Rams too good to turn down – Conor
CONOR Hourihane has revealed why the Derby County project was just too good to turn down and why he is excited to be helping the Rams try and regain their Championship status at the first time of asking.
Hourihane was the hero of the hour against Oxford United in Saturday’s League One opener, scoring a wonderful goal from the outside of the area. And he admits, he may have enjoyed his celebration just a little bit.
“My celebration? I suppose I wanted to milk it a little bit,” said the Irishman.
“It was a nice goal, plus the buzz of it. It was the first day of the season and I wanted that celebration to go on as long as possible.”
Aston Villa and Barnsley fans will be used to seeing the left-foot wand in action and many believe Hourihane is playing in a league below the level he should be.
Hourihane explains that there were a lot of factors in making the switch to Pride ParkStadium and location was a big factor for his family.
He explains: “There were lots of reasons why I came to Derby. It’s an exciting time here with the takeover, I wanted to be part of that.
“But my family are settled in Birmingham, we’ve been there for five years now. I’ve got kids, and that came into the picture a bit here. I wanted to be within driving distance, and spend a bit more time with them. I’ve travelled quite a lot over the last couple of years.
“There are some days you miss, that you don’t want to miss. That’s a big part of it. When I spoke to the manager it was something I wanted to be a part of.
“It’s a very exciting time, I’m enjoying it so far.”
He admits that he probably wouldn’t have dropped down to League One if it wasn’t for Rams’ interim boss Liam Rosenior selling him the club after a chance encounter at a restaurant.
He recalls: “I was having a meal with my wife, a week or so after the season finished last year.
“He asked me what I was doing, he knew I was a free agent. It all went from there and here we are first game of the season, and three points. If I hadn’t met him, that day, I’m not sure what would’ve happened, maybe there was a little bit of fate involved there.
“We bumped into each other at just the right time. Then I got excited about the move after that.”
MIDFIELDER SAYS IT’S AN EXCITING TIME TO HELP CLUB GET BACK ON TRACK