“MALCOLM’S GOT TO keep moving or he’s dead. He’s like a shark, or Bob Dylan”, said Glenn Cullen in Armando Ianucci’s bracing political satire, The Thick of It.
Ireland midfielder Conor Hourihane now finds himself in the, um, thick of Premier League football and he doesn’t have a whole lot of time to stand still either.
He took a short moment to do so on Sunday. After scoring in Aston Villa’s 5-1 win over Norwich, Hourihane tweeted that he had now scored for Ireland as well as for clubs in Leagues One and Two, the Championship and the Premier League.
“That’s one I was very pleased with at the weekend, to say I’d done all of that”, Hourihane told reporters today. “I’ve worked so much over the years, so to achieve that is really pleasing for myself.
“But I won’t be resting on it. It’s time for myself to push on, and I’m hungry for more.”
And he moves on again. What is more?
“More goals. At international level, Premier League level. Staying in the team consistently for Villa, remaining in the Premier League for a couple of years, especially this year.
“I’ve worked so hard to get to the level I’m at now, it’s about sustaining it and improving every single day. It’s about staying at this level and making an impact at this level.
“I probably want to score a couple more goals, if I’m being honest. I’ve had 14 caps now and scored one. It was great to get my first goal of course, but I’ve always scored goals over my career and over the next five or six games, hopefully I might nick one or two.”
That goal was a precious one: a protest-delayed free-kick against Georgia which earned Ireland a 1-0 win in Dublin at the start of the campaign. Hourihane has since been promoted to the Premier League with Villa, and battled back into the team having been omitted in the early weeks of the season.
He’s also become an established international under Mick McCarthy – but just don’t tell him he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet.
“Ah, listen, that’s for you to decide. That’s definitely not my mindset, that’s for sure. I don’t see myself as one of the first names on the teamsheet. If you become complacent that’s when someone pushes you out of the way.
“People like Brownie [Alan Browne] did fantastic in the game against Bulgaria and he’ll be pushing me for my place, so I know I need to be on top of my game to be on the teamsheet come Saturday.”
The fact Hourihane has scored at all levels of the English football pyramid shows his desire to make it to the peak. Having failed to make an impact on either of the Sunderland or Ipswich first-team squads, Hourihane dropped down to the lowest level to play with Plymouth Argyle. From there he joined Barnsley, the club at which he suitably impressed Villa.
Talk about not standing still.
“I’m hugely determined and focused”, said Hourihane when asked what his rise says about him as a person.
When I dropped down to League Two I always had that self-confidence and self-belief that I would come back up. I worked so hard, even on my days off: working hard, sacrificing everything to make it happen. Yes, it was great at the weekend and it shows hard work does pay off with those kinds of moments, but it is one I won’t be resting on.
“I’m never satisfied with my game, I’m always my worst critic. I’m working on my game this week again to try and improve. So maybe later on in my career, or when I’m finished, I’ll look back on it with great pride, but now is not the time to look back on it, it’s time to kick on again.”
Ireland can kick on to Euro 2020 in a very serious way over the next seven days, and a win against Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday would be a massive step in that direction. Win that game, and should Denmark fail to beat Switzerland on the same night, and Ireland can afford to lose against the Swiss next Tuesday and need only draw with the Danes in the final game to qualify.
The Irish squad are obviously not looking beyond Saturday’s game in Georgia, mind, and Hourihane testified to its challenges. As did Denmark’s goalless draw there last month.
“The last time we went there I was on the bench when Duffy scored the goal and that was an extremely tough night”, said Hourihane of a 1-1 draw in Tbilisi on the road to the 2018 World Cup.
“Before I was in the squad we needed two great goals from Aiden McGeady to get a result out there. Denmark are a very good side so if Georgia held them at a nil-nil it shows what a good side they are.
“Over the years when we’ve gone out there, and in the Dublin games, they’ve always been tight games. They have improved over the years, they may feel they may owe us one and they’ll be fired up, but so will we.”
The Irish squad trained after Hourihane faced the media this morning, with everyone involved bar James McClean, who did a separate fitness session. The FAI will deliver an injury update later today, with doubts still hanging over the fitness of Shane Duffy and David McGoldrick.
Both are at their clubs and have been given the maximum amount of time to prove their fitness to McCarthy.
“No, not really. Listen, they’re not my position, so I don’t really care, to be honest!”, joked Hourihane when asked if their injuries have left the Irish squad in limbo.
“But no, listen, they’ve been fantastic for us in this campaign and over the course of the time they’ve both been involved in the squad. Duffy especially, he’s been a big, big part of the squad now for quite a few years.
“That’s something for the medical staff and the manager to look after, we just have to look after what we’re doing as players and get ourselves ready.”
