Morrissey reflects on whirlwind week at Cambridge

It has been one hell of a week for former Cork City midfielder Gearóid Morrissey. Having made his first team debut for Cambridge United in front of 74,511 people in Old Trafford on Wednesday, the 23 year-old midfielder made his first start for his new club in Saturday’s 1-0 league defeat against Wycombe at the Abbey Stadium.

In the aftermath of the league game, Extratime.ie caught up with the young midfielder and asked how it felt to make his first start for Richard Money’s men.

“I’m getting there. I’m a bit stiff and achey now at the minute because I’m still kind of carrying a bit of a groin injury so still trying to shake that off.

“I came back to training, and then I got a groin injury and it’s taken a long time to settle down so I’ve had three training sessions I think now, since the start of January end of December.

“But ya, it was very good. I had my debut at Old Trafford, and then to make my home debut, it was very pleasing.”

Although Morrissey is pleased to be breaking into the first team at Cambridge and get his first start, he could still not hide his disappointment at coming away with nothing to show from the league tie.

“The first half especially I felt we were the better team. The second half we came out and conceded an easy goal from a free kick. Basically the fella who took the free kick kind of crossed it in, and it didn’t touch anybody but it found its way into the net. I don’t know how really, it was a soft goal to concede.

“Then shortly after that, we went down to ten men when Cameron McGeehan got sent off. He didn’t do much really to the goalkeeper, he kind of flicked his leg out towards him and then with the reaction of the goalkeeper; he dropped as if he’d been shot you know and that didn’t help.”

Ever since Cameron McGeehan joined Cambridge on loan from Norwich in January, the 19 year-old midfielder has caught the imagination of the fans. Two goals on his debut set the tone for what to expect and after starring in his side’s 0-0 with Man United, McGeehan once again found the back of the net in the league tie with Dagenham & Redbridge. McGeehan's sending off brought to an end his one-month loan spell and although that might improve Morrissey’s chances of featuring, the former Ringmahon Rangers midfielder laments the loss of a player who he rates highly.

“He’s a very attacking player and he kind of reminds me of Frank Lampard”, Morrissey explains.

“He gets in the box and he gets on the end of things.”

Morrissey himself is also new at Cambridge, having joined from Cork City when the transfer window opened in January. The 23 year-old soon picked up a groin injury though that delayed the introduction of ‘Chops’ to the fans at the Abbey Stadium.

As Cambridge were given a plum tie against Manchester United in the FA Cup, Morrissey was forced to look on from the sidelines while his new teammates held the Premier League giants scoreless to earn a money-spinning replay.

The former Cork City player continued to make progress with his groin injury, but with only two training sessions under his belt and over 100 days since his last taste of competitive football (the league decided against Dundalk in Oriel Park), Morrissey was named on the bench for the glamour tie at Old Trafford last Tuesday night alongside former Limerick striker Rory Gaffney. With the Red Devils winning 2-0, Morrissey was introduced as a 51^st minute for former Man United player Luke Chadwick.

Now that it has had time to sink in, Morrissey’s thoughts are focussed on the job at hand – the bread and butter of league football.

“There was a great buzz at the time. All my family and all are really delighted and that, but the fact that I am over here, I can just forget it and move on a bit. They are probably more excited about it than I am, to see me out there. I can kind of just focus on the league, but it was great at the time. It was very surreal, and I’ll probably look back in a couple of years’ time and I’ll really be chuffed that I’d done it.”

It wasn’t the first time that Morrissey had come up against big name players, having lined up against Chelsea’s Eden Hazard in an U19 international match in 2009. This time however, the stakes were higher and the stage was bigger, and I wondered were there any nerves on the night?

“At the start I was nervous at the thought of it, but then as the game went on, in my head I was just kind of eager. I was sitting on the bench thinking ‘please God he gives me the nod... even for five minutes… even if I don’t touch the ball, I’ll be happy to get on for five minutes’.”

“So I was concentrating on that, hoping and praying that I’d get on, but then when he gave me the nod I was just so happy that I wasn’t really nervous. I was just so eager to get on the pitch and just to say I’d done that.”

