Paul Keegan: ‘We won League One and played in the Championship. We played against some great teams, with huge budgets.’

When you've played for as long as Paul Keegan has, picking up numerous winner's medals and enjoying a couple of cross-channel stints, when the time finally arrives to hang up the boots, the natural progression is to pass on some of that vast experience to the next generation.

A promising talent at Home Farm, Keegan had many suitors in England, but the lure of increasing the amount of already considerable Irish accents at Leeds United was enough to sway his decision as a 16-year old.

“I had offers from different clubs,” said Keegan. “Brian Kidd had just come in. He had brought the likes of Scholes, Butt and Beckham through at Manchester United. Gary Kelly, Ian Harte, Alan Cawley, Damian Lynch, Alan Maybury and Stephen McPhail were all part of a great Irish contingent at Leeds.

"They were all very influential in me deciding to sign for the club. My parents and I knew that it would be like a home away from home. My folks were also probably glad that I didn't join Arsenal or West Ham and living in a big city.”

Unable to break through into the Elland Road first team and following a brief loan spell at Scunthorpe United, Paul came back to Ireland, joining Drogheda United in 2005. While at the Louth club, collecting silverware became the norm and continued so after moving to Bohemians, where he also became PFAI Chairman for a year before returning to English football.

“At Drogheda we went through some difficult times, when the club had plans to build a new stadium and the planning permission got pulled. I got involved in a lot of discussions and I got to know Stephen McGuinness and obviously Ollie Cahill, from playing with him.

"That's where the interest started and then when I was at a big club like Bohs, I could be a voice for other players and chat to lads, making sure everything was okay. It was a great learning experience and Stephen was very good in helping me.

"He showed me what was going on off the pitch and it was a real eye opener, which I enjoyed. I also made a lot of contacts there, which stood to me in the future.”

Doncaster Rovers provided Keegan another opportunity in England and after his initial contract was up at the end of the 2011/12 season, once the personal terms were hashed out, he had no doubts about extending his time in South Yorkshire.

“They weren't sure about who was staying and who was coming in. If the club don't issue you a retainer by May 15th, then technically, the player is released, but I was still in discussions with Doncaster at that time.

"I was happy to stay on and ended up there for six and a half years. We won League One and played in the Championship. We played against some great teams in the Championship, with huge budgets. It's a great club with a tremendous fan base.”

The midfielder reappeared in the League of Ireland in 2017, helping Waterford secure the First Division title and seeing out his playing days at Bray Wanderers, retiring from playing at the end of last year. With the last 12 months to reflect on the amount of trophies won in an admirable career, has it only now sunk in how fortunate he was?

“Maybe I haven't fully realised it yet due to not being out of the game too long. You're judged on what you win and your career is also determined by how many games you played or being involved in international football.

"There are always targets you put on yourself as a player, but I always went with when signing for a club things like: Am I going to win things there? Are there footballers there that are going to make me a better player?

"If you're winning things and doing well, you'll always get your next contract and stay in the game. There's always pressure to earn your next deal and I always liked to go to the best team available. I've been very lucky, like at Bohemians, the players we had, made my job so easy.”

Currently in sales, Paul is also dipping his toes in coaching at familiar surroundings.

“I've started to do my UEFA B badge. With Bohemians I've been coaching the U-19 team with Craig Sexton. I went there to learn from him and see what it's like to coach and manage a team. They've got a great setup there. The U-19s got to the cup final and lost out to Derry on penalties. We came very close to winning the league as well.

"I'm starting from scratch as a coach, but with my experience as a player, I can give young guys pointers to help them out, enjoy their football and make progress. If I can be of any benefit to the lads, I'm happy to do it.”

In Pictures: @ShamrockRovers 2- 1 @DroghedaUnitedhttps://t.co/psEKWT2VAJpic.twitter.com/OZ4G5MnToU

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) November 20, 2021