Hourihane discusses Cats exit & how Reid's gamble paid off
and I thought for some reason that it would happen at Ipswich when they came along, with Roy being an influence again.
“A few Sunderland players had made that switch and I thought, ‘let’s have a go’.
“Me being a young, naive 19-year-old, I thought, ‘yeah I’ll get first-team football here’. Looking back now at 29, there’s no way I was going to play first-team football there.
“It didn’t work out but I enjoyed my year there, it was a fantastic club, and it ultimately helped me get to where I am today.”
After leaving Ipswich, Hourihane joined Peter Reid at Plymouth Argyle.
The club was in dire financial straits and though
Reid left not long after his arrival, the midfielder says he still feels a debt of gratitude to the former Sunderland boss.
“It came through Peter’s connection with Sunderland,” Hourihane said.
“He rang the youth team manager at the time and the academy manager for a bit of advice and background.
“He said he was thinking of getting me down for a trial and the two lads at Sunderland, luckily enough for me, gave me a good reference and away I went. He’s a great guy.
“He wasn’t there for too long [after I joined], the club was in dire straits at the time.. but I’m really grateful to him for taking a gamble on me.”
Hourihane also discussed his fond memories of his time in the academy at Sunderland with
including his friendship with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and his team’s run to the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup.
Hourihane has made 29 appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa since their promotion last summer.