Derek O Brien SWAI player of the Month - March
Galway United’s Derek O’Brien was today (Thursday April 16th) presented with the Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland’s first Player of the Month Award for 2009.
O’Brien, 29, was given the award for March after starting his third spell with the Tribesmen in impressive style, helping them to two wins and two draws in their first four games of the season.
The Tralee native said: “I’m chuffed, particularly as it’s from the writers as they are at the games every week so they’ve a good idea of how you’re doing but I’d take any award that was going!
“The award is loosely based around how the team is doing and I’d like to thank all of my team-mates for helping me to get the award.”
This is the first time he has won the SWAI’s prestigious monthly award and he is the first Galway player to collect the accolade since Derek Glynn – now with Longford Town – in June 2007.
After starting his senior career with St Patrick’s Athletic, for whom he failed to make a senior appearance, he made the first-team breakthrough with Galway in November 2000.
He experienced the disappointment of relegation the following season and was to spend five years in the First Division – four with Galway and one with Sligo, in 2003 – before returning to the top flight.
In his first season back in the Premier Division, in 2007, he was named on the PFAI Team of the Season and was the subject of interest from Derry City.
He signed a new contract with Galway only to be sold to St Pat’s for a fee in the region of €25,000 last summer because of cost-cutting measures at Terryland Park.
In January of this year, however, he returned to Galway as part of the compensation deal thrashed out between the two clubs when manager Jeff Kenna moved in the opposite direction.
It did not take him long to come back to haunt his old club; on the opening day of the season O’Brien scored twice as Galway claimed a shock 3-0 win over St Pat’s at Richmond Park.
Also in March, Galway defeated Dundalk and drew with Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers, confounding their pre-season billing as favourites for relegation.
O’Brien admitted: ”I’m not going to exaggerate, it’s a better start than I could have hoped for but I wasn’t expecting us to struggle like people were saying. We were practically told we were relegated before the started.
“We’re up there with the likes of Bohemians and Derry City so we must be doing something right but I’d prefer to be there towards the end of the season.”
