Captaining against my native Wales was so special
Hero of Cagliari Kevin Sheedy dreamed of playing for the country of his birth
IT’S so hot in Riyadh that all football is played in the relative cool of the evening, which has led to some adjusting for Kevin Sheedy after 40 years on the morning shift.
It hasn’t been the only fine-tuning required for Sheedy’s new career challenge as coach to the Under 21/Olympic side at six-time Saudi champs, Al Shabab FC.
He has had to get used to driving on the right-hand side of the road, and the Saudi’s alcohol ban.
Still, the restaurants are ‘decent’ and he is planning a trip home before Christmas.
‘I never got the opportunity to play or coach abroad and it’s something I always wanted to do. When the call came from Mike [Newell] to work here, I jumped at it,’ said Sheedy.
‘The working hours are different from home but football is basically the same wherever you go, it’s about a pitch, players and a ball.’
A lot of Irish footballers from Jack Charlton’s time need their memories jogged before the stories start to flow. Not Sheedy.
He’s as sharp and accurate with his recall, as he was delivering passes and crosses with his sweet left peg, which he honed by hitting balls against the wall of the The Tram bar in Hereford as a kid.
For all his politeness and modesty, he was a street footballer, learning to control the ball as it bounced back to him at an angle.
When blamed by Charlton for losing possession in the World Cup quarter-final against Italy, he calmly explained how he ‘put a good ball into Aldo (John Aldridge) and Franco Baresi nipped in.’
That tournament provided Sheedy with the highlight of his career, when he became the first Ireland scorer in the World Cup finals, against England too.
As the storms crackled in Cagliari that night, the image of Sheedy drawing back his left bow like a master archer remains vivid. It made him an Ireland folk-hero, albeit a reluctant one.
Sheedy tells a story about being at the races in Leopardstown and bumping into a couple who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
‘They told me they were in a pub watching the Ireland-England game in 1990. When I scored, the place erupted and everyone started hugging. Their relationship went from there. They thanked me for being responsible for bringing them together, which was nice.’
Sheedy achieved much in football, especially at Everton where he won two league titles, the FA Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup in a glorious spell under Howard Kendall, but his Ireland feats matter as much as any.
He was one who nearly got away. Eligible for Ireland through his dad Michael from Ennis, Sheedy was selected for the Ireland U16s when coming through the ranks at Hereford.
Out of courtesy, he wrote to the Welsh FA to ask was he in their plans, as he was born in Builth Wells and lived in Wales until he was four. Their reply was non-committal, and Sheedy played for Ireland at U18 and U21 level before Eoin Hand gave him his debut, 34 years ago this week, in a Euro qualifier against Holland.
Sheedy chalked up 46 caps, eight of them at the finals of Euro ’88 and Italia ’90, where he also thumped home the first penalty in the shoot-out against Romania.
Curiously, he also played four times against the land of his birth, who now stand between Ireland and the World Cup play-offs.
In the spring of ’90, ’91, ’92 and ’93, Sheedy wore green against the Welsh. Each friendly was played in a different venue – Lansdowne Road, Wrexham, the RDS and Tolka Park. At Wrexham, Sheedy skated about the Racecourse pitch as he called the shots in a stylish 3-0 win for Ireland, setting up Niall Quinn and John Byrne for goals.
‘They covered the pitch but not the goalmouths which were like ice rinks. You could play until you got to the penalty area, then you had to watch your feet.
‘If it was a competitive game it wouldn’t have gone ahead. I’m glad it was as I wanted to play.’
A year later, Sheedy was about to board the Ireland team bus when he took a call from Terry McDermott. ‘Terry was hooking up with Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United and asked did I fancy being part of things there.
‘I knew I was leaving Everton so I said yes. That was my last game for Ireland as an Everton player.’
But it was Sheedy’s farewell for Ireland, not that he knew it at the time, which provided a precious ever-lasting moment.
It came at Tolka Park in February ’93. He didn’t start but came on at half-time, as captain, after Dave O’Leary went off injured. Sheehy scored in a 2-1 win.
‘I only wore the armband once for Ireland and that I was respected enough to be given it, is something I’ll always cherish. That was a special night,’ he said.
The 46th cap was his last although Sheedy almost added to it later that year. ‘I got called up for the final qualifier against Northern Ireland in Belfast but was injured and had to cry off,’ he said.
He had turned 34 and Charlton was moving on without him. ‘I didn’t hear from Jack again.’
While colleagues headed into punditry, Sheedy stayed out on the pitch. It’s where he’s happiest, preparing sessions and passing on advice to cub professionals.
He spent 11 years at the Everton academy from 2006, during which time he was particularly moved by the response to the news of his bowel cancer in 2012.
‘One letter stood out from a grandmother. She told me to fight it and not be scared. It brought tears to my eyes,’ he recalled.
Sheedy had life-saving surgery and has been in fine fettle since.
Almost 58, he’s relishing the Riyadh ways and hasn’t ruled out going to the World Cup finals next summer to see two teams in green, Saudi Arabia and Ireland.