O’Donnell is anxious to prosper

O’Donnell is anxious to prosper with Rovers

Ryan O’Donnell, the former Cartron United starlet, was among the new signings made by Sligo Rovers manager Sean Connor for the recently started 2005 eircom League season.
The 20-year-old, who spent last season with Kildare County, is delighted to have signed for his hometown club.
“Playing for Sligo Rovers is something I have always wanted to do,” said the versatile full-back, who captained Cartron United to SFAI Barry [U-16] Cup success in 2001.
“I remember going to the Showgrounds when I was young and I remember the year when they won the First Division and the FAI Cup. The atmosphere was great at those matches and I always wanted to be on the pitch to experience that atmosphere as a player.”
“Now that I’ve signed with Rovers I hope to get the opportunity to do that and I’m looking forward to it.”
Last season was a breakthrough one for O’Donnell as he left Bohemians to join Derry City, who loaned him out to Kildare County where he made his Senior debut playing at right-back.
“Last year was my first year in the eircom League and I think I gained a lot of experience at Kildare.”
“This year I hope to get into the Sligo Rovers side and gain more experience. It is all about learning at this stage.”
“I want to do well for Sligo Rovers and I want to help the push for promotion. I want to be a member of the team that helps them get up.”
In the pre-season friendlies, O’Donnell showed his versatility when playing at left-back, right-back, centre-half and as a right-sided midfielder. But he isn’t sure if this is something that will help or hinder his career at the Showgrounds.
“I think it is a good thing – but I also think it is a bad thing. You are constantly being moved around and you are not settling into one position.”
“It can be good for you or it can be bad for you, but I just want to play for Sligo Rovers. If I am picked to play at left-back, I will play at left-back or if I am playing at centre-back it doesn’t matter as long as I am playing and the team is doing well.”
“But the right-full slot is my position and I feel I can do my best job there.”
As mentioned, O’Donnell captained the famous Cartron United side that won the Barry Cup four years ago.
His team-mates included ex-Sligo Rovers duo Colin Jinks and John Gaffney, while another team-mate, Fergus Horan, has been part of two Sigerson Cup-winning panels at IT Sligo.
O’Donnell is surprised that he is the only one of the team now playing in the eircom League.
“I thought that nearly the whole team would be involved with eircom League clubs by now in some way or another. I don’t know what happened with the way it broke up, but I knew a few of the lads were playing at Senior level.”
“The likes of John Gaffney and Colin Jinks were involved with Rovers for a while and they went their own way after that. We all still keep in touch the whole time.”
“I meet the boys in [Sligo] town and I’m constantly in touch with them and I get on well with them.”
“I think it is a great thing that we get on well – especially after a great success like that – and it would be a shame to lose the friendship we built up at the time after doing such a great thing like that for Sligo.”
O’Donnell, an unused substitute in Rovers’ opening game of the eircom League First Division season against his former club, Kildare County, has a chance to be part of another underage success as he is the joint-manager of the Summerhill College Senior side along with his uncle, Dessie Cawley, a coach at Sligo Rovers.
Summerhill recently won the FAI School Connacht Senior Boys ‘A’ Cup and many feel they have a great chance of winning a national title.
“I think we have a great chance this year. I have been involved with the Senior team for three years now and this year there seems to be more of a hunger than in any other year.”
“We definitely have the squad to do it this year. If there is someone out injured we have a quality player to come in and take their place.”
“A lot of the lads are playing together at club level, so I think that helps us very much this year with Summerhill.”
“We will have a tough All-Ireland semi-final ahead of us [a game provisionally set for April 11] but I think we have the team to go all the way this year.”
O’Donnell has set out his aims for the season.
“I want to get into the first team and perform well, week in, week out, for Sligo Rovers. For the club the main aim this year would be promotion and I think we have a great chance of achieving that.”
“The squad this year is a very good one. This year there is a lot of cover for all positions in the team.”
“The starting 11 has to play very well, because they know there are other guys itching to get into the team, wanting to do well. I think that is a good plus for the club.”
“It is hard to predict now how we will do, but I think we have a very good chance of challenging for promotion.”

http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=22347