Kenny Browne Interview

He stands out in the First Division like Rodney Trotter at Snow White’s funeral. When Dave McKeon blew time on Waterford United’s top flight status in November, Kenny Browne was expected to saddle up and ride out of the RSC for pastures new and more lucrative. Despite rumours to the contrary Browne remained with his hometown club of his own volition and finds himself looking forward to a top of the table clash with Shelbourne on Friday evening.

Much water has travelled under the bridge since these clubs last met competitively at Tolka Park in 2006. In fact tidal waves of change have ensured that they have both had to rebuild that bridge several times. Between them they have suffered three relegations, been promoted and won a league title in less than two years. The occupants of their managers’ chairs have changed and the squads have seen major cosmetic surgery since Shelbourne’s 5-1 victory that July evening.

The importance of Friday’s clash is not lost on Browne. “It’s a big game. We have to get a result because Dundalk are three points ahead of us. We don’t want to be five or six points behind so we are going up to win. We aren’t going to sit back and hope for a draw,” says the 21-year-old.

Browne and Waterford will need no introduction to several of the Shels players. Five of them (Mulcahy, Hedderman, Delaney, Keely and Chambers) played with the Munster side over the last eighteen months. Browne is wary of the Dubliners. “They have a lot of players who have been there and done it. Freeman up front is one to note. He’s a really good player. He is a good mover and finisher. Give him a chance and he’s dangerous,” warns the defender.

Browne has no doubts that when the promotion race enters the final straight, Waterford will have more than just Dundalk to contend with. “Shelbourne will definitely be there or thereabouts. They have a good squad on paper. To be honest, it’s a three horse race between ourselves, Dundalk and Shels.”

The recent defeat to Dundalk was Waterford’s first of the season. Browne delivered a master class in defending on the evening but David Cassidy’s second half goal meant that Waterford returned home empty-handed. “I don’t think it was a big blow. Okay, we were beaten but we took a lot of heart from it. We were missing a lot of players and we didn’t get outclassed.” He is bullish about The Blues’ chances when Dundalk visit the RSC in June. “They aren’t world beaters. We’d be really confident that we can beat them at the RSC,” he insists.

The game at Oriel Park continued the high standard that Browne set in previous weeks. “Up until last week [against Kildare] I was really happy with my form. I know I got two goals on Friday but performance-wise I wasn’t great. But I’m happy. No disrespect to the First Division but it is a big drop down and personally, I’ve been so unlucky with injuries, I just want to get a good thirty-something games under my belt.”

Browne is quick to acknowledge that the experience of David Breen, and the understanding that they have forged, is a contributing factor to the quality of his performances. “Myself and Breener have a good partnership. We compliment each other. He has strengths that I don’t have and I have the opposite strengths to him. I’m a bit quieter than him and he’ll do all the talking and organising. I might have to cover him a bit more than he does for me though.”

The pair’s form is such that club-captain John Hayes has to warm the bench in anticipation of a chance that might be some distance over the horizon. Browne knows that it could have been him.

The former centre-forward was omitted from the starting line up in the season opener at Wexford. “To be honest I had a poor pre-season and picked up a knock. Breener and John Hayes played against Bray in pre-season and did well. They drew 0-0…I played against Galway down in Blarney and had a terrible game so I think Gareth went with his gut feeling and the form players and that’s what it was down to. That’s why I was on the bench. It was a bit of a kick in the arse for me,” he admits.

Browne’s chance came when Hayes saw red at Ferrycarrig Park. “It’s bad for John but luckily for me he got sent off or I could still be sitting on the bench.”

Hayes’ chance won’t come as a result of Browne upping sticks in the summer transfer window. Browne insists that the RSC is where he sees his immediate future. “This season I’m definitely staying until the end of the season doing everything I can to get us up. I don’t even want to talk about, or think about, not going up.”

It is hard to imagine that Browne’s phone number wouldn’t fetch a pretty penny on E-Bay come June. Rumours circulated Suirside that Galway and Shamrock Rovers were amongst his potential suitors during the winter. “I did have a few offers at the start of the season. I had two or three full-time clubs interested. It just didn’t seem right. I said to Gareth that I didn’t want to move and he was delighted so he said he’d keep me for another year and see how it goes. All going well, we’ll get promoted,” he insists.

Browne says that his preference is to play at the top level with United. “Why would I want to travel half the country when I could play here? I have ambitions myself and I want to play as high as my ability will take me so next season I’ll hopefully be playing in the Premier Division in Ireland.”

He is confident that Gareth Cronin has assembled a squad good enough to realise that ambition. “I think the squad we have this year is better than last year. There is a lot of quality there this year. No disrespect to the lads that were here last year but lads like Michael Foley and Robbie Clarke are great players. We have a lot of young lads coming through as well and maybe that wouldn’t have happened in the Premier Division.”

Over the past couple of seasons, in which the RSC faithful have survived on a staple diet of draws and defeats, the atmosphere was one of apprehension on match days. That is now changing. “It’s nice to be winning for a change. We used to be hoping to scrape a 1-0 win. This year we are confident that we will go out and win every game. I know that’s not going to happen but the spirit and confidence is there,” says Browne.

“It’s new to me to be going out expecting to win every game. The last two or three years that wasn’t there. It’s a different pressure but I’m enjoying it.” If the celebrations after last Friday night’s winning goal are anything to go by then so too are his team mates. Browne will be hoping that the good times continue. If they do, this time next year, they’ll be Premier Division.