Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAXIE SWAIN
EVEN by the fickle, topsyturvy standards of modern day football this past year has been eventful for John Mcguigan.
For a while there, things seemed to be bouncing along nicely.
After belatedly finding his feet at Warrenpoint following his switch from Glentoran in 2015, he was a man reborn last year, performing with the swagger and confidence of a player at the peak of his powers.
Unleashed in his favoured No10 role, the Point talisman was on fire, smashing 19 goals and laying on many more assists as Matthew Tipton’s men stormed to the Championship title – Mcguigan’s sparkling individual displays, meanwhile, earning him recognition in the shape of the division’s player of the year award.
Unsurprisingly, Glentoran took notice, igniting interest in their former charge before the season was even out, with manager Gary Haveron eventually sealing the deal over the summer.
Mcguigan admits he harboured doubts about a return to his old stomping ground, having endured a frustrating, and at times troubled, time at the club under Eddie Patterson before.
Even so, his second coming got off to a bright start, with the attacking midfielder pivotal in Glentoran’s fine early season form as the Mersey Street outfit confounded expectations to win five of their opening eight games in all competitions.
Just like last season, Mcguigan was at the heart of everything good, netting three in his first two months as he, Curtis Allen and fellow new boy Robbie Mcdaid (circled) gelled instantly in attack.
Somewhere along the line, however, his luck dried up.
The Glens playmaker admits he has a love-hate relationship with football, meaning he exults in the highs and languishes in the lows.
A fortnight ago, after slipping and ballooning a stoppage-time penalty over the bar with the Glens locked at 0-0 against league leaders Coleraine,
Mcguigan went to ground for a few days, unable to face the world and only surfacing to post a few painful, apologetic messages on Twitter, promising to make up for “letting everyone down”.
The tweets offered a glimpse into the mindset of the young schemer, how personally he takes his football, and how determined he is to seize his second chance with Glentoran.
“When it comes to my performances and any mistakes I make, I beat myself up about it for days,” said Mcguigan.
“After that penalty miss, I took it a bit personally and didn’t speak to anyone for about two days. I was meant to go to a supporters’ club dinner on the Saturday night after it and I didn’t even go because I knew I wouldn’t enjoy myself.
“But I know the only way to put it right is to go out and do something right on the pitch.
“I feel like I started off well here and I felt like I was taking a step forward and then after the penalty miss and then the bad result the other night (a 3-0 loss to Crusaders) it just feels like it is two steps back.
“I just don’t think I’ve got that consistency in my game yet.
“In fairness last year, although it was the Championship – and I don’t mean to disrespect the Championship – but I was playing week in, week out and was probably at my best most of the time.
“In the Premiership it is a wee bit different. You are playing against more quality opposition and better teams so it’s tougher.
“And I feel I have a bit more pressure on my shoulders because I have been at Glentoran before and I didn’t make myself an established player, so this time I am trying harder to be an established player and a better player.”
Setbacks and disappointments are part and parcel of football, of course, and Mcguigan is adamant his tendency to take things personally can be channelled positively. “Even in the