Noel Haverty's new horizon
Credit:
“To be a professional soccer player!” That is the most common answer one will get when asking any young boy of their budding career ambition. The vision of pulling on the green of Ireland however, is an abandoned dream for so many. And whilst appearing on Match of the Day every week might be for the select few, there is a career in soccer to be made on this side of the water too, as Noel Haverty has proven.
Haverty, who recently left his boyhood club St. Patrick’s Athletic for Shelbourne F.C. has been playing professional football since leaving school at 18 years of age. Representing the Republic of Ireland at U17, U18 and U19 levels, the 21 year old has impressed many in his relatively short League of Ireland career and is happy with the decisions he has had to make so far.
“It was a hard decision to leave, after being at a club for 7 years. I had a few offers from Premier Division teams but I am doing a college course in Dublin in Sports Management so it works out well to go to Shelbourne.
“I signed for St. Patricks Athletic after the first training session, when I was 14 years of age. But the manager couldn’t guarantee me first team football this year so it was a decision I had to make.
“I was talking with Alan (Alan Matthews, Shelbourne FC Manager) who is gung ho for promotion next season. I was there on loan two seasons back and I really enjoyed that. They are a good club and I’m injury free so that is good too.”
“I had my injury at the start of last season which kept me out of the whole pre-season and the first month of the league. The boys weren’t conceding goals which meant I couldn’t force my way back into the team. At the end of the season, I got in and was playing well. I was playing good teams and it was going well but unfortunately it came too late.”
Starting out at Clane United, Haverty, who has an amazing 14 international caps for his country, cites these experiences as the highlight of his career so far.
“It is unbelievable. It’s just a different world altogether. I have been to six countries with the international team. I have played against Portugal, Holland, Czech Republic, Chile, France, Wales, England, Scotland, Belarus, and Andorra.
“I went on trial with Plymouth and Doncaster when I was 17. Five or six of us went over, we were meant to go back for another trial but it never materialised. The ultimate goal for every player in this country is to play across the pond. The big fish are over there. Even last year, ex-team mates David McAllister and Keith Fahey signed for Sheffield United and Birmingham City FC respectively, despite being older than me. For all the young players in the county, my piece of advice would be to train hard. Always give 100% and just keep training. We train three times a week plus a game on a Friday night, and it’s very important to be match fit. Pre-season is starting this month, and I am just really looking forward to playing regular football with Shelbourne this year.”
This article originally appeared in The Kildare Nationalist. www.Kildare-nationalist.ie
Haverty, who recently left his boyhood club St. Patrick’s Athletic for Shelbourne F.C. has been playing professional football since leaving school at 18 years of age. Representing the Republic of Ireland at U17, U18 and U19 levels, the 21 year old has impressed many in his relatively short League of Ireland career and is happy with the decisions he has had to make so far.
“It was a hard decision to leave, after being at a club for 7 years. I had a few offers from Premier Division teams but I am doing a college course in Dublin in Sports Management so it works out well to go to Shelbourne.
“I signed for St. Patricks Athletic after the first training session, when I was 14 years of age. But the manager couldn’t guarantee me first team football this year so it was a decision I had to make.
“I was talking with Alan (Alan Matthews, Shelbourne FC Manager) who is gung ho for promotion next season. I was there on loan two seasons back and I really enjoyed that. They are a good club and I’m injury free so that is good too.”
“I had my injury at the start of last season which kept me out of the whole pre-season and the first month of the league. The boys weren’t conceding goals which meant I couldn’t force my way back into the team. At the end of the season, I got in and was playing well. I was playing good teams and it was going well but unfortunately it came too late.”
Starting out at Clane United, Haverty, who has an amazing 14 international caps for his country, cites these experiences as the highlight of his career so far.
“It is unbelievable. It’s just a different world altogether. I have been to six countries with the international team. I have played against Portugal, Holland, Czech Republic, Chile, France, Wales, England, Scotland, Belarus, and Andorra.
“I went on trial with Plymouth and Doncaster when I was 17. Five or six of us went over, we were meant to go back for another trial but it never materialised. The ultimate goal for every player in this country is to play across the pond. The big fish are over there. Even last year, ex-team mates David McAllister and Keith Fahey signed for Sheffield United and Birmingham City FC respectively, despite being older than me. For all the young players in the county, my piece of advice would be to train hard. Always give 100% and just keep training. We train three times a week plus a game on a Friday night, and it’s very important to be match fit. Pre-season is starting this month, and I am just really looking forward to playing regular football with Shelbourne this year.”
This article originally appeared in The Kildare Nationalist. www.Kildare-nationalist.ie
About Aidan Farrelly
Aidan Farrelly joined the extratime team in mid 2010. A Kildare native, Aidan reports on St. Patrick's Athletic as well as other Dublin Clubs. Aidan can be contacted at: farrelly.aidan@gmail.com View Full Profile