RossTierney is just 20 but has already endured unimaginable torment. He was racked with grief after losing brother to suicide. He endured guilt as rival died after collapsing on pitch. He had to contend with baby son’s life-saving ops. He’s been to edge o
Ross Tierney will arrive at Motherwell as a 20-yearold - but his experience with unimaginable tragedy off the park sees him come to Fir Park with maturity beyond his years.
‘Well manager Graham Alexander has signed the Republic of Ireland youth international on a long-term deal until 2025. He notched seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions during the 2021 season with League of Ireland side Bohemian.
He’s dealt with blows that are common across t he f ootball landscape. Deemed too small and rejected for UK trials, Tierney has had to contend with that. However, it pales in comparison to events away from football.
His brother, Aaron, committed s u i c i d e l a s t y e a r, which resulted in Tierney being admitted i nto a psychiatric hospital for three days.
The attacking midfielder has also carried a burden of guilt from the tragic loss of another person, the sudden death of Shelbourne player Izzy Dezu.
Tierney was playing the match when his St Kevin’s Boys U17s side faced Dezu’s club.
Dezu collapsed near the new Motherwell midfielder and was laid to rest just days later.
A father of two, his two-and-a-half year-old son Leon was born with a rare medical condition, anal atresia. Life-saving surgeries were needed.
Growing up in Ballymun just a short drive away from Bohemian’s Dalymount Park, Bohs chief operating officer Daniel Lambert is stunned by how Tierney has dealt with everything thrown his way. The area has been grappling with drug issues while unemployment is rife.
It’s a place that gets a hard time, but Lambert says Motherwell’s latest signing has battled through it all tremendously.
He said: “He has so much life experience for someone his age. He’s very, very mature. He’s from a working class background and he’s worked so hard to get to where he is.
“He grew up a few miles from our stadium, and where he’s from is a tough place to be from, Ballymun. It’s a difficult place to be brought up. “It’s a place that gets a hard time from the Irish media. To come out of that properly working class background, a t ough area, as a footballer with two young kids, it’s brilliant.
“I think he appreciated what we’ve done for him and he’s had a difficult time off the pitch. He has strength and conviction on the pitch but off it, to face things like that, talk about them and face them down as a 20-year-old, that’s highly impressive stuff.”
Rising above all that, Tierney has emerged as a bubbly character, who has impressed his peers with his commitment to Bohemian.
He arrived for his first day at Motherwell in a grey tracksuit and Bohemian bag, something which shows his feet are well and truly on
Ross has been to some dark places but fought back Daniel Lambert
the ground. Bohemian manager Keith Long says it’s a mark of the man born and bred on the Ballymun streets.
Long said: “He has plenty of first -team experience – he’s played in Europe for us. He’s a young man with a young family. It’s a good opportunity for Ross.
“He’s from a great community. Ballymun is a working class suburb in Dublin and it’s had its social issues over the years. There’s a lot of discrimination towards it from some and our ground isn’t too far from that area. It’s a proud community and he’s a reflection of that.
“He’s from the streets and he’s had to scrap for pretty much everything in his life.
He’s had difficulties and he’s spoken openly about them in a mature manner.
“He has dealt with a lot of things young people aren’t exposed to - but that’s how he’s been brought up. He’s had challenges and dealt with those because he’s a level-headed young lad.
“He has an ambition to improve his life and make things better for his family.
Ross has been to dark places and he’s a credit to himself.”
Lambert is delighted to see Ross achieve his big break and step up a level to Premiership football.
He added: “From a financial point of view, it’s not a big deal for us.
“The Premiership is a higher level and we’d never stand in a players’ way. But it’s tough to lose a guy like him.”