Euro stars proud to be up there with Tommy Mac
EUROPA LEAGUE/SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
DUNDALK FC return to Europa League action on Thursday when they face FCI Levadia Tallinn in Estonia. It will mark the 21st European match of Stephen Kenny’s reign. Something that was overlooked in the heartbreak of defeat to Rosenborg in Trondheim in last year’s Champions League qualifers was that full backs Dane Massey and Sean Gannon had broken Tommy McConville’s record of 19 European appearances for the club. After Friday night’s 3-1 win away to St Patrick’s Athletic, James Rogers caught up with the pair to discuss what the record meant to them, the importance of Europe and where they will watch the England v Croatia World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
James Rogers (JR): Tommy’s record is some achievement for you both to surpass. I’m sure when you both joined the club you never thought you’d be breaking European records? Sean Gannon (SG): Obviously anyone who is involved with Dundalk knows who Tommy McConville is and what he means to the club. It’s brilliant to be able to say that you’re up there with him really. Playing in Europe is great and it’s a buzz for everyone around the league. When I came here I was just hoping to play in Europe so to have played so many in Europe is brilliant really. JR: Dane, especially you because you were here a year ahead of Sean, it was a new team at that stage and Europe was probably a distant dream probably was it?
Dane Massey (DM): Yeah, exactly. Going into Europe with Dundalk was my first European experience. I had never played in Europe with Bray or anything and I can still remember the first game I played out in Luxembourg. We’ve had a great run. To break the great Tommy McConville’s record is an honour. You hear stories told of Dundalk’s great European runs and how well Tommy played in those game. Fans can single out each game when you’re having a chitchat with them so it’s a massive honour to break his record but it’s a huge honour for us that the gaffer confides in myself and Sean to play in these games. It’s massive for both of us.
JR: You’ve both won so much here but are these the matches that you’ll both look back on in 20 years time and say ‘remember BATE’ and all the other big games?
SG: Yeah, just even since myself and Dane have come to the club, to be involved in the big nights that the club have had and to be able to say we were involved in all of them really is an honour. As Dane says, there have been a lot of great legends who have played for this club so to stand on top of that list in terms of most European appearances is brilliant. It is a buzz to play in Europe and even now you can single out games like BATE and Legia away and playing in atmospheres and games like that and they are great to look back on. They’re games that will probably stay with you forever.
JR: How much of a step up was it stepping up to go to the likes of Split and playing in the hostile atmosphere there and the few more that you’ve experienced since, like Warsaw which was the one that stood out for me. Was it much of a change in what you were used to week to week?
DM: Yeah, it’s a huge lift. You really have to raise your game and your performance. To be fair to Stephen we’ve always been well prepped going into the games. Even now I think Higs (Ruaidhrí Higgins) is over watching them. We’ve always known our opponents inside out and on a personal level I’d know the right winger inside out and what his habits are. We’re always well informed going in. It’s a massive highlight for us though because it’s the one time probably where every League of Ireland fan comes out and wishes you to do well in the European run. There’s always a great atmosphere and always a great buzz around the town. It’s just fantastic. When you finish your career it will be the European nights that stand out. Nights like beating BATE in Tallaght, beating Maccabi in Tallaght, competing in the group stages of the Europa League. No one would ever have thought an Irish team could do that and do well so to be a part of it is absolutely amazing.
JR: You were saying Sean that your dad is going over to Tallinn. Is it these sort of matches that matter more to family and friends?
SG: Yeah, I think for your family to be able to travel around parts of Europe that they would probably never visit if it wasn’t for football is great. It’s great when you’re playing European games because everyone looks for tickets and your whole family is in the stand. It does spur you on and they are special games but one thing that will stand with me is the fact that my dad is able to travel around Europe and watch me play football. Before I came to Dundalk I hadn’t really played in Europe so for him to be able to see me play in the likes of the Europa League is brilliant.
JR: Dane, do you actually get to see much of these cities you go to? I presume you never thought a few years ago you’d be going to the likes of Tallinn for your summer holidays.
DM: When you think of the places we’ve been, Israel, Russia etc, places you never thought you’d get to see it’s amazing. After training sessions we do get an hour or two to go out to the city to have a look around, grab a coffee and experience the different cultures of Europe. It’s fantastic and as a player it’s amazing to get the opportunity to play in these places so we’re very grateful as well.
JR: Is it nice this year to have a World Cup semi-final to look forward to the night before your game. I’m sure you’ll all get together somewhere and watch it no doubt?
DM: Yeah, Shieldsy’s room definitely (laughs). That’s where we usually end up. SG: That’s the party room, Shieldsy’s one. JR: Obviously it’s a tight-knit squad but these sort of trips must bring you even closer together?
DM: Yeah, we did a camp in Spain last week and I think it was vital for bonding, just to get to know the lads. The likes of Ronan Murray and Pat Hoban wouldn’t really see the Dubs in the squad that much so it’s vital to get together. We’re training with each other and practically living with each other so getting to know each other personally is massive. JR: Sean, what do you know about Tallinn? SG: I’ve actually been there before. I wasn’t in the squad but I was in and around the Rovers first team squad when they played Flora Tallinn in 2011. It’s a nice place. I’m not too familiar with the team we’re playing against yet because obviously we’ve had league games but we’ll be well prepared from now on. I’m sure Dane will agree that you can’t really think about these games when you’ve got league matches to play but we’ve a good period of time now to get prepared and hopefully we go there and get a good result.
JR: You probably couldn’t be going over on a better note now. I remember last year when you were going into Europe, Ciaran Kilduff got a late winner against Bohs in Dalymount. That was nearly as good tonight because it was backs to the wall stuff at times wasn’t it?
DM: Yeah tonight was a tough game. Liam Buckley always tells his teams to play football and they play it the right way. We knew we were going to get a game tonight and when they took an early lead it really did test us. We went off at half-time and regrouped but thankfully we got the three points to set us up for Europe.
JR: You obviously broke this record mainly through 2016 where there were 12 matches in Europe. You’d love to go on a run like that again I’m sure?
DM: Oh yeah, it would be amazing. I think I speak for Sean as well that these are the nights we’ll all remember when we’re looking back on our careers. You know your family are very proud of you when you’re playing in Europe. We’ve lined out against teams like Zenit and Maccabi and beaten and competed with them. That’s the main thing.
JR: Is it a regret that you maybe haven’t got that ‘big gun’ yet? The likes of an Inter Milan or Man Utd who you possibly could have got in 2016, does that matter to you?
SG: No. One thing that Stephen is brilliant about is that no matter who you’re playing - whether it be Real Madrid or a friendly - you’ll never go out onto a pitch feeling inferior to the opposition. We always believe we can win. We could have got a glamour tie in other years but probably gone out in the first round. Okay, you can say you played in Old Trafford or St Mary’s or wherever but we went to the last game in the group stages with a chance of going through
and I don’t think anyone in the squad would have swapped that opportunity for a big day out.
JR: Dane, I remember speaking to you in Abbotstown a few years ago and you had a Champions League ball at your foot. I think it was the first time you had trained with them and you were so excited. With all due respect to what happens this season in the Europa League, that’s where you want to be next year isn’t it, back in the Champions League?
DM: 100%, that’s where we want to be playing. The gaffer is constantly saying don’t test yourselves with the best in Ireland, test yourself against the best in Europe and he’s 100% right. If we want respect in this country we need to be competing at a European level and that’s what we need to do. We need to raise our standards.