Larne must overcome Big Two for any hope of title push: McDaid
Q
And your toughest opponent?
A
Alfie Stewart and Brian Strain were a great partnership but I just always seemed to score against them. They were two tough guys and Cliftonville were always up for it. There was one Irish Cup quarter-final at Seaview which was all blood and guts. Bar the two goalkeepers, everyone else was getting stuck in. Referee Dessie Blair just stepped in, restored control and everyone started playing again, it was like a war in the middle with no bookings... that wouldn’t happen today. Big Kirk Hunter was around then and he put the fear into the opposition. I’d rather have him in my team. He’d hit you in training and leave you thinking I’d hate to play against him in a match!
Q How do you feel the 1980s Crusaders teams would do against today’s side?
A
It’s a totally different game now. The pitches are better and there’s more passing. It seems to be a quicker game. We could mix it up and use different styles. You also had to look after yourself as you were playing against tough guys.
Q Records are there to be broken, but how did you feel about Jordan Owens passing your goalscoring tally?
A
Well, I broke Curry Mulholland’s record which lasted nearly 40 years and mine lasted for about 19 years, so that was pretty good. It’s good to see someone like Jordan do the business for one club. You have to put the ball in the back of the net and it’s a frustrating game because you can miss a sitter and then stick one in the top corner from 30 yards. I’m disappointed not to still hold the record but I was so proud to say I was top goalscorer, particularly as I never thought I was good enough to make the first team. I went down to Seaview one time with my dad looking to pay in and I didn’t think they would recognise me, but I was told ‘you’re not paying in here’. It’s nice people respect what you achieved.
Q Have you had strong backing from your family?
A
They’ve been brilliant. You had to be committed to succeed and my wife Carol brought up the kids. Ashley is 27 and Jilly is 24. They have grown up to be fantastic adults. I was away a lot through work or football. My mum Florence and dad Cyril were always interested in how I was doing. My dad played for Dromara Village when he was younger. It was a good family to go home to.
Q When did you join the Fire Service?
A
In 2000. I was at Ballymena at the time. You’re doing different shifts and when I started it was like a war zone and we were busy. It was a big learning period for me, in my early 30s. I still fight fires, though I’m in the prevention department which is educating people about fire safety including on the roads. That takes me all over the country. Pat Jennings is a fire service ambassador and we do work with the Irish FA as well. We are tested every six months so you have to operationally fit.
Q You must have seen some horrible sights…
A
You’re asked are you okay with blood, dead bodies and claustrophobia. You can’t stand outside a fire, you’re going in there when you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Car crashes are nearly worse as you can be hands on with victims. There’s a few funny moments when people get stuck in unusual places but you don’t know what you’re getting. Every day is different but you must be properly trained. A house fire could be nearly 1,000 degrees.
Q What have been the most harrowing incidents for you?
A
I was in an old church in Tennent Street one time when the whole building collapsed on top of six of us. That was a scary moment which happened so quickly. Luckily, we got out with minor injuries. The thick beams came crashing down and it was a hairy moment. It wasn’t our time. At that moment we were lucky. I’ve seen young people die in car accidents, one young man died in my arms. His car was hit by a lorry and he slipped away. There was a black humour about some things that happened but there is extra help available. The guys wear uniforms but no-one is superhuman, we are ordinary people. While off duty I had to do CPR on a fisherman near my house a few years ago after he collapsed following a heart attack, and I came across a car accident on my way home from home and had to work with no equipment. Your training kicks in and you don’t think about it until later on. The fisherman was slipping away but I kept him going until paramedics arrived and did the defib which brought him back. That was the first time I did CPR for real and I hope he’s back out fishing today.
STRIKER Davy McDaid believes if Larne are to bridge the gap on the league’s top five clubs, their next two fixtures against Belfast’s Big Two are ‘must win’ games.
Tiernan Lynch’s boys, who gained promotion last season, are sitting in a healthy sixth place in the Danske Bank Premiership table but are a whopping 12 points behind McDaid’s former club Cliftonville.
Their aspirations of reeling in the Reds will be put to the test over the next four days because they face Glentoran tomorrow at Inver Park before rolling out the welcome mat for title holders Linfield on Tuesday night — by which time they are likely to have Blues midfielder Andrew Mitchell (above) on board, with the 27-year-old’s transfer between the clubs imminent.
McDaid insists if the east Antrim team want to muscle in with big boys, they must take six points.
“We are currently in a position that it’s going to be difficult to catch the team in front of us, but we are well above the team below us,” he said.
“The top five are well away at this moment in time, so what we need to do is beat them when we play them — that’s our target.
“Our next two games are against Glentoran and Linfield. If we want bridge the gap, we must beat both of those teams to make up the ground on them.”
McDaid is also determined to get last week’s 3-0 defeat against Crusaders flushed out of the system.
“We have to put it down as a terrible day at the office,” he added. “In fact, it was one of our worst performances of the season.
“Credit to Crusaders, they had a game plan and it worked. Unfortunately, our game plan didn’t.
“We just were not at the races from start to finish.
“They scored their three goals inside the first half hour and it was game over.
“Had we managed to pull one back before the break, it could have been different. It was a tough day all round.”
McDaid is again looking forward to facing his former Derry City colleague Paddy McClean when the Glens leave their calling card tomorrow.
The big defender hit the crucial winner — a spectacular overhead kick — when the teams last met at Inver Park, which earned the Glens a 3-2 win.
“Ever since he scored that, he’s never let me live it down, so I need to return the favour,” quipped McDaid.
“It’s going to be a tough game, Glentoran are playing really well at the moment. They are now unbeaten for a long time and their manager seems to be working wonders with them.
“He strengthened the squad again recently by signing Andrew Mitchell and Caolan Marron from Glenavon, they are two quality players. They now have one of the strongest squads in the league.
“This is the time of the year that titles are won. It’s all about putting yourself into contention coming up to the festive period.
“But from January until April, it’s now down to the team that shows the most consistency.”