chat and tell you things, positional stuff, to help you out.
“Obviously I didn’t know that at the time from just looking from the outside in, but these types of things will benefit me as a player.
“Those small things have helped already.”
He has settled quickly in Dublin, and he and his girlfriend have moved into a flat near Tallaght stadium. McEneff’s father is from Dublin, so he is not unfamiliar with finding his way around Dublin.
Nor is he cowed by the considerable level of competition in a Rovers midfield that includes Jack Byrne.
“I know in our squad there’s a lot of competition in the middle but it just makes you want to do well in training every day. You can better yourself. With good quality players as well, there’s a football understanding between us already.
“Positionally, on and off the ball, you can nearly know where everyone is going to be. It’s all about building that relationship and growing on it.”
Rovers finished a distant third last season, 15 points from second-placed Cork City and a further 10 from champions Dundalk.
While the holders are white-hot favourites to retain their title, Rovers’ investment and the instability at Cork that has seen the exit of nine players means many see the Hoops as the side best-placed to gnaw into the chasm at the top.
Brian Kerr, for example, told The42 during the week that “the pressure is on Rovers to be really competitive.”
McEneff isn’t feeling the same pressure.
“If you constantly put pressure on yourself, there’s usually a tendency that things don’t go your way.
“For me, I always just take it game by game. I’m sure that’s what the coaching staff will be thinking as well as the players. If you go into games with a lot of pressure on, I don’t think you’re going to get the best out of yourself, individually and collectively.
“We’ve obviously got Waterford first game, we can focus on that. If we get three points: brilliant, and then we look ahead.”
Rovers have sold out their allocation for tomorrow’s game away to last season’s surprise package, who arrived threatening to eclipse all but Dundalk and Cork before Rovers finally bettered them by three points.
Nonetheless, Waterford have kept hold of Bastian Hery and Izzy Akinade and have added experience in Damien Delaney and exuberance in Zach Elbouzedi, who impressed for Stephen Kenny’s home-based U21 squad last week.
“I thought they were a very physical side last year,” says McEneff.
“They’ve got a lot of big, strong players. Bastien Hery in the middle is a very good player, he brings a lot to their team. Akinade is a big threat up top too. We’ll be expecting a tough test but it’s one that we’re looking forward to and I think we’ll be ready for.”
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