DAN NOW THE MAN
DAN CASEY might have been worshipped by the hordes in blue on Hill 16 had he pursued his passion for GAA.
But soccer was his calling and the 20-year-old is more than happy to settle for his new-found standing as a Bohs hero.
The defender (above) spent four years at Sunderland before returning home last summer when he was snapped up by the Gypsies.
And on Friday he scored two late headers to floor arch-rivals Shamrock Rovers in a stunning come-frombehind win for the Phibsborough side.
“It was something else, something you dream of as a kid and I can’t explain it,” beamed the centre-back when reflecting on his big night. Growing up in Dun Laoghaire, Casey also dabbled as a second centre in rugby and played schools for CBC Monkstown.
He was on the Dublin GAA under-16 panel and had the application to kick on but doing so would have meant giving up soccer.
Casey played on the same Cuala team as Dublin’s rising star Con O’callaghan but said: “I’d have given it my all but would I have been good enough? I don’t know.”
Also highly regarded within the renowned schoolboy outfit St Joseph’s Boys, deep down he knew what direction he wanted to go.
“Football was always going to be the winner,” said the Republic of Ireland youth international.
“I loved it in England. Sunderland is a great club and I’ve not a bad word to say about them. They definitely helped me as a player.
“But I just needed to play first-team football and it was the right move for me to come back.”
While Friday’s derby was the stuff of dreams, Casey has no intention of dining out on his match-winning antics. “I’ve done nothing yet,” he continued: “I’ve hopefully got a long career ahead of me and hopefully we can kick on.
“Friday was one of the biggest games for the fans. We want to beat Pat’s as well and be the best team in Dublin but we’ve done nothing yet.”
Casey started seven league games for Bohs and came off the bench in two more after signing in July. Gypsies boss Keith Long said: “Dan is an honest kid. He’s come back here to play man’s football. It’ll do him no end of good getting man of the match and a couple of goals. It’ll be a real shot in the arm for him confidence-wise. “He’s certainly not the finished product but I envisaged before the start of the season that he would be an important player for us.”
Meanwhile, Long has praised Eoghan Stokes for making “a football decision” to join Bohs.
The striker, 21, arrived from Leeds United on Thursday and made his debut off the bench the following night.
He had played in a pre-season game for the Hoops and was linked with a move to Tallaght as well as Cork City.
But Stokes feels he will get more games at Bohs and Long said: “He’s shown that it’s a football decision. It’s not just about full-time football, resources, money or anything like that.
“It’s a football decision for him to come and get playing, get himself a platform to do his stuff.”
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