EX DROGHEDA UNITED PLAYER & CURRENT ALBION ROVERS BOSS
PAT ‘MINI’ MOHAN
Best match you’ve ever watched?
Liverpool v AC Milan in the Champions League Final in 2005. I’m a Liverpool fan and was watching at home. Winning from 3-0 down - no wonder it was called the miracle of Istanbul!
Best game you played in?
It has to be the two legs of the 1983 Uefa Cup tie. I was only 18 at the time and months before that I was playing in the AUL Under-19 League and all of a sudden here I was playing for the Drogs against Spurs.
A few months before that I was playing with the Leinster Youths against a German selection and Dundalk manager Jim tried to sign me, but my home town club were interested as well and that’s where my heart was going.
Best goal you’ve ever seen?
Jordan Flores for Dundalk against Shamrock Rovers this year. Some technique. The body shape and the height he met it with was absolutely fantastic. What a cracker!
All-time favourite player?
Kevin Keegan was my idol growing up. I loved his movement and flair, him and John Toshack together, and I remember going up to watch him playing Shamrock Rovers in Lansdowne Road the year before.
He actually left Southampton just before I made my debut [for Drogheda] against them.
In later years my favourite players were Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard.
Best player you’ve played with?
Matt Bradley and Gel Martin - and then outside the League of Ireland the likes of Dennis Haggins, Jim Kelly, Gary Carolan and Eddie Brennan. You could go on all day.
Funniest player you’ve played with?
Roddy Collins. He was fit for anything. He used to walk into the home dressing-room and the away dressing-room on his hands!
Favourite sport outside soccer and who you follow?
Gaelic football. I played with St Nicholas and won a championshp medal with them at underage, but I had to make up my mind and I went with the soccer. My favourite footballer is Michael Darragh Macauley because of his workrate and the way he strives for success.
I love swimming as well.
Best soccer memory?
There have been so many. Playing in Europe, being part of the Drogheda United management team with Harry McCue in 2002 when we beat Sligo to win the league. The same year I was managing the Drogheda Under-18s when they won the Premier League - that was a great team.
I also remember playing for Drogheda when I was 18 against Home Farm on a wet, wet day in United Park and we were sitting in the dressing-room at half-time. The door was knocked and someone said come in. This fella came in and sat down beside me and told me how well I was playing. It was Ronnie Whelan - and I was watching him the night before on Match of the Day playing for Liverpool! [His brother] Paul was playing for us at the time. I went out and had a stormer in the second half.
Also scoring on my debut against Peter Shilton [of Southampton]. I always loved to have a go from long range!
Worst soccer memory?
I was due to go to Manchester City on trial on a Monday morning, but the day before we were playing Finn Harps up in Ballybofey and I got my jaw broken.
It was my dream to go to Man City at that time - Billy McNeill was the manager and Mick McCarthy was playing for them. All I could was apologise. I went to Bristol City after that but didn’t like it and I came back to play for the Drogs.
Football’s all about getting lucky breaks and I got an unlucky one!
If you could change one thing about the League of Ireland...
More local talent in clubs throughout the League because it would bring a lot more people through the turnstiles.
I would also love to see full-time pros in all clubs, but that’s difficult in the League of Ireland.
Personally, I think it would be a great thing to go back to winter football. Summer is a difficult time for families and kids want to do things like go to the beach.