SOCCER: Delaney’s journey from Cork to Rochdale to Wembley

Old friends delighted for ‘modest’ and ‘humble’ Wexford born defender

THE number of homes and pubs around New Ross with BT Sport subscriptions will rise ahead of a local lad’s Wembley date tonight.

For Ryan Delaney, it is the next feat in a year that has surpassed all expectations, and his growing fan club in Wexford is following every move.

The 21-year-old will be part of the Rochdale squad that steps out at English football’s home for their FA Cup replay with Tottenham, a thrilling experience for the centre half in just his second month as a first-team regular in English football.

His permanent switch from Burton Albion to Rochdale has opened the door to a Cup run that has boosted the talented young star’s profile. Delaney has been an ever present for the League One club since penning a two-and-a-half year deal in the final week of the January transfer window.

Before the Spurs spotlight, he was already a star in his own locality. The loan move to Cork City last year for a double win that was completed with tearful celebrations in front of friends and family at the Aviva Stadium piqued interest in the development of the former Wexford Youth.

A day out at another national stadium just three months later has been part of the whirlwind progression.

The exploits of the past pupil have enlivened the corridors of the CBS Secondary School in New Ross.

“He was a model student in CBS and one we are very proud of,” says principal Pat Rossiter, who was thrilled when Delaney accepted an invite to come in and speak to the first years in December.

He laughs as he recalls the Q and A where questions included cheeky queries about how much money he was earning.

There is a curiosity about his journey, however, as Wexford discovers

a high-profile export to follow in the footsteps of Kevin Doyle – albeit in a very different position. For all that the county will forever be associated with hurling, there is a strong underage football scene and Delaney was always a part of that.

When he was growing up, pursuing a career in the Beautiful Game was his ambition. “He was a very humble lad with no airs and graces,” says Rossiter. “He had a dream and he’s living that now.”

Last Monday week, Rossiter went around the classes to find that the previous day’s Cup tie – a game broadcast live on the BBC – was the main talking point.

Delaney’s new club earned a replay with a dramatic injury- time equaliser at Spotland against Harry Kane and Co in what he later described as the “toughest and biggest” game of his life.

“One of our teachers was able to say to the students, ‘Yes, he was sitting in that seat just over there a couple of years ago’,” Rossiter continues. “We’re

proud as a school to be able to say that.”

Delaney’s attitude makes him an example to follow. When he arrived in the Cork City dressing room, they were struck by the absence of ego.

He had played his way up the ranks with Wexford Youths and duly earned a move to Burton Albion in the summer of 2016, but Nigel Clough appeared to have no interest in playing him so the loan offer from Cork came after he’d spent six months in the background at the Championship club.

Delaney’s agent Stephen Hunt felt that the player needed to toughen up and get first-team experience to make that step from promising youth to fully fledged pro. The Cork dressing room could see the point.

“You’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like Ryan,” said centre-half Johnny Dunleavy. “He was almost too nice but that soon changed when we got hold of him.”

The Donegal native is joking, but he is serious as he discusses the strengths of his fellow centre-half.

“He’s a left-footed centre-half and they are hard to come by,” he says. “He’s so powerful and strong and you could see his development across the year as he became a leader.

“I got injured and spent a lot of the year watching him and got a different perspective, but you could see him becoming so much more comfortable as it went on. It was his first time playing in a team that was really challenging for honours and as the season went by you could see the shoulders going back and the chest out.”

On the pitch, he describes Delaney as a good talker who is positionally aware and always lets people know where he is.

That said, he expects him to become physically stronger, much as the towering Irish U-21 international has a natural advantage in that regard. “You forget how young he is,” says Dunleavy, “You think he’s older because he’s so big but he’s going to mature into his frame.

MODEST

“He’s a brilliant lad and he settled in well here. He is modest, he wouldn’t be the kind of lad who would be in the dressing room hammering people but he is well able to look after himself.

“And I think the training atmosphere down here helped him, that competitive atmosphere and bite that we have every day. At the end of the day, the game is about winning and he learned to do that here.”

The bond with that group remains strong. City prepared for the League of Ireland season with a training trip to the England and they took a bus up from Manchester to watch Delaney play a big role in the fourth-round replay win over Millwall; he showcased a combative streak that was developed in his League of Ireland education.

Afterwards, he came up to the hospitality area to mingle with the group, and the good wishes for their old colleague were genuine. Nice guys don’t always finish first, but Delaney is seeking to test the theory.