‘I’m back to prove how good I really am’ - Coughlan

IT may not have worked out at Huddersfield Town but Ronan Coughlan is determined to succeed at the Carlisle Grounds.

Coughlan joined the then-Championship side from Limerick FC in 2014.

He made an impression with Eddie Howe’s underage sides but a combination of injuries for himself and the club’s rise to the Premier League meant that the 22year old couldn’t force his way into the first team and was released last summer.

Without a club since then, the Limerick native is champing at the bit to make a return to competitive football and realise his potential.

He knows of Aaron Greene and Paul O’Conor due to their time with the Shannonsiders but those aside, it’s all new faces on this new challenge for the attacker.

Despite ultimately not succeeding at Limerick, it is not something that he regrets and he believes it has now given himself the tools to prove himself in the League of Ireland.

“I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot from the experience. Moving over when I was 17 was exactly what I wanted, playing football every day and improving my game. We had a great group of players and achieved many successes at U-18 and U-23 level - winning league titles and playoff finals.

“That’s all well and good but at the end of the day you need to be playing first team football. In my last year and half or so of my time at Huddersfield I suffered two injuries back to back, first I had tendonitis in my knee and then after coming through that in my first game back on my return I fractured my leg in the opening minutes of the game.

“I think either way my time at Huddersfield was coming to an end as I would have been in need of first team football week-in, weekout and Huddersfield were flying in the Championship at the time and ultimately getting promoted to the Premier League.

“I definitely have a point to prove but more to myself than anyone else, I’ve been off the scene for a while now and I’m back to prove how good I really am.

Autumn and winter have come and gone since the last time Coughlan kicked a ball competitively. Even though his own LOI career was over before it could begin, he is no stranger to it. His brother Garbhan is a former Limerick and Athlone player and he currently plies his trade in New Zealand with Southern United but the Coughlan brothers would speak almost daily about their respective careers.

Despite being without a club since July, Coughlan doesn’t fear any ring rust - his only focus is making a name for himself at his new club.

“First of all, I want to establish myself as a regular starter and nail down my position in the team, other than that just to score and assist as much as I can and help the team win games.

“No I don’t think I’ll be playing catch up, I’m naturally quite fit and look after myself too off the pitch so I feel I’m in good shape for the start of the season and I’m really looking forward to it!”