Having initially moved across the water to join Blackburn Rovers, Morrissey didn’t settle and returned to Ireland to join his home club Cork City, where he featured heavily over the past couple of years. With a few seasons of first team football behind him, Morrissey now feels better equipped to prove himself in English football.

With this hindsight, I asked the former Blackburn Rovers trainee would he advise young Irish players to get some experience in the League of Ireland before moving across the pond.

“Yeah, 100%. It gets them in the mentality of winning games. When you’re growing up in academies or U18 sides, three points are three points. Win, lose or draw it doesn’t really matter. But when it’s for your livelihood, it’s got a whole new meaning; you’re with adults who are all of the same mentality.

“Getting three points every week benefits you in your everyday life and I think that definitely playing in the League of Ireland prepares your mentality that ‘we need to win’ and I think I came over here with that, knowing how vital it is to take three points or just to not lose a game.

“It seasons you. It toughens you up. You realise how important it is to go out and give everything and how it affects your livelihood. It’s not just a game anymore. And especially then when you’re going out and playing against grown men, who are in the same frame of mind, and it becomes really competitive – I think it definitely does give you that edge.

“I think it’s great for young players to be playing in League of Ireland sides, getting used to that and getting used to the toughness of it and the physicality of it and the players are either kicking on in the League of Ireland or moving on.

“There’s not as much pressure when you’re playing in an academy. You’re very protected. When three or four thousand people are coming in and paying good money to see you on a Friday night or a Saturday, there’s all sorts of pressure. If you’re on social media sites or whatever, they do let you know what they think so there is that pressure. It’s all part and parcel of it and you just have to roll with it and deal with it?”

Having not settled while at Blackburn as a teenager, Morrissey is a lot happier this time out and tells me how the Cambridge fans have made feel at home since his move.

“I’m settling well. The fans have really made me feel welcome. They’ve shown me great support on the social media and all that, and I’m really happy.”

Another factor in his smooth transition to life in English football is his new manager, as the 23-year old refers to Richard Money’s ‘ridiculous CV’ and admits to ‘hanging off his every word’.

“He’s really good to be fair. His knowledge of the game is unreal. Every time that he says something, it’s worth taking in. He doesn’t just throw things out there, everything he says is really knowledgeable and for me it’s great.

“He knows so much positionally and just how he wants you to do things, for me it’s really good and I’m learning a lot from him.

“There’s not many fellas that you’d be managed by that have won the European Cup with Liverpool*. He’s played with some great players and some great managers, and he’s had a few other jobs around England in coaching roles at some big clubs, so he knows his stuff.”

Morrissey isn’t the only player to move from the League of Ireland to the Abbey Stadium as former Limerick striker and Tuam native Rory Gaffney also made the switch to the League Two side; something that has helped him settle in.

“I’m really glad Rory came over. I never really knew him that well before, just from playing against him really. I never really knew him personally until I met him in the airport on the way to Stansted one morning. That was my first time talking to him, but we got on really well. He’s just like me. He comes from the same background as me and we got on really well and it does help having another Irish lad around the place.”

Cambridge United currently lie eight points off the relegation zone but nine points of promotion places. Next up is a trip to Exeter City on Tuesday night where Morrissey could come up against former teammate Graham Cummins. Though Exeter are six points ahead, Cambridge have two games in hand and Morrissey knows just how important a game it will be.

“It’s massive. It’s crazy, but we’ve a job to do. We need to start picking up three points, and that definitely has to start when we’re away on Tuesday night.”

For Morrissey, it is a case of recovery from Saturday’s tie as he looks to get up to grips with his teammates fitness levels.

“Ya. It’s kind of catch 22 for me at the minute, because I’m kind of going through a pre-season. The lads are all up to speed and they’re all up to certain fitness levels, and I’m not because I’ve been injured and I’m coming from the League of Ireland off-season. I came over here and I got a groin strain and I still haven’t been able to shake it off so I’m kind of trying to manage that and get my fitness levels up as best I can.

“It’s tough, but I’m getting there.”

*Richard Money played for Liverpool in the 1981 European Cup semi-final and was an unused substitute in the final.