Graham Coughlan: ‘You have to be equipped and have enough about you to take the knocks and the rejections that you do get in the footballing life’

Families, in any job, including football, play a huge part in decisions made regarding progression and fulfilment. As Graham Coughlan can testify, from leaving home for a cross-channel career to pursuing long-distance opportunities after you begin a family of your own, it all comes with its own challenges.

Another in a long line of Cherry Orchard products, Coughlan didn’t leave for the UK until aged 21, to Blackburn Rovers, following just a solitary season with Bray Wanderers. Loan spells at Swindon Town and Livingston were the only first-team appearances during four years on the Ewood Park club’s books, but that didn’t deter him from a lengthy professional playing career, albeit in the lower leagues.

Streetwise

“I was a little more mature than most other lads that come and get a chance to go across,” said Coughlan when extratime.com caught up with him recently. “I had a bit of life experience, as I was working and even at Cherry Orchard, I made my senior debut at 15. By the time I arrived in Blackburn, I was very streetwise as well.

“Having said all that, you still have to be equipped and have enough about you to take the knocks and the rejections that you do get in the footballing life. I was determined also because there were a number of times when I could have come back and wanted to come back – missed home, missed my family and parents. That determination to carve out a career and push myself was a big thing.”

Compassionate leave

Permanent moves to Livingston, Plymouth Argyle and then Sheffield Wednesday ensued. In the spring of 2007 Graham’s brother passed away, resulting in compassionate leave and missing a handful of the Yorkshire side’s games. On return, new manager Brian Laws shifted Coughlan to train with the youth team.

“Because of my personal circumstances and what happened, I wasn’t the same person, the same man or leader. I just couldn’t get myself out of bed. I didn’t want to go on with life. You go through all those emotions and anybody who’s lost someone close to them would understand what you go through. Thank God for my missus and my kids and it was they who got me through and slowly out the other end. It was a real tough period.”

The Dubliner went on to enjoy a lengthy career, taking in Rotherham United, Shrewsbury Town and Southend United, turning out in the physically demanding position of central defender at the ripe old age of 38.

“I still believe I could have played for another year or two, but I went into the coaching side of things. I missed a lot of games through coaching and being assistant manager to Paul Sturrock at Southend. I was supposed to go and be his number two, but ended up playing more games than anticipated.

"The longevity comes down to training well and training hard ... Making sure you eat, sleep and drink the right things at the right times. I’ve always prided myself on my fitness and even to this day, I tend to keep myself in good shape.”

Managment move to Mansfield

A first managerial position at League One Bristol Rovers ended when Graham opted to drop a division by taking over Mansfield Town, thereby taking him closer to his loved ones.

“My family needed me, so I came home. I was away for 13 years and people don’t understand that. I should have probably come home much earlier, but I didn’t. I stuck it out and it just got to the stage where I had to get back to my wife and family.”

Newport

Overseeing Sheffield United’s U-23s preceded Coughlan coming in as Newport County boss last year. After guiding the South Wales outfit away from any fears of dropping out of league football, a promising start to the current campaign bodes well for the near future at the very least.

“You take it day by day and week to week. I’d like to be in a job by Christmas and then I’d like to have a good run at Newport. We’ve steadied the ship, under very trying circumstances. The club’s in the middle of a takeover, I believe, so I hope the club and the fans get the right result.

"It’s a great club and great place to work. Going forward, we’ll have to see how the financial side works out. We just want to be competitive, be as good as we possibly can and try to win the next game. I don’t really want to go back into a doom and gloom relegation scrap, like we did last year. Avoiding all that, we want to get to 50 points as quick as we can.”

If Stephen Kenny didn’t have bad luck, he would have no luck at all https://t.co/YXegjoYyGppic.twitter.com/F3cN46vBvG

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) September 6, 2023