PERHAPS IT WAS wishful thinking to expect a childhood Manchester United supporter to enjoy a harmonious relationship with a Liverpool legend.
Joking aside, Roy O’Donovan insists he and Robbie Fowler parted amicably when the Corkman left Brisbane Roar just before the January transfer window closed.
Following his appointment as manager in Brisbane last summer, Fowler made O’Donovan his first signing by bringing him in on a two-year deal.
The early signs were promising. The striker’s first 10 outings for his new club yielded six goals, including a hat-trick in a 4-3 victory over Melbourne City.
However, after scoring Brisbane’s only goal in a 5-1 defeat to Sydney FC in December, O’Donovan made just one further start for Fowler’s side, who currently sit in seventh place in the 11-team Australian top flight.
He’s now back at Newcastle Jets, having signed an 18-month deal with the club he departed at the end of last season after rejecting their offer of a one-year extension.
“We didn’t fall out,” O’Donovan tells The42 of his relationship with Fowler. “We had a chat about where things were going, especially when I was out of the team. It just came down to styles of football. There was no problem. We just move on. It’s part of the game.”
This is O’Donovan’s fifth campaign in the A-League, where he has found the net 45 times in 92 games. After two seasons with Central Coast Mariners, he joined Newcastle Jets in 2017 and helped the club to end its decade-long absence from the Grand Final.
Regarding his premature exit from Brisbane Roar, the 34-year-old adds: “I suppose there was a clash of styles between the way I play and the kind of style that he [Robbie Fowler] is trying to impart on Brisbane Roar.
“My game is about trying to get in behind to score goals. The way that Brisbane were setting up this year was a bit more defensively structured and sort of a possession build-up type of game. When we lost a few games he made a few changes and kind of went with one striker, and things worked out the way they did.
“When the opportunity came up to come back to Newcastle Jets, I wasn’t going to hang around. It’s not that I wasn’t prepared to fight for my place. I’m well aware of the style of football at Newcastle Jets and I think I suit that.”
His return to Newcastle has allowed O’Donovan to become reacquainted with some familiar faces – not all of whom were at the club during his previous spell. After his move to Brisbane last summer, the Jets ensured that an Irish presence would remain in the dressing room by signing Wes Hoolahan.
The pair almost became team-mates during the 2008-09 season, when O’Donovan joined Blackpool on loan from Sunderland. Not long before he arrived at Bloomfield Road, Hoolahan left to begin a spell that would see him become a club legend at Norwich City.
But it was in 2005 when their paths first crossed. As promising young wingers, they were on opposing sides as Cork City dethroned Shelbourne to win the Premier Division title.
Hoolahan, having already won three league titles with Shels, left for Blackpool in July 2006. Twelve months later, City sold O’Donovan to Sunderland for €500,000, a record fee for a League of Ireland player at the time.
“Myself and Wes would have come up against each other in the League of Ireland obviously – hated opponents back then with Shelbourne and Cork City,” O’Donovan laughs. “We would have come into contact during some Ireland camps along the way as well.
“Wes is a very good guy, a very unassuming character. I think a lot of people will tell you that for the quality of the player he is, he’s not a bragger and he’s not one to shout it from the rooftops. Even when he was on opposition teams, I’ve always been a huge fan of him and I can’t wait to play alongside him. He’s a magic footballer.
“We haven’t talked about the League of Ireland days yet. We’re at a stage now where we’re chatting mostly about family life, the kids, schools, all that sort of stuff. But I’m sure over the next few days we’ll have a natter and a few laughs about those days.”
As interim boss Craig Deans noted this week, there’s a hope within the Newcastle Jets ranks that their experienced Irish duo can help to revive the ailing fortunes of a team who have scored just 13 goals in their 15 fixtures so far this season.
Their struggles cost Ernie Merrick his job as head coach last month, with the Jets currently propping up the table amid a run of nine games without a win. Former Welsh international Carl Robinson has been appointed to take the managerial reins from Monday.
O’Donovan’s second coming will be made official tomorrow morning, when he faces former club Central Coast Mariners in the F3 derby (5am Irish time, BT Sport/ESPN). An injury-delayed A-League debut for Hoolahan is also imminent.
“Expectation is the norm,” O’Donovan says. “Wes knows that from the career he’s had and for me, as a striker, I know that goals are an expectation, which is what I expect of myself anyway.
“It’s about managing those expectations as well as I can and going out there to give everything to help the team and make the supporters happy. That’s what we’ll both be aiming to do. Wes may not be back this week but I’ll certainly be trying to give it my all from the start and hopefully it brings a positive outcome.
“I can’t wait to get on the pitch this weekend and just kickstart things again. It’s all about playing games and enjoying yourself. I’ve had happy memories here and hopefully there are many more to come.
“There have been some changes but the spine of the team is still here from when we were in the Grand Final a couple of seasons back. There have been a couple of additions since then, including Wes, and there’s a new coach to come in as well. It’s a club on the up.”
O’Donovan was a fan-favourite at Central Coast Mariners until he decided to join their main rivals. He has now scored more goals against the Mariners than any other A-League team – eight in seven games, including a hat-trick in his Newcastle Jets debut. He’s eager for that trend to continue tomorrow.
“I’ve got the same butterflies and excitement that I had the first time I played against them,” says the former Ireland U21 international. “I’ll get the same abuse that I got then and hopefully that’ll spur me on to get the same positive results that I got the last time.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
