Fir Park’s Irish starlet truly has an old head on young shoulders
Had he had his way Motherwell midfielder Ross Tierney would have been facing Republic of Ireland Under21 team- mate Johnny Kenny today in the second of the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
Opponents Hibs were keen to sign Kenny in the January window but lost out to Celtic who snapped him up for £ 130,000 – a move that Tierney has now revealed he counselled against.
“I came over in the window too and when I was considering my options my priority was where would give me plenty of first-team football,” said Tierney.
“It was one of the things I spoke to Johnny about because he had another Scottish club interested. I said you would love to play for Celtic but are you really going to play?
“Last year with Sligo, they qualified for Europe and he was playing first- team football and in the international set-up.
“Coming to Celtic, let’s be honest, you are not going to go straight in.
“There were a lot of players in front of him and, with how big a club Celtic is, they can just go and buy players of greater stature.
“I said: ‘It’s your career, you can look after yourself, we all know you are good enough to play for Celtic’.
“He’s still a young lad and he has a good contract underneath him, so he’s got a lot of years.
“He got an injury, which was not a great start for him, but also a positive because he can work more in the gym and not have to worry about juggling things on the pitch as well.
“But listen Johnny has a good head on his shoulders, so I am sure he will be able to look after himself.”
Tierney has only just turned 21 but he is the dictionary definition of an old head on young shoulders, something he says he has to thank his family for.
“Back home my two brothers were decent footballers but went down different routes in life,” he said.
“My eldest brother, Alan, his nickname was ‘ Monster’ played for Tolka Rovers, and also with Shelbourne.
“Everyone was afraid to go into a tackle with him. I am 5ft 6in and he’s 6ft 3in or something. It is a big difference.
“My other brother Dean played with Home Farm the whole way up, he was in Darren O’dea’s team. The manager that had Dean said if he didn’t make it he would hang up his managerial boots.
“Unfortunately, they both went the drink way, which back then was the norm. Dean only has one kidney, so that didn’ t help either. It was beneficial for me that I was born last. My mum was 43, so I was a big surprise! “Because of that they have been able to tell me what not to do and I have made sure I haven’t make the mistakes they made.
“Even with my 21st birthday last weekend, we had a little party with the family and people coming over and giving me drinks and I had to say thanks, but no thanks.”
The two elder Tierneys also helped shape their younger brother’s resilience on the park. “People say I am small in stature but not afraid of a tackle, I just jump back up, and that’s from growing up getting smashed in tackles by my two brothers,” he said.
“Growing up around Ballymun it is a tough area and it is sink or swim. It helped me playing out on the street with all the boys.”
The Dubliner signed from Bohemians, with his last appearance coming in the League of Ireland Cup Final.
“We played against St Pats and there were some 40,000 fans at the Aviva Stadium to see it so it was a great experience,” he said.
“Coming out of the tunnel all you could see was red smoke ( from flares) which was some feeling.
“Unfortunately it did not go our way and we lost it on a penalty shoot- out. I was gutted we could not leave with a piece of silverware because I thought everyone at Bohemians deserved it.
“Now I am in Scotland trying to get to another Cup Final. But we have to reach the semi first, and I hope we can because playing at Hampden would be a real bonus.”