BYRNE LEAVES LILIES WOE BEHIND HIM
KURTIS BYRNE was a member of the allconquering Dundalk squad which won the Premier Division and Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup in 2015, but from a personal point of view he never wants to experience another season like it. The 25-year-old did not start a single game in the league and had to make do with only sporadic appearances off the bench. And while he started in the early rounds of the Cup, once the quarter-final stage came around, manager Stephen Kenny reverted to what he saw as his strongest XI for the run-in to Aviva Stadium. It all became unbearable for Byrne, who by the end of the campaign was wishing each game away in order to start afresh elsewhere. He knew he had to get out once he began dreading the carpool with some of the other Dublin-based players at the Louth club. Richie Towell, Andy Boyle and Dane Massey all shared driving-duties and it was on the journeys back to the capital that the forward’s frustrations became too much. ‘They are great lads, I made some great friends at Dundalk but those would be my closest. Towards the end it was just too difficult. I had enough,’ Byrne explained. ‘They would all be talking about the game on the way back or whatever, they’d be shattered but talking away. I would be sitting there fresh as a daisy but I had nothing to say. ‘It was hard to stay motivated,’ he continued. ‘Especially when they were winning all the time. You knew you were never going to get in. Mentally I was always ready to play but they didn’t need me. ‘You just have to get through it, it was something in my career that I have experienced but I’ll make sure that I thrive off it this year and make sure it never happens to me again.’ Bohemians will be the ones hoping to benefit from having a revitalised Byrne among their ranks. Manager Keith Long made it clear how much he wanted him at Dalymount Park to bolster the attacking options, and now he is eager to deliver on what is expected of him — starting tonight away to Cork City. ‘This is a big year for me,’ said Byrne. ‘I have something to prove to myself and I am sure there will be others out there who will be asking questions. If I keep the head down and work hard I will have a good year. ‘My confidence is always quite high no matter if I am scoring goals or not.’ At least now he will be on the pitch to get the chance.