SETTLING IN TO a new club, in a foreign country, with an unfamiliar culture can often prove problematic for footballers.
That certainly isn’t the case for Cillian Sheridan, who has really hit the ground running since his move to Polish title contenders Jagiellonia Bialystok at the end of February.
The well-travelled Cavan man was able to call upon his experiences in Scotland, Bulgaria and Cyprus as he quickly adapted to life on and off the field.
Sheridan has started all nine matches in the two months since — scoring five goals [two from the penalty spot] and providing four assists as the side from the north-east claimed six wins and three draws.
That leaves them joint-top of the Ekstraklasa table and well-placed to lift the title for the first time in their 97-year history.
“I’ve had a good six weeks in terms of goals and assists,” Sheridan tells The42. “We haven’t lost since I’ve arrived and we’ve been able to stay top of the table, which has been the most most important thing.
“From a personal point of view, I had played two games without scoring but didn’t think I was struggling because I was actually pleased with how I was playing.
“I was contributing a lot in the games and was pretty happy with how I was doing. I just didn’t have a goal to go along with it. So when the goals came, everyone relaxed. I’m sure the club would’ve had a sigh of relief as well. It was nice to get that over and done with.”
Before joining on a two-and-a-half year deal from Omonia Nicosia, the 28-year-old had asked Croatian defender Ivan Runje — a former team-mate in Cyprus — to fill him in about the club so he and his long-term girlfriend had an idea what to expect.
However, Sheridan admits that he was a little off-the-pace in the first couple of weeks due to the varying demands of the league he had left and the one he was joining.
“It’s not that I was unfit but there was a big difference in the fitness levels I needed in Cyprus compared to here,” he explains. “Over there, I would’ve considered myself pretty fit and I would be well able to run past people at the end of games.
“In comparison, over here I was starting to get cramp after 70 minutes. But I’ve got that sorted and I feel more confident now.
“I did a little bit extra with the fitness coach and then got up to speed through the training, which is quite hard, and the games helped as well.”
On the standard level, he adds: “It’s pretty high. To compare it to Cyprus, it’s a totally different styles of play. Over there, it’s slow build-up whereas here it’s end-to-end and it’s almost a case that any team can beat any other team.
There aren’t easy games where you know beforehand what’s going to happen. If a team doesn’t win it’s not a big shock. In Cyprus, there are five or six teams that are good and if you don’t beat the rest of them it’s a very bad result. In Poland, you have to be at it every game.”
Sheridan hasn’t been there long enough to pick up the language just yet, but he’s managing to get by.
“Not everyone has brilliant English,” he says. “I’d say half the lads have a good standard and you can get your point across with the others. The coach is always speaking Polish but when they’re going through tactics and he comes to what he wants me to do, he’ll say that in English.
“So whatever I need to hear, he’ll say in English but everything else is in Polish. You’re kind of looking around when they’re saying the rest and you never want to be the first person to do a drill, so I hang back!”
There is a massive month ahead for Jagiellonia as the title race reaches its climax.
The format of the league sees the 16-strong table split in half — into the championship round and the relegation round — with each club playing the other seven in their group once. Points tallies up to that point are also halved.
With five matches remaining, Sheridan’s club sit level at the top with Lech Poznan, while current champions Legia Warsaw and Lechia Gdansk are both just one point back.
And, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, they play all four of those sides over the next few weeks.
“I would’ve had something similar in Scotland,” he says. “It’s almost the same as that except when the normal round of games finish here, they split the points. So if were 10 points ahead, it’s cut to five points.
“This to me is ridiculous as it kind of defeats the point. We’ve got five games left and it’s very tight. It will more than likely go down to the last game, although I’d obviously prefer it not to.”
Sheridan spoke earlier this year about hoping to catch the attention of Ireland’s management team with his good form and Martin O’Neill claimed recently that he is keeping an eye on the striker’s progress.
The squad for two upcoming friendlies [with Mexico and Uruguay] and June’s World Cup qualifier against Austria will be named in Dublin on Monday, and he would love the opportunity to return to the international fold.
It’s seven long years since the centre forward earned the last of his three Ireland caps and Sheridan believes he has become a much more rounded player in that time. If the call-up doesn’t come, however, he won’t let it get to him.
I definitely feel that I can play at that level,” he adds. “In Cyprus