STEPHEN KENNY’S first competitive match as Ireland U21 manager — a 3-0 win over Luxembourg — involved six players who are now senior internationals.
Caoimhín Kelleher, Dara O’Shea, Lee O’Connor, Jayson Molumby and Adam Idah started, while Gavin Bazunu was an unused sub.
Conor Coventry, Connor Ronan, Liam Scales and Danny Mandroiu were also part of the matchday squad that day, and while none of these individuals have been capped at senior level yet, they have all been called up to the Boys in Green’s main squad.
Aaron Connolly, Troy Parrott, Nathan Collins, Michael Obafemi and Jason Knight were also part of that campaign and subsequently gained senior recognition.
The speed of so many players’ graduation has been remarkable and the depth of talent significant, particularly when you consider the likes of Collins, Knight and Obafemi were not always guaranteed starters at that level.
Conor Masterson, though, figured prominently, captaining the team on more than one occasion and starting all but one of the qualifiers for which he was unavailable.
And compare the beginning of the Kenny U21 era to his predecessor, Noel King. The latter coach’s last match in charge — a 2-0 defeat away to Germany — featured just three players who have since gone on to gain senior recognition: two starters (Jamie McGrath and Josh Cullen) and one unused sub (Kieran O’Hara).
So Kenny’s time in charge felt like an anomaly. Usually, an abundance of players do not make a swift transition to senior level, particularly when it comes to Irish football, with past senior managers Martin O’Neill, Giovanni Trapattoni and Mick McCarthy sometimes criticised for rarely giving youngsters a chance.
It is a reflection too on the work that’s been done at grassroots level and the improvement in underage systems that have created a smoother passage to the professional game for many talented youngsters.
Just how many Irish players from the Jim Crawford U21 side that recently fell just short of Euros qualification can make the transition to the seniors remains to be seen.
Yet regardless of a young player’s talent, the journey is seldom straightforward. Even some of the aforementioned names that were promoted to the senior team haven’t always flourished in that environment.
Connolly, for instance, went back down to the 21s after a difficult period left him needing to rediscover his love of football.
Masterson, meanwhile, appeared as strong a contender as anyone to make a swift step up to the senior team, but instead, he has had to bide his time.
Watching the U21s’ penalty heartache last month brought back memories of his own near qualification miss with Ireland.
As others have previously pointed out, Masterson suggests the Irish team he was part of were significantly hampered by the sudden ascension to the senior squad of several key players as their campaign developed.
“We had a talented bunch,” he tells The42. “And obviously, when Stephen stepped up, he took some of them with him.
“So that’s going to weaken our team, but it’s all about playing for the first team and we had a good time. We were just unlucky [in the decisive qualifying game] against Iceland at the time.”
He may no longer be eligible for the U21s and not yet in a position to compete for the senior side, but Kenny and his assistant Keith Andrews still speak regularly to Masterson to see how he is getting on amid hopes he can eventually be reunited with the likes of O’Shea and Collins.
“[Stephen and Keith] know what’s happening with each player,” he says. “And they’re always looking out for everyone and looking out for the next thing to come through.”
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Originally from Celbridge, Masterson played for Lucan United as a youngster before joining Liverpool in 2014 on his 16th birthday.
He would spend the next five years at the club and looks back on that time fondly, even if there were some early issues with homesickness.
“You’re young, you don’t know what to expect,” he explains. “You’re nervous. You’re in a different bed. You haven’t got your mum to look after you, to do the cooking and stuff.
“Responsibility grows on you much quicker when you’re younger. You grow up fast.
“My family at the time and Liverpool really helped me with that.
“And when I look back, there were times where I was ringing up my ma and da: ‘I want to go home, I want to go home.’ But when you think about it, we’re doing the best job in the world and how can you be complaining?”
Masterson is grateful now that his parents rejected those premature pleas. The defender gradually adapted to his new surroundings and in the process trained alongside some of the best footballers and coaches in the world.
“Seeing players like that, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, top players, I learned a lot from them. It was an unbelievable time in my career.
“Training with them every day and seeing how Jurgen Klopp works and Pep Lijnders, who I actually had at U16s at Liverpool, how they worked on the first team — it was an honour and a joyful time for me.”
Asked for specifics on what he learned from Van Dijk et al, Masterson adds: “I just think the way Van Dijk was in the air, he was so strong, and he was such a good leader and commander around the defence. And he always looked in control. And I think he just built that up through experience. And he always made the right decisions, when to step in, when to pass, when to go long, or when he had to clear the ball.
