FANS HAVE REAL FLARE
Ahead of tonight’s big trip to St Pat’s, Candystripes boss Ruaidhri Higgins said: “It’s heartbreaking and we’re all heartbroken for him.
“He has worked so hard on his rehab over the last seven months and then it was a very innocuous thing in training.
“He got the
ASK Danny Rogers what he finds most enjoyable about the League of Ireland and it’s interesting that he says ‘the fans’ without hesitation.
What’s a little more left field, is the reason why.
Rogers says: “Because it’s Friday nights …. and they’ve got pyro! The fans are so much better here than over there.”
Considering the ongoing attempts to clamp down on flares, the suggestion that there ain’t no party like a pyro party will make some in the FAI wince.
But after 12 years in the UK with clubs like Oldham, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, it’s a new enough phenomenon for the goalkeeper to experience.
Delayed
“The atmospheres do be great,” he said. “Drogheda away was brilliant — the game was delayed for five minutes because there were flares going off. It was class.”
Another tasty atmosphere awaits at Richmond Park tonight when two form horses go head-to-head.
St Pat’s seek a sixth win in-a-row when they host second-placed Derry City and Rogers has played in all five of those victories since signing last month.
Twice on the bench for Ireland under Martin O’Neill in 2016, Rogers admits returning home hadn’t been on the cards. But nor was he afraid to dip his toe in the League of Ireland for the first time in his career having spent all of it in England and Scotland up to now.
“I didn’t really know what was going on over the summer and I had a couple of offers in May that I didn’t really fancy,” he said.
Decision
“Things went quiet for a while until I got a text off one of the Gaffer’s explayers, it said St Pat’s were looking for a goalkeeper if you’re interested. “A couple of hours later the gaffer (Tim Clancy) (below)
phones me. I really liked the set-up and the feeling around the club, so it was quite an easy decision in the end.”
Rogers, who was born in New York but moved to Ireland when he was five, is from Artane but is living in Ashbourne with his girlfriend’s parents.
“You know what it’s like trying to get a house over here. It’s a nightmare. We’ve a 16-monthold baby and the living arrangements (in the UK) are easier.
“But it’s been fine. I’m actually really enjoying it since I’ve been back. I don’t know what I was scared of.
“It’s easier for me because I’m with her parents, but if I was to move in with my parents I would find it a nightmare!.”
Apart from the fans, Rogers has also been impressed with the football being played.
“There’s no football played in lower leagues in England,” he continued.“Scotland plays more football than lower leagues in England.
“League Two is literally a battle every week and whoever wins the most headers wins the game.
Passing
“Coming over here, I haven’t played in a winning team in years so controlling games and passing the ball has been great. I’ve loved it.
“It’s weird. I’m so used to being busy and I’d come off the pitch and we’d have won and I go home and everyone would say ‘well done’.
“But for the first couple of games I didn’t really feel buzzing. I was like ‘I didn’t really do anything today’ because I was just so used to making 10 saves a game.”