Life in the top tier

Having been with Sunderland now for just over a month, former Derry winger James McClean is settling in nicely. After his first game for the Black Cat’s reserves against Chelsea, James picked up a hamstring injury which kept him out of action for a few weeks.

“During the warm up at Chelsea, I felt my hamstring tighten up a bit. Going into the game, I thought I’d be grand. Obviously it wasn’t the case, but I played an hour and thankfully it didn’t get too bad.

“The physios here have spent a lot of time on it, and I’m happy with this, as it has obviously helped to speed the recovery process up.”

Upon his recovery, James was again called into the reserve side, this time for a friendly against Conference side York City, who had former Derry City centre-half Darren Kelly in their squad. Playing 90 minutes, in a 2-1 win for Sunderland, McClean was delighted with how he performed.

“The game against York was a tough game. They really put it up to us from the first minute, and were a really physical team. I was pleased to get the 90 minutes under my belt though, because it’s been a long time since I have played a full game.

“I got good feedback from the reserve manager which I was obviously delighted with. The gaffer Steve Bruce wasn’t at the game as it was down in York, but hopefully word got back to him about how I played.”

After playing the match, James was then rewarded with a trip home for the weekend. Included in this trip was an invite from the FAI to attend the international match against Slovakia at the Aviva Stadium, last Friday night.

“It was great to get a wee break home, and see my family and friends. To be invited to the Aviva for the international game was something that meant a lot to me. It was a great honour to be a guest and I met with John Delaney who thanked me for coming down. I also met a few other officials who were really welcoming and looked after me, which I am very grateful for.

“My parents and my wee brother came down to the game with me and they really enjoyed the night as well. It was a real privilege to be a guest of the FAI’s, and we had a great night down there. It was just a shame about the result!”

Whilst he was home, James heard of the sad passing of a true football stalwart in Derry, John Clifford, affectionately known as ‘Ugg’.

“I was really shocked to hear about the passing of Big Ugg. Although I never played under him, I got on really well with him. He did so much for football in Derry throughout the years, and was a remarkable man. He’ll be sorely missed in Derry, and football in the city would not have been the same without him.”

After his weekend off, it was back to the grindstone for McClean, with first team training and a reserves derby match against Newcastle to look forward to.

“I was in for first team training on Monday, as it was an 11 v 11 session. It’s brilliant to get to play with and against players of that calibre, and it only helps improve my own ability as a player.

“The game against Newcastle was brilliant to be a part of. We won 4-3, and any win over them is a bit special with it being a derby. I finally got off the mark as well with my first goal. Obviously I was delighted with this and it really made it that bit more memorable for me.”

With his opening goal, James believes that he is improving greatly, and is hopeful of proving himself in the coming weeks.

“I was pleased with my own performance. With each game, I’m feeling fitter and sharper, and I feel like I’m adding new features to my game. I’m really enjoying it so far, and the next step for me is to just keep pushing on and hopefully break into the first team set-up.”