Sammon has found solace in Kilmarnock
STABILITY was the watchword for Conor Sammon when he penned a three-year contract with Hearts last summer but, four managers and a change of club later, the striker admits he is back in career limbo.
The saving grace for the Irishman is that a loan move to his old stomping ground of Kilmarnock has provided some sanctuary from the turbulence that has never seemed far away since he departed Rugby Park first time round in 2011.
After a £600,000 move to Wigan Athletic, Sammon played in the English Premier League and later moved to Derby County for double that fee and became a full internationalist, representing his country nine times under Giovanni Trapattoni in 2013.
Since then it has been a nomadic life for the 30-year-old through loan spells at Ipswich, Rotherham and Sheffield United.
Robbie Neilson’s offer of a long-term deal at Tynecastle promised certainty but within a few months the manager had gone and it quickly became apparent his successor Ian Cathro did not fancy him.
‘When I signed at Hearts I never imagined the way it would pan out with Robbie moving to MK Dons,’ said Sammon.
‘That’s the thing with football, you can have the best of intentions and best plans and they can change very quickly.
‘When the new manager came in I wasn’t getting as much game time and I’m at a stage where I want to be playing.
‘I didn’t want to give up six to eight months of the season when I could have been playing elsewhere. So it was a real no-brainer for me to come back to Kilmarnock.’
Sammon might have felt more than a tinge of déjà vu when Lee Clark quit Kilmarnock for Bury just a fortnight after his return to Ayrshire, but there’s something about the club that seems to agree with the Dublin-born marksman.
He scored in yesterday’s victory over Hamilton and, although he has swapped a place in the upper echelons in the Premiership for a relegation battle, he clearly feels at ease.
‘Things really took off for me during my first spell here and there were all sorts of good vibes and memories when I came back,’ added Sammon.
‘Sometimes a club just fits. Over time you mature and you understand what is important in life.
‘I’ve got a two-year old daughter now and that was a game-changer.
‘You realise what is important and if you have a bad game you get frustrated but you go back to your family and it is a good distraction.
‘This is the most settled I’ve been and the best head space I have been in.’
Nevertheless, it would seem unlikely that Kilmarnock would be in a position to buy out the remainder of Sammon’s Hearts contract. The future is uncertain. ‘Who knows what the future will bring,’ he admitted. ‘I’ve had a few messages from the manager (Cathro) asking how things were going. ‘There were no personal issues or no fall-outs, nothing like that. ‘My main focus at the moment is at Killie and making sure we have a good end to the season but there will have to come a point where I sit down with Hearts and see where things are. ‘I’m prepared for every possibility. I definitely believe I can play at a high level for another three or four years. ‘When you sign a three-year deal you see yourself being there for the duration and it’s frustrating when you come away not having shown what you can do. ‘I’ve never been shy of fighting it out for a place and I’d be happy to do that wherever I end up.’