Medal haul shows Glass is class act

Declan Glass is compiling an increasingly impressive collection of medals – even if the Dundee United player isn’t entirely sure where they are.

Glass, 22, enjoyed his fourth taste of silverware on loan at Derry City this term, helping the Candystripes end a decadelong wait for FAI Cup glory.

The creative midfielder previously claimed a League Two title with Cove Rangers and won the Championship on two occasions, with United and during a stint with Kilmarnock last season.

“I give the medals to my family,” Glass said. “They probably mean a bit more to them than they do to me.

“It’s special for them to keep and enjoy while I can think about when the next one might come.

“They can keep them where they want. But if you see any of them on ebay, give me a shout.”

He added: “I feel fortunate to have been a part of some very good teams.”

Although Glass did not feature in the 4-0 victory over Shelbourne in Dublin, the Tannadice man made his mark and earned his medal during the run.

He notched a hat-trick and two assists on his debut, a 7-0 cup win over Oliver Bond. He also featured against Cork City in a later round and started the semi-final triumph over Treaty United.

“My first game was in the cup and we said from that point we wanted to go all the way and win it,” he said.

“So, to achieve that was really special.”

Glass was particularly delighted for the people of Derry who made the threeand-a-half hour trip to the Aviva Stadium – including ex-united man Mark Connolly.

“We walked out of the tunnel at the Aviva and saw the way the Derry fans were outnumbering the Shelbourne supporters,” recalled Glass.

“That’s when it really hit home just how much this

meant to the club and the city.

“To get about 20,000 people following us to Dublin – especially when times are tough – was amazing to see.

“We were so desperate to deliver for them.

“The gaffer (Ruaidhrí Higgins) is from Derry and a good few of the lads grew up there, in times when things maybe weren’t so good.

“It’s a football-mad city. You honestly can’t go anywhere without speaking to someone about the football.”

While memorable and formative, Glass’ time in Derry was also frustrating.

A hamstring complaint derailed his early momentum and with the Candystripes flying and challenging for the League of Ireland title, Higgins was understandably loath to change a winning team.

Glass made seven senior appearances – fewer than he would have liked, having

crossed the water for regular football ahead of a push for more minutes at Tannadice from January.

“I picked up a slight injury and although it might sound like an easy excuse, that didn’t help,” continued Glass.

“When you join a team as good as Derry – especially when they are on a good run – it does make it difficult to get back in.

“But it was still a great experience. It is up to me to learn from that and use it in a positive way.

“I’m grateful to everyone at the club for the opportunities I got and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.”

He added: “You want to be involved in challenging for titles and trophies and I’m lucky that throughout my career that has generally been the case, whether at United, Cove or Kilmarnock.

“That has been instilled in me – you’ve got to win. That’s the mentality you

need and, again, that was the case at Derry.”

Glass was also fulsome in his praise of Connolly, his former United team-mate.

The vastly experienced defender made 67 appearances for the Tangerines before joining Derry this year and was a pivotal sounding board during Glass’s first spell playing outside Scotland.

“Our first day (at Derry) was together and we stayed in the same hotel for the first couple of days,” said Glass. “He was the only familiar face for me and I was probably one of the only ones for him.

“We did speak a lot and I feel fortunate that I had someone like Mark there.

“It was my first time playing and living away, so that was a different challenge and it was great to have the support.

“But all the lads were really good. It’s a terrific dressing room and they made me feel welcome from day one.”

ON SONG: Declan Glass, right, enjoys that medal-winning feeling at Derry City.