Bastien Hery on his time playing under Alan Reynolds at Waterford: ‘In terms of the dressing room and the experience, it was definitely the best for me.”

Football can take a person to some unexpected places. Take Bastien Hery.

He was born just outside Paris in Brou-sur-Chantereine and having been part of Paris Saint-Germain when he was released from the club without a word of English, he left for Sheffield Wednesday, closely followed by appearances at lower league clubs in the north of England.

Add time spent playing in all four Irish provinces (not to mention a season in the NIFL) and international caps for Madagascar, it’s probably not where the budding footballer saw himself ending up when starting out at local schoolboy club US Torcy.

The disappointment of leaving a club of PSG’s standing in the absence of full-time terms on offer, didn’t sway the French U-18 international from joining Sheffield Wednesday in 2013, with the hope of carving out a successful career across the English Channel.

“I couldn’t find another French club because I was injured, practically the whole season,” said Hery when extratime.com caught up with the 30 year old player recenelty. “To find a club was really hard. To sign a professional contract was my main objective and that’s why I went to England.”

A free transfer to League Two outfit Rochdale in 2015 initially took Hery a while to get going, but some influential performances during the closing fixtures helped the club to a third-placed finish and automatic promotion.

“It was so important. I didn’t play much until there was a chance of getting promoted. When I started playing, we went on a good run and ended up going up, so that was really good. I think this is one of my best memories in professional football.”

Despite regular game time and a commendable eighth-place in League One, Hery left Rochdale by mutual consent in the summer of 2015. Spells at Carlisle United and then Accrington Stanley preceded an unexpected link up with Martin Russell’s Limerick.

“I didn’t know anything about Ireland to be honest. I was speaking to an agent in England, who told me that if I go over there and finish in the top three, I can play in Europe. When he mentioned European football, that’s when I said: ‘Okay, let’s go for it and try my luck.’”

Signing for Waterford ahead of the 2018 campaign, the French midfielder impressed enough during his maiden season to earn a two-year contract extension, become the club’s senior Player of the Year and he was also named in the League of Ireland Premier Division Team of the Year.

“I think it was all down to the team we had and the manager (Alan Reynolds) was also a big part of it. The team he built was the best one I had played in so far. In terms of the dressing room and experience, it was definitely the best for me.”

He helped Waterford finish in fourth in the league in 2018 which would have earned the club a place in Europe for the following season only for them to miss out as UEFA deemed Waterford, who reformed in 2016, a new club and so hadn't membership in the league for three consecutive seasons.

In a deal which saw Linfield striker Michael O’Connor join Waterford on loan, Hery went in the opposite direction on a permanent basis, and a first venture into the NIFL scene. It turned out to be a hugely successful one, as the south Belfast side captured the 2019/20 Premiership, in addition to a memorable European run.

A disappointing 6-0 aggregate loss to Rosenberg BK in the UEFA Champions League developed into superior results in the Europa League, as the Blues swept aside B36 Tórshavn and FL Sutjeska of Montenegro before finally succumbing to Qarabag FK on away goals – bringing to life the exact kind of European nights Hery was chasing upon first coming to Ireland and missed out on with Waterford.

“I could have stayed in the league in Northern Ireland, but you never know where football takes you. It’s a crazy game. One year you could be up and the next you’re down.”

A League of Ireland return ensued, with Bohemians, Derry City (on loan), Finn Harps and Galway United (also on loan) bringing us up to the present day.

Another feather in the footballing cap arrived in 2020, when the Parisian first got called up to the Madagascar national side – eligible through his grandfather being born on the island.

“It’s unreal. One of the best things that have happened in my career so far. I couldn’t even explain it. You have to go through it to know what it feels like.”

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— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) January 8, 2023