SOFTER SIDE OF AN IRISH SAINT...
Kind countryman Keane is huge idol for McCarthy
GROWING up in Blarney, in the south east of Ireland, Conor McCarthy kissed the town’s famous stone on ‘five or six’ occasions. No surprise then, to find the defender is a bit of a blether. Yet if the St Mirren man is an engaging conversationalist, he insists he has nothing on his idol and fellow Corkman Roy Keane.
Now firmly established as one of television’s most magnetic and acerbic football analysts, Keane’s broadcast persona is a calmer extension of the cold-eyed warrior shtick of his playing days.
Yet McCarthy insists there is a softer side there, one he witnessed first hand back in childhood.
‘Some brilliant footballers have come out of Cork, no one more so than Roy Keane,’ says McCarthy. ‘He was one of my heroes and his parents live only 15-20 minutes from me.
‘I’ve met him. He’s really generous with his time around Cork. He does a lot of stuff that he doesn’t get credit for. He’s a proper role model.
‘He played for Rockmount Boys Club in Cork which was about 10 minutes from me.
‘It was either Rockmount or Blarney as a kid — and I played for the rivals.
‘He’d often come and see us after training sessions for a pep talk.
‘I also met him two years ago in Manchester. We were on a pre-season tour and he visited us in the hotel for a question-and-answer session. I just sat and listened.
‘For any Irish person in general, he is a massive idol. He was the epitome of Manchester United winning the Champions League and Premier League.
‘To have a fraction of his success — and I mean a fraction — I’d say that would be a very successful career.’
McCarthy laughs nervously when it’s put to him that if all goes well Keane may one day be required to pass judgment on his own performances.
There’s no disputing that the 22-year-old’s career is on a solid upward trajectory.
A veteran of Champions League and Europa League qualifiers with Cork and an Ireland Under-21 cap, he will play at Hampden for the first time today as Saints take on Livingston in the Betfred Cup semi-final.
Their presence at this stage in the competition owes everything to McCarthy’s last-gasp strike against Rangers in the quarter-finals, a landmark goal that stands as the only domestic winner scored against Steven Gerrard’s side this season.
‘The emotions that night were incredible,’ he admits. ‘To concede as late as we did, we were all preparing for extra-time.
‘To pop up with that late winner, it was euphoric after the game.’
McCarthy’s pathway to the SPFL Premiership was laid by boss Jim Goodwin, whose knowledge and connections to the Irish game have also brought Jamie McGrath and Aaron Connolly to the club.
Partnered by Joe Shaughnessy at the back of a team captained by Sam Foley, there is a real Irish soul to Goodwin’s team, something that has helped McCarthy settle in turbulent times.
‘I was quite fortunate that Jamie McGrath moved at the same time as me, so I was able to bounce off him,’ he adds.
‘I wasn’t alone in that respect and over the last couple of months the manager has added more Irish faces and I’m not complaining. ‘The banter is good between us, we get on well both on and off the pitch.
‘It’s been brilliant to play beside Joe every week. He’s very experienced at this level, and played hundreds of games in Scotland and England.
‘The move has lived up to my expectation, I have enjoyed every minute of my time here.
‘I enjoy representing the club and the people of Paisley.
‘It would mean an enormous amount to ourselves and our friends and family if we can win the cup. It would give us a real lift and hopefully we can achieve something on Sunday.’
If St Mirren do go on to lift the trophy, they will have done it the hard way.
There may be a perception that the League Cup is the easiest of Scotland’s domestic competitions to navigate but, having emerged unbeaten from their group fixtures, Saints had to defeat Aberdeen before entertaining Rangers in the quarters.
Today’s task is nominally easier but, outwith the league leaders, Livingston are the form team in the country and have long held a reputation as the Premiership’s gnarliest proponents, a team quite happy to be drawn into a war of attrition on any given day.
‘They’re nasty, to be fair,’ agrees McCarthy. ‘They like to get the ball forward quickly — they have no set way of playing football.
‘They’re a really difficult team to play against as we’ve found out this season and stretching back to last.
‘We’re under no illusions that it will be such a difficult game on Sunday.’
As Livingston took on Celtic on Wednesday, the St Mirren contingent had the luxury of watching on from the comfort of their homes.
Their hope is that their midweek rest will give them the fuel to power through 90 minutes, and possibly extra-time, in pursuit of a place in the final against St Johnstone.
‘In my opinion, I have taken my game to another level from where I was back in Cork,’ adds McCarthy.
‘I’m playing every week, so I must be doing something right. I have played in cup finals and Europe with my previous club, so those experiences can help going into the semi.’