Probably better than you think
With the new found interest from across the channel in Eircom League (EL) players, it has to be recognised that the standard of football on offer at home is higher than a lot of people previously gave it credit for. Kevin Doyle is the obvious reference point. Signed from Cork City for 100 grand, at the time he wasn’t even recognised as the League’s top striker. Now he’s setting the premiership alight and is worth around 8-10 million. Reading have now also signed defender Alan Bennet from Cork for half a million. Since Doyle’s departure Cardiff, who originally spurned the chance to sign Doyle picked up Shelbourne’s prolific goalscorer Jason Byrne. Byrne scored on his debut for the bluebirds after coming off the bench.Yesterday, youngster Stephen Ward who recently signed for Wolves from Bohs got his first goal for the midlanders. Wolves manager Mick McCarthy said after the game, “We’ve not scored enough goals this season, but in Stephen Ward and Andy Keogh we saw two front players who were in a different class. They are a real partnership in the making.”There has also been an influx of ex-EL players into the Scottish Premier division. Most of these players would not be regarded by fans of the domestic game as the cream of the crop. In fact the likes of Trevor Molloy and Paul Keegan who are now with Motherwell would be regarded as has beens by most. Both players had their heyday while at Dublin giants Bohemians, Molloy famously scoring against Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the UEFA cup while Keegan was partner and provider to the prolific Glen Crowe during The Gypsies’ 2002/03 league winning campaign. Those triumphs are far behind both players, yet they are playing in what up until recently has been seen as a superior league.
Recent European performances by Eircom League clubs, most recently Derry and Drogheda United, point to an improvement. I was at the Drogs two home Euro games this year and they were more than a match for the opposition. They beat HJK Helsinki 3-1 at home and were unlucky to go out of the UEFA on penalties after drawing with IK Start of Norway. Derry on the other hand comfortably beat IFK Gothenburg and managed a draw at home to Paris Saint German before losing in the away leg.
The EL has still a long way to go with regards to facilities but the football itself is a decent product and its getting better all the time. Bohs plans to build a youth acadamy with some of the Dalymount windfall will only see things improve and we’ll see more and more players opt to stay at home rather than go abroad at 14 or 15. The cream will still go abroad but we’ll have a better player at home too.
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