Manager and player Darius Kierans in focus
FORMER DROGHEDA UNITED PLAYER AND MANAGER DARIUS KIERANS
Best match you’ve ever watched?
Liverpool overturning a 3-0 first leg deficit to beat Barcelona in last year’s Champions League semi-final. It was the greatest comeback I ever remember watching and I was thinking ‘is this actually happening’!
The mindset and belief of the Liverpool players was on a different level. They were the only people in the world who believed they could turn the tie around.
Best game you played in?
Belvedere v Celtic in an Under-16 Ian Rush Tournament semi-final.
Celtic were regarded as one of the best under-age teams in Great Britain and won a number of tournaments across England. They beat us in the group game and we got them in the semis and beat them 2-1, with Richard Sadlier scoring the winner.
It was a great team performance in a game where we were massive underdogs. However, Bayern Munich beat us in the final in extra time.
Best goal you’ve ever seen?
Jordan Flores for Dundalk against Shamrock Rovers this year.
The technique it took to strike the ball at the height and speed it was coming was unbelievable and there are not too many players around the world who are capable of that.
All-time favourite player?
Zinedine Zidane. For me we haven’t seen a player like him before or after. Ronaldo, Messi etc are all great players, but Zidane’s movement, football brain and ability to find and create space were second to none. He also would make a five-yard pass look good.
Best player you’ve played with?
I played with some very good players - Alan Murphy, Stuart Byrne, Richard Sadlier, Derek Thornton, Darren Newman, Peter Brennan and John Flanagan to name a few.
But when I was with Belvedere at 16 Stephen Roche was the best player in the country and
Damien Duff was in that age group. Stephen went to Millwall and played with their first team for a number of years and probably didn’t hit the heights of Duff and the rest because he had bad asthma.
Funniest player you’ve played with?
I’m going to go with someone I coached for this one, Keith Ward, because he is one of the funniest characters ever in the League of Ireland.
Wardy cracks everyone up everywhere he plays but is also a great character and player.
Favourite sport outside soccer and who you follow?
I’ve always followed boxing from I was younger and boxed for the Holy Family club for a number of years.
Floyd Mayweather is my favourite of all time and I like Michael Conlan who I hope will become a world champion.
Best soccer memory?
I’ve many good memories, including winning three EA Sports Cups with St Pat’s [as part of the coaching staff] and managing Drogheda United Under-17s to a treble.
But Dundalk’s play-off games against Waterford in 2012 were my highlight. There was a lot of pressure under extremely difficult circumstances.
Worst soccer memory?
St Pat’s v Cork City in the Fai Cup semi-final in 2016.
We felt we could’ve overcome Cork and it was a game where we prepared really well and done everything right beforehand, but as a group we just didn’t show and ultimately lost 3-1.
If you could change one thing about the League of Ireland...
The one thing I would change would be all clubs, players and staff become full-time.
I think this would improve the standard across the board as for most clubs it’s part-time and people are holding down jobs as well as playing /coaching or managing. That puts a lot of stress on them and ultimately they aren’t able to focus properly on the football.