“Being composed is the biggest thing [in football]. Once you’re composed, you can make clear decisions and you don’t make rash decisions. So you’re always more than likely going to make the right decision if you’re calmer.”
Masterson believes he can get back to that level eventually, but like the vast majority of starlets who come through at Liverpool, the centre-back ultimately left in 2019 without making a first-team appearance.
The youngster insists the pressure of being associated with one of the biggest clubs in the world never got to him, though it certainly made him one of the most talked-about young players in Irish football: “Obviously, everywhere I went at home, they knew who I was because of who I played for,” he says.
But as much as he enjoyed his time with the Anfield club, it got to a stage where Masterson needed first-team football.
After being released by the Reds, he joined QPR on an initial two-year deal in July 2019. He made 14 appearances in his first season, which was significantly interrupted by the pandemic.
During the following campaign though, first-team opportunities proved more scarce. He lined out six times for his parent club, before dropping down a division and signing for Swindon on loan in January of that season.
However, with just five League One appearances under his belt, Masterson’s temporary spell there was unfortunately cut short after he suffered a serious hamstring injury.
The Kildare native enjoyed better luck in the following campaign. He was still not deemed ready to return to the QPR first team but had two productive loan spells in England’s third tier.
He spent the first half of the season on loan at Cambridge and the second part at Gillingham, making 39 appearances in total as he gained invaluable first-team experience.
It ended in disappointment, as Gillingham were relegated on goal difference on the final day, but the Irish youngster earned praise from manager Neil Harris, who said he had done “really well”.
“It was a really good season for me,” Masterson adds. “I think I played [almost] 40 games. Cambridge [during the] first half of the season was really good. Bonns [the coach Mark Bonner] has a good squad there. And at the time, they actually just got promoted. And we went to play big teams, and we had good results. And we won as well, against the likes of Portsmouth. We drew with Wigan and drew at Sunderland, who are in the Championship now.
“And the second half of the season, I went to Gillingham. And that was probably when I played the best of my career so far. I learned a lot in the first half of the season. So in the second half, I was just flying.
“I learned so much playing regularly at Cambridge. So when I went to Gillingham, I was just ready to go and I knew what was expected of me.
“And that was it really, and I was enjoying my football. And I went straight into the team, and we won the first game. And obviously, you know, your confidence is up, and it just builds and builds and builds, and you get that rhythm, it starts to bring the best out of you.”
It was Mark Warburton who originally signed Masterson for QPR, but Michael Beale — a coach that the player previously worked with at Liverpool — has been in charge since the summer.
There was further interest in Masterson ahead of the new campaign following his eye-catching loan spells last year, but Beale convinced him to stay.
Despite playing with a flat-back four of late, the manager explained at the start of the season: “At some stage, I will play with a back three, and therefore I need four and five [centre-backs] in the building.
“I’ve known Conor since Liverpool. There’s been interest in Conor but I want to keep Conor in and around the squad.”
Yet so far, Masterson has made just one substitute appearance this season, with fellow Irish defender Jimmy Dunne among those ahead of him in the pecking order.
When asked about the decision to stay put, Masterson reiterates his manager’s message.
“He said he could play two or he could play three at the back. So he wanted me around. And to be honest, it’s benefited me a lot, because obviously, I know him well. He’s a top coach, a really, really good coach. It’s a top team, it’s very talented. And I can only learn from playing with these players every day. And I’m getting closer every day to being involved more. Obviously, I’ve had one appearance and you want to play more. But listen, you have to bide your time. People have proved [themselves] before you. And so I’m waiting for my chance. And when it comes I’m going to take it.”
Patience has already paid off for his “good mate” and fellow Irishman Sinclair Armstrong. After a series of substitute appearances, the Dublin-born teenager made an immediate impact on his full debut during the week, winning an early penalty that led to his opponent being sent off following an impressive solo run. The convincing 3-0 victory over Cardiff saw QPR go top of the Championship.
The club’s superb form is one reason why Beale may be reluctant to change a winning formula, but he remains in constant dialogue with Masterson.
“I have a really good relationship with him,” he adds. “We speak often and he tells me what I need to do and what I don’t need to do.”
It is consequently just one of a series of obstacles Masterson has faced and will continue to be confronted with throughout his career, but the 24-year-old remains optimistic that his persistence will pay off ultimately.
“I want to try and break into the QPR team,” he reiterates. “And hopefully that happens. But if not, I will speak to the club and the manager and see what happens in January. Right now, I’m just focusing on training every day, and working hard.”
