Drennan and Walsh put their off-pitch battles behind them to return
TWO young talents have returned to the League of Ireland this week having found the strength and perseverance to overcome crippling personal demons.
While Mikey Drennan dealt with his mental health issues of his own accord by taking two years out of the game to tackle depression in May 2016, Craig Walsh was forced to contend with his gambling addiction in the same year when he was banned from football for 12 months for cocaine use as his life spiralled out of control.
The circumstances may be different, but the stories of these two former Republic of Ireland underage internationals are not. They were young men broken, lost and alone.
Drennan and Walsh are an example to those struggling that there is always a way back when all seems to be lost.
The latter joined Bray Wanderers’ relegation fight, the former signed for Sligo Rovers on Wednesday and Drennan, now 24, explained why he felt he was ready to return. ‘It has been with me for the last couple of years about returning to the league. It has come up a few times, but I wasn’t 100 per cent sure or ready to commit. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone by not being able to give my all, or to waste anyone’s time. I feel now I’m ready and this is a great fit for me.’
Drennan spent his formative professional years with Aston Villa and it was in Birmingham when feelings of isolation and despair took hold. The Kilkenny native returned to Ireland with Shamrock Rovers in 2015 but, 12 months later, at just 22 years old, realised he had to make a change after leaving the dressing room in tears following a match.
Hurling with James Stephens and non-league football with Evergreen kept him ticking over and now he is
ready to return to professional football. For Walsh, 26, his world came crashing down in a Dublin bingo hall in September 2015. He lost €1,500 in the bookies — three times what he earned per week — and when his attempt to recoup his losses with the ‘super jackpot’ failed, the offer of cocaine from a stranger in a toilet was accepted.
‘It was my decision, my actions, my mistake,’ he said at the time, and the counselling sessions which followed helped him find salvation. Or at least understanding of his problem.
When the ban was lifted, Walsh signed for Crumlin United in the Leinster Senior League and last month the central midfielder represented the Ireland amateur international team as they beat England. Another battle won, Drennan and Walsh are two fighters ready for another chance.