Extratime Interview: Brian Gartland
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Monaghan United played their first game at Belgium Park back in 1985 in front of a 2000 strong crowd against a travelling Derry City side who themselves had just entered the League of Ireland. The two clubs’ eventual paths were to diverge greatly however, with the Candystripes going on to win two top flight championships as well as capturing four FAI Cups.
Monaghan never reached such heights but perhaps fittingly, on this the 25th anniversary of the club‘s engagement in senior competition, both themselves and Derry find themselves facing off once more, this time in a promotion battle that is shaping up to be the most exciting finale to a First Division campaign in years. Add to that Mons’ upcoming FAI Cup quarter final and a first ever senior final, in the shape of the EA Sports Cup, and a picture starts to develop of a United team that are finally starting to go places.
Central to the Gortakeegan club’s plans this year has been Brian Gartland. The former Bray and Shelbourne centre-half is a three year veteran of a club that has previously found itself in a state of constant flux. That initial attendance back in ’85 has never been bettered at either Belgium Park or their present ground but Gartland, who despite being a semi-pro looks every bit a professional athlete at Dundrum Town centre, has been seeing more and more people taking notice of his sides’ current form.
“We’ve really noticed it you know because we used to have really barren games,” mused Gartland. “ Say we’d be playing Kildare [County] or Longford - in fairness they [Longford] would bring a few fans but smaller games no-one would be at. You’ve got to raise it for those games…the Limerick game in the EA Cup we had an away bus. It was a small mini-bus but that was the first time [in a long time], so that’s showing signs and then up in Derry I remember after we scored, there was a big roar and I looked over in the corner and there was 50 to a hundred fans. So it’s growing,” says Gartland with the positive tone that echoes his sides’ confident run this season.
Having just overtaken Derry at the top of the First Division, Monaghan have gone from closing a sizeable points difference to leapfrogging the Foylesiders after Monday’s 2-0 win against Athlone Town. Gartland puts their continuing good form down to a desire in the squad that sometimes borders on the over competitive.
“There are people hungry for success and it shows when you’re training and there’s people biting the heads off each other over decisions. Some people are moany but it shows a hunger and a desire to even win at training, to be the best at training so …it’s a healthy thing. You need that…otherwise you’re just going through the motions and you’re not getting as much out of it as you should.”
Still only 23, Gartland has been part of a side that has been moulding gradually over the course of the past three years. It was in December 2007 that the Knocklyon native made the switch to Gortakeegan after he had been part of the papier-mâché style restructuring job that had taken place in the immediate aftermath of Shelbourne’s imposed relegation. Gartland does have one stand-out moment from that period at Tolka Park however, scoring as he did the first goal for Shels in the second tier against Kildare on the season‘s opening night. “Ya we went 1-0 down which was poor but I think it was 14 or 15minutes in. I was right in front of the Shels fans, the new stand, so it’s a memory that will stick with me forever.”
That was about as good as it was going to get for Gartland in those precarious times at the Dublin club. The then manager Dermot Keely did offer him an extension but first team action wasn’t a given. “At that age I was only coming in to senior football really…at the end of the season when Dermot said to me to sign back it was going to be more as cover and there wouldn’t be much to offer.
“It wasn’t a great season for Shels. It was a young team, thrown together. The players that were there didn’t suit Dermot’s style of football or what have you. Young lads that wanted to play football….Dermot’s style was more, you know, more aggressive.”
Mick Cooke came in with an offer and Gartland has never looked back after making the move north. “Mick rang me and I met with him. I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made… he’s the best manager I’ve ever [played under]. He’s honest, he’s decent to you. He’s straight up with you… and there’s not many people about in the league, which is sad to say, who are like that.”
Having finished in 6th and 5th place in the First Division in 2008 and 2009 respectively Monaghan have been gaining a slow momentum on working their way toward the business end of things come seasons’ end. “We’ve been doing well for the past two or three seasons including this season. What has killed us really has been our start. I think last season, our first seven games we had two points, and then the 25 games after that we were level with Fingal, who ended up getting promoted. So it was no surprise to us this season [how things have gone]. We just needed to kick on and start how we finished off last season.”
After the Mons’ squad were beset by injury for much of early stages of the season, they had to rely on the experience of the likes of Gartland, Aidan Lynch, Don Tierney and Karl Birmingham and consistency in performance exemplified by players such as ‘keeper Gabriel Sava and striker Philly Hughes. Monaghan have shown a character and depth that Gartland believes could be a ticket to greater things.
“We’ve a squad of players really, we have depth, depth of quality which really has shown through games. We’ve had bad injuries - we had seven or eight [players] in the stand at one stage.
“For me I’d look on it like we wouldn’t have a big squad at all. For a while there we had ten, eleven, twelve training, which isn’t much at all. But we have a good squad of quality and then we have a few young lads that have come in. It’s Anto Costigan’s first season of senior football. He played, I think, the whole first half of the season at left full [back] and he did excellent. Ian McNeill has come in - he was with Bray before…and I’d never seen him play but he had been an attacking player up-front or on the wing. We put him in right-full [back] and he was excellent. So we’ve a lot of options like that. Darragh Hanaphy coming off the bench has been great in games.”
Training takes place for the Mons in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, with most seniors based outside of Gortakeegan, every Sunday, Monday and Wednesday before a match on Fridays. Gartland finds plenty to occupy himself otherwise and as well as being a personal trainer he also teaches basketball to school kids two days a week.
Oddly enough for a modern football player, Gartland is also a referee. So what’s all that about? “Well every Tuesday I referee astro matches,” he continues.
“I’m with astro.ie that runs all the astro leagues. I do a bit of work for them. They run six-a-side leagues. I’ll set up the pitches, get things organised, referee games…just as a little nixer for a few extra cash. It’s funny though when you come across someone that knows you and he sees you reffing,” laughs the Dublin native citing St Pats’ Paul Byrne as one of the lucky few who have the chance to be on the receiving end of his strict code of conduct.
No stranger to the odd hard challenge himself, Gartland had to dust himself down after receiving a hefty knock on Monday night against Athlone. Having been taken off as a precaution he is fit and raring to finish off the season on a high. Starting with the Cup this weekend, Gartland is confident, believing his side have got what it takes to challenge the big boys.
“We can hold our own you know. Bohs put out a strong team against us [in the EA Sports Cup ], I think six first teamers [lined out] and then other lads who are well capable of being on the first team who were probably just given a game on the night and the lads matched them in every area of the park. So we’re confident in our own ability and at the same time we’re not getting ahead of ourselves. We’re realistic, we know where we are.”
Where they will be come the end of the season is anyone’s guess right now, but for certain it’s going to be a compelling conclusion for those ever increasing number of fans, up Gortakeegan way.
