Madden determined to succeed at Bohemians
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With a fierce title battle looming between arch-rivals Shamrock Rovers
and Bohemians, young Bohemians' striker Paddy Madden believes the Bohs
squad has the mental strength to see off their challengers.
“I think we definitely have the determination to see this title battle through. Pat (Fenlon) has us focused everyday in training, but obviously it's not going to be as easy as last season because some teams have really improved this year. There are too many experienced pros in the team not to have a fighting mentality," Madden explained.
Madden has now pinned down a place in the Bohs team with some fine performances this season, most notably during his loan spell with Shelbourne, where he bagged 8 goals in 16 games for Dermot Keely's men, including one against Bohs in the EA Sports Cup.
“I was happy to come back to Bohs to see what I could offer at the top level, but I really enjoyed my time at Shels. They looked after me really well there.”
Madden believes his loan move in February was the right move for him at the time. “I think I benefited because I picked up the pace of the game. It might not be as quick in the First Division as it is in the Premier, but it was still fast. It also gave me the chance to play against senior pros, something I'd never had the chance to do before.”
Madden has never been shy in finding the back of the net and was always known as a prolific goalscorer from his time at WFTA and was an integral part of the Bohs “A” team before making the leap into the first team.
But despite playing extremely well for Bohs and impressing many of their supporters with his tireless work rate, Paddy is yet to break his duck and score his first goal, something he concedes has been playing on his mind slightly.
“Although it's going good for me at the moment, I'm a bit disappointed not to have scored yet. I'm playing well but I still feel like I can bring more to the team. When you're on a bit of a drought it does play on your mind. I'd love to say it doesn't, but it can. Hopefully I'll score soon and once I do they'll all start coming.”
When your learning from some of the best strikers the league has seen in recent years, it seems to be only a matter of time before the ex-WFTA schoolboy gets on the score sheet for Bohs.
“It's great training with the likes of Glen (Crowe), Neale (Fenn) and Jason (Byrne). It makes you sharper and I learn a lot from them. If I have a problem with anything I'll ask one of them and they'll help me with it straight away.”
Madden also added that he couldn't be happier working under current mentor Pat Fenlon, the man who gave Madden his professional debut, bringing him on in an away win against Cobh towards the end of last season.
“Pat is a great manager to work with. If he sees any problem, he'll tell me what I need to work on. You can see from all the things he's won just how good of a manager he is and I'm very happy to be working under him,” Madden stated.
With an EA Sports Cup final, an FAI Cup quarter-final, and a tense title league run fast approaching, there's certainly no better time for the 19-year-old to show what he's clearly capable of.
“I think we definitely have the determination to see this title battle through. Pat (Fenlon) has us focused everyday in training, but obviously it's not going to be as easy as last season because some teams have really improved this year. There are too many experienced pros in the team not to have a fighting mentality," Madden explained.
Madden has now pinned down a place in the Bohs team with some fine performances this season, most notably during his loan spell with Shelbourne, where he bagged 8 goals in 16 games for Dermot Keely's men, including one against Bohs in the EA Sports Cup.
“I was happy to come back to Bohs to see what I could offer at the top level, but I really enjoyed my time at Shels. They looked after me really well there.”
Madden believes his loan move in February was the right move for him at the time. “I think I benefited because I picked up the pace of the game. It might not be as quick in the First Division as it is in the Premier, but it was still fast. It also gave me the chance to play against senior pros, something I'd never had the chance to do before.”
Madden has never been shy in finding the back of the net and was always known as a prolific goalscorer from his time at WFTA and was an integral part of the Bohs “A” team before making the leap into the first team.
But despite playing extremely well for Bohs and impressing many of their supporters with his tireless work rate, Paddy is yet to break his duck and score his first goal, something he concedes has been playing on his mind slightly.
“Although it's going good for me at the moment, I'm a bit disappointed not to have scored yet. I'm playing well but I still feel like I can bring more to the team. When you're on a bit of a drought it does play on your mind. I'd love to say it doesn't, but it can. Hopefully I'll score soon and once I do they'll all start coming.”
When your learning from some of the best strikers the league has seen in recent years, it seems to be only a matter of time before the ex-WFTA schoolboy gets on the score sheet for Bohs.
“It's great training with the likes of Glen (Crowe), Neale (Fenn) and Jason (Byrne). It makes you sharper and I learn a lot from them. If I have a problem with anything I'll ask one of them and they'll help me with it straight away.”
Madden also added that he couldn't be happier working under current mentor Pat Fenlon, the man who gave Madden his professional debut, bringing him on in an away win against Cobh towards the end of last season.
“Pat is a great manager to work with. If he sees any problem, he'll tell me what I need to work on. You can see from all the things he's won just how good of a manager he is and I'm very happy to be working under him,” Madden stated.
With an EA Sports Cup final, an FAI Cup quarter-final, and a tense title league run fast approaching, there's certainly no better time for the 19-year-old to show what he's clearly capable of.
About Frankie Lally
Frankie Lally writes for a number of publications. You can contact Frankie on Twitter at @FrankieLally
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