Aaron McEneff: ‘We’ve enjoyed life so far, since moving out here (to Australia). There’s some very good players in the league with teams who try and play good football’

Aaron McEneff

Aaron McEneff Credit: Clare McCahill (ETPhotos)

No stranger to being at clubs with proud histories and a large, loyal fan base throughout his career, Aaron McEneff, now with the A-League’s Perth Glory, hopes that a consistent good run of form leads to even more highlights in the years ahead.

Signing a two-year scholarship with Tottenham Hotspur in 2012, Aaron’s international clearance didn’t arrive until the following January, keeping him out of competitive football until after that date.

“It was very frustrating,” said McEneff when extratime.com caught up with the player just ahead of Christmas. “I didn’t know about international clearance throughout the whole of pre-season. I remember getting a phone call the night before we were due to play our first U-18 league game. Alex Inglethorpe, the youth team coach called and explained the situation.

“All I could do was play in friendly games on a Saturday even though you wanted to play in the competitive ones. I just kept my head down, trained and tried to improve because at the end of the day that’s why you’re at an academy like Tottenham for ... To try and make yourself a better footballer.”

Disappointment upon release from Tottenham in mid-2015, the young midfielder returned to his native Derry, joining Candystripes under Peter Hutton.

“When I went back home, for the first two months I was in and out of the team. I probably lacked a bit of confidence because I hadn’t been playing consistently for a good while. Then there was coming to terms with playing senior football in the League of Ireland, which is a very good standard. I used the following off-season really well, to get myself as fit as I could and come back ready to go.

“I started that second season a wee bit iffy as well, but after three or four games I started feeling more confident. I think I played every game since then at Derry. For young players to get a cross-channel setback at such a young age, everybody deals with that in their own way. Sometimes a bit of time is what it takes for someone to get on their feet and mature.”

Leaving Derry for Shamrock Rovers in late 2018, McEneff’s maiden season in Dublin concluded with him netting an 89th minute penalty on FAI Cup final day. While Dundalk equalised during injury time a 4-2 shootout victory secured the Hoops first cup win in 32 years.

“I was due to take the fifth penalty and it was probably the best day in my football career. On the day of the cup final, you wake up and there’s a proper buzz straight away. You get to the Aviva and it’s packed with fans and your family are there. That day I felt we played really well. When we did get the penalty and I scored, I thought that’s game over, but football’s a funny game. My mate, Mickey Duff scored the equaliser, so we were laughing about it in extra-time.”

Despite more silverware when Rovers captured the 2020 Premier Division title, an offer from a sleeping Scottish giant proved too tempting to turn down.



“When I heard about the interest from Hearts, I was buzzing because they’re a massive club. It looked at the time that they were going to get promoted from the Championship, to play in the SPL. I thought it would have been the best move for me. The first year and a half, I was in and out of the team quite a bit, for whatever reason.

"Even though I didn’t play regularly, I thought I did contribute a lot of the times I did play. We qualified for Europe, then the next year and got to a cup final. I did enjoy times at Hearts and there’s a great bunch of lads there. Every footballer should want to play every week, so that’s why I made the decision to move on this year and ended up in Australia.”

Ending up in Australia came about largely from Perth Glory’s Head of Recruitment, Andy Keogh. As someone who received a call up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for a Nations League fixture against Bulgaria in late 2020, Aaron insists that playing in the A-League shouldn’t prevent any possible future international involvement.

“It’s always been a dream for me to play for Ireland. Getting called up to the squad was an amazing feeling for me and my family. Moving out to Australia, some people might see it as hampering my chances, but if I get myself playing regularly here and doing well, then there’s no reason why I can’t be putting myself in that conversation again. It’s something I would love to do, but right now I’m concentrating on my club football. I’ve had a few games and the league’s now back after the World Cup break.”

A big move, from Edinburgh to Perth, for McEneff and his family. A different lifestyle, domestic league and the days of travelling to away games by coach, long gone.

“Me and my family love living here. It’s a beautiful city and then you’ve got the beaches. We’ve enjoyed life so far, since moving out here. There’s some very good players in the league. Teams try and play good football.



All the travelling has been tough at times. We’ve had our first five games away from home. I found that difficult because you have the long flights and then the time difference to deal with. There’s a few of us in the squad who’ve not been used to that. Difficult to adjust to, but I’m sure in time I’ll find ways of getting the best out of myself the next day when you turn up on the pitch. With home games coming up, we’re hoping to pick up some wins and bounce right up the table.”

About Dan Lucey

Dan Lucey is an interviewer for extraTime.com. He has penned articles for both Cork City and Luton Town’s official programmes.

Dan has written numerous interviews and was a regular attendee at League … View Full Profile