Colm Horgan: 'I suppose there's a sense of coming home and righting the fact that I was captain when we got relegated'

Colm Horgan

Horgan during his first stint at Galway United. Credit: Steve Alfred (ETPhotos)

Paul Corcoran reports from Eamonn Deacy Park

Galway United lifted the First Division trophy on Friday night after a long season which saw them clinch the title with 25 points separating them from second placed Waterford.

It was a party atmosphere on the Dyke Road from the off on Friday with Galway United running out 2-0 winners over Wexford – meaning they completed a perfect home record in the league with 18 wins.

Colm Horgan played his part throughout the season in a defence that conceded just 18 goals in 36 games, the Galway native spoke of his delight at securing promotion with the Tribesmen despite missing some of the season through injury.

“It's special for me. I'm playing in the League 13 or 14 years; this is the first thing I've ever won,” he said, speaking to extratime.com.

“To do it with my hometown club, you know, it's an immense feeling with my mam and dad and some of my brothers in the stand there. It’s brilliant.

“You want to be playing, you want to be contributing on the pitch. But at the same time, the fact that the boys are so good, they're actually a joy to watch.

“The fact that they kept winning probably made it a little bit easier for myself, which is a strange thing to say.

“But, you know, overall, it's been a season I've really, really enjoyed love being back at the club and, you know, it couldn't have gone any better really.

Horgan began his career with Salthill Devon before playing four season with Galway United (winning promotion in 2014 with the Tribesmen).



The defender was actually club captain during the 2017 season when the Galway were relegated and it’s fitting that he returned this season to help the club return to the top flight.

He joined John Caulfield at Cork City ahead of the 2018 season and went on to have spells with Derry City and Sligo Rovers before returning to Galway this year.

“When I met John and Ollie, I knew what they had in store and what they planned to do and the guys that they were bringing in and the direction that they were planning to move with the club.

“So that was really exciting for me. I suppose there's a sense of coming home and righting the fact that I was captain when we got relegated. That's probably part of the decision.

“And John was brilliant with me, my own personal stuff behind the scenes. He was super flexible with me and my partner, she lives in England, so really flexible with me and I just, I knew I loved working with John in Cork and what I was going to get out of him.

“You have to go through some adversity sometimes and you try and learn from it. You try to become a better player and a better person. And I think my time away from Galway allowed me to become a better player.



“It's hard leaving the club and especially jumping ship, I suppose, when I was captain when we got relegated.

“It probably doesn't look great, and it was a tough decision at the time but, coming back now and being with this group of players, group of lads, management, everyone behind the scenes, it's been brilliant. It's been really special for me.”

The Tribesmen were notable this season for their ruthlessness. They lost just two games in the league this year and racked up a remarkable 98 goals in 36 games. Horgan spoke of the strong mentality in the group throughout the campaign.

“I think you see it every week. The mentality in the group and that's day-to-day. It's not just on a Friday night.

“It’s what we do in training, the work that goes on behind the scenes, we're never satisfied. Even today there'll be a hint of regret because we only got 98 goals, you know it would have been nice to get that 100.

“Just the mentality every week. And I think enjoying each other's company, really going out, playing for each other, digging in when we had to,  winning ugly when we had to, playing beautiful football when we could.

“And I think the fans would have enjoyed this season a lot and I know I certainly did playing with them.”

 

 

About Paul Corcoran

Paul Corcoran is an experienced writer and journalist and has contributed to various publications including the Galway United match programme Maroon View. He spends much of his time covering the fortunes of Galway United's teams … View Full Profile