QUALIFIERS ‘If she’s watching
HARRY ARTER had a quiet moment to himself in the jubilant Republic of Ireland dressing room on Monday night, and felt proud.
The Bournemouth midfielder had more right than anyone to squeeze every last moment of joy out of the win over Wales which landed the Irish a World Cup play-off spot.
His journey towards next summer’s tournament in Russia has been a traumatic one, on the pitch and off it.
And as he sat in the dressing room in Cardiff, Arter could be forgiven for glancing at the tattoo on his right arm inked in tribute to his stillborn daughter Renee which reads: ‘Setbacks pave the way for comebacks’.
The Republic’s comeback from the brink of World Cup elimination to an unlikely play-off place pales into insignificance when compared to some of the things Arter has had to face.
He and his fiancee Rachel celebrated the birth of their daughter Raine in February, but Renee is never far from their thoughts.
“Every single game I play is for her,” he said. “If she’s watching she’ll be happy.”
Arter missed the European Championship in France last summer after injuring his thigh just before Martin O’Neill announced his squad.
Now he is even more appreciative when a little ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds.
“It does make it extra special,” he said. “In football you have a lot more lows than highs, so you really want to take moments like this in and realise how special it is.
“You have a moment to yourself in the changing room and you do have that feeling of pride for yourself and for your family who are watching – it’s nice to make them proud.”
His Euro disappointment seems a little more distant now that the Republic are just two matches away from making the finals.
“Even if I had gone to the Euros, to play in a World Cup is just…I wouldn’t say a much bigger competition, but it’s the pinnacle for any footballer,” said the 27-year-old.
“For a nation like Ireland to qualify would be a massive achievement. So to be part of a group that could do that would be something that I’d be ever so proud of. They are dreams that you have as a young kid, to play in a World Cup, so of course it would be something that I’d be excited about.
“We’ve kept it alive and the way we did it makes it even extra special. To go head-tohead with Wales and both having the same riding on it made it a tense game.
“When that final whistle went it was a feeling that I’ve not had too many like before in football. The only similar one was when I got promoted to the Premier League with Bournemouth. That was the best experience I’ve had in football. This is definitely up there with it.”
Only seven years ago, Arter was plying his trade at Woking before Bournemouth splashed out £4,000 to give him his big break.
It was his clever dummy that set up James McClean for his sweetly struck winning goal – although not all of his team-mates were convinced he had been quite as astute as it appeared.
“A few of the lads think it was a bit lucky, but I knew what I was doing,” he said with a smile.
“I didn’t get a shout, but I could sense there was a player behind me. I didn’t know it was James exactly, but I could sense someone was there, so thankfully I did leave it and he tucked it away nicely.
“Part of me was thinking to take the shot, but I realised I was at an angle where it probably wasn’t right to shoot.
“Sometimes you just sense that people are behind you. I could sense someone was there.
“I couldn’t tell you that it was definitely going to be James but I could sense it and thankfully he was there to tuck it away.”
To play in a World Cup is the pinnacle for a player