FOOTBALLERS’ LIVES
Daryl Fordyce on his Big Two memories, family heart break and swap ping Belfast for Canada
ton was around the time my friend passed away. His mum now runs a charity aimed at helping young people. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone and I learned that the hard way. Q What did it feel like for a boyhood Linfield fan to sign for the Glens?
A It was surreal but Alan was one of the best managers I’ve had. Like David Jeffrey, he saw me as a person as well as a footballer. You just had a love for the man. Coming from Sandy Row, I was going to get a bit of stick but we had good times, winning the league, other trophies and reaching the final of the Setanta Cup. The players loved Alan and once he left I signed for Linfield. Q How did you feel when Alan passed away in June 2012?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who had a little cry to myself when I was on my own in the house. He was just an amazing guy and he will never be forgotten as a man and manager.
David had a different style but they are two very successful men. I believe that if Alan was still alive today he would be managing a top team. People warmed to him and it was a shame the way things ended at Glentoran.
I can remember Coleraine hammered us 6-0 and fans hounded Alan afterwards. I wanted to intervene but he got a police escort and it was a sad day. I know fans expect their team to win but there’s a right and wrong way to go about things.
Q Then you got stick for leaving to join Linfield. How was that period of your career? A Scott Young was Glens boss and I was put on the transfer list. To be brutally honest, I came back from Mexico where I got engaged to Tina and while I always wore the No.8 jersey they had signed Ciaran Martyn who was given that number.
I knew then the next six weeks were going to be tough. It wasn’t a nice feeling knowing the club was going to offload me. Leaving Glentoran would have been viewed then as a backward step and there was big competition for places at Linfield.
I was prepared to stay and fight for my place but the whole experience made me mentally stronger. A few of the boys got injured and in the first game against Distillery I scored five goals. I ended up off the transfer list and playing in midfield.
At the end of the season David (Jeffrey) called me but I gave Glentoran the chance to re-sign me. There was no offer. When I did sign the Linfield contract I was walking on air. The Glenmen tortured me. I can remember three of them surrounding me on the Boucher Road as I went for coffee and it was uncomfortable.
My sister Paula lived in east Belfast and if someone recognised me I could have been targeted. Glentoran fans made up songs about my family and if I went shopping I had to be aware of things because it was a controversial move.
We did the league and Cup double at Linfield and I have great memories of scoring two big goals against Cliftonville at Solitude. David came over to me in the changing room and gave me the strongest hug imaginable. It was a dream come true for me to win trophies with Linfield. I used to be at the back of the Kop with the diehard fans. My
dad is still a massive Blueman. He celebrated one of my Glentoran goals while in the Coleraine end and got away with it!
While I played for the Glens I gave everything to beat whoever we played but one time I had a row with a Glentoran player after he celebrated a goal in front of David Jeffrey. Some of our players didn’t care because it was Linfield but I believe you should show people respect. I used to celebrate with Blues players when I was a fan on the pitch but as a player I wanted to win and win the right way.
Q How did the big move to Canada come about in 2013?
A I got married in Gran Canaria and Tina, who is from Lisburn and worked in fashion at that time, said the next day, ‘Would you be interested in moving abroad?’ She wanted a new life while I had bought an apartment in Sandy Row, had two cars and two dogs. I had lived in England and was willing to travel.
Canada was the best option with an easy to access visa. Football is not in the top five sports in Canada but I had lifeguard experience at the Olympia Leisure Centre and we looked at options.
My Linfield team-mate Albert Watson was going to Canada with his partner and like Johnny Black, who went to Australia, we thought about trying a new life.
We went for a trial at Edmonton but felt we had no chance because of the competition. The manager could see our physical and mental strength and gave us a chance. It was minus 30 degrees when we landed and the first few days were tough.
We didn’t know anyone, it seemed like a cold ghost town but we went from strength to strength and enjoyed the fulltime training. We took a leap of faith and after a settling in period we found somewhere to live.
It was like you were homeless and had to rebuild your life but we had money to do that. Tina got a good job with H&M but everything changed when we moved to Cincinnati in Ohio.
Q How did you find Cincinnati?
A They had plans to make the MLS and took me on for four years. It was a new challenge and once again we had to pack up and move. Tina couldn’t get a work visa so was unable to work. In terms of the quality of the league it was a big step down and we didn’t settle. We moved back to Edmonton and I didn’t want to go back to America, it was a broken system.
Just a few days after I found out Edmonton weren’t going to play the following season, Tina told me she was pregnant. From the low of not knowing where my career goes, those words put me back on the moon.
I now feel like I’m in the best shape of my career. I train and eat properly. I feel strong and fit and will play as long as I can. We could have gone to Iceland, like Albert, but it didn’t suit us.
Q Would you encourage players to travel? A One hundred per cent. You never know how things will turn out unless you’re brave enough to try it. We felt we could always come home if it didn’t work out. It wasn’t easy… we brought two dogs with us so we had to leave in the snow at 5am and travel to Dublin before going to London to catch a flight.
I had the flu and the car nearly skidded off the road in Lisburn! It wasn’t an easy start. Looking back, it was short-term inconvenience for long-term benefits.
Other players like Johnny Black went to Australia, and Orman Okunaiya went to the Philippines. I just don’t think you have to be stuck in the Belfast bubble. I have friends who have a lot of money and friends who have little money but money doesn’t make you happy, it’s life experiences. If you don’t take a risk you’ll never get the rewards.
Q Tell us about the new arrival.
A Tina gave birth to our first child, Luka John, on August 3, my dad’s birthday. He was 11lb 2oz, a big boy. Tina was amazing, I am so proud of her. Being a dad is the best feeling in the world.
It’s tough and time just flies by every day but the feeling is unreal. Tina is a manager in one of the stores run by TJX.
I’m scared of heights so she got me a flying lesson for my 30th birthday. She’s afraid of sharks so I’m going to drop her in the ocean!
Q You have been doing your Uefa A and B coaching badges in Belfast. What was the motivation behind that?
A I wasn’t sure about it but players and coaches in Canada recommended it. I felt awkward at the start of the course but developed a love for it.
Q Where will you resume your career?
A I’m 31 and still want to play. Canada is my long-term home and I was pleased to see Edmonton have been resurrected with the new Canadian League starting next April. I’m talking to a few teams at the moment but still waiting on Luka’s passport so can’t go anywhere yet. It looks like we will stay in Canada.
One team might give me the Under-16 Academy to run as well as joining the first-team backroom staff. I could still play as well and it would be a nice start to my coaching career.