SINCE THE UNVEILING of Martin O’Neill’s successors at the end of November, we have had almost four months to herald a couple of new dawns in Irish football (on the pitch, at least).
This weekend finally offers the chance to see the first fruits of these new eras, with Mick McCarthy’s senior squad in Gibraltar on Saturday evening and Stephen Kenny leading the U21s against Luxembourg in the European championship qualifiers a day later.
Kenny’s squad are training at Abbotstown all week, and Brighton’s Jayson Molumby has been impressed with what he’s seen thus far.
“He’s just given us freedom”, the midfielder said at a press conference.
We are really happy about that. There are managers who are really intense on the structural side of things, getting us to defend deep or drop off, but Stephen has given us freedom to go and do what we believe is right and manage our own situations.
“We’re delighted with that.”
19-year-old Molumby is once again on the fringes of the Brighton first team, recently sitting on the bench for the fifth-round FA Cup tie with Derby County. This signalled his return from a deeply turbulent part of his embroyonic career, having missed 15 months of action with a knee injury.
The timing was cruel, coming shortly after making his first-team debut for the club in the League Cup.
“It was really hard, mentally”, reflects Molumby.
“Everything about it was hard. It was setback after setback, but delighted to be back now and touch wood that’s the end of it and I’ll kick on again.”
The Waterford-born teenager was forced to have reconstructive surgery on his MPF ligament, which essentially keeps the kneecap in place.
“To stop it dislocating, really. So I’ve had a few dislocations, but to be fair to Brighton they set me up with the best in England.”
Sitting alongside Molumby was central defender Dara O’Shea, who is spending the season on loan at Exeter from West Brom. He has played regularly, making 21 league appearances for a side seventh in League Two, and on the fringes of the play-offs.
“Playing week in week out is giving me a lot of confidence”, says O’Shea. “Playing first-team games against men has done me the world of good.”
Confidence has been referenced in relation to O’Shea before. A year ago, James McClean – then a teammate of O’Shea’s at West Brom – told The42 that he is a “no-nonsense defender”, who “needs to believe in himself a bit more and get a bit more confidence.”
First-team football has helped to do the trick, as did McClean’s influence at the Hawthorns.
“He was at West Brom and he took me under his wing. He is someone I look up to. He told me what I needed to improve on and helped to bring me out of my shell.
“I think I have got more confidence, playing first-team games, and I’ve definitely improved as a player.”
O’Shea is similarly enthused to be working with Kenny.
It’s great. We came in yesterday and Stephen sat down with us. Everyone is really looking forward to getting going and working with him. Everyone knows what a good manager he is.
Although Kenny demurred when asked to label the weekend’s game as “must-win”, the players sense in a home tie against the lowest seeds a chance to make a statement.
“It’s definitely a chance to get off to a good start”, said O’Shea.
“It’s vital, and [a chance to] let the other countries know we’re not here to mess about, and show what good players we have in the squad.”
Ireland face Luxembourg at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday, and the game kicks off at 5pm.
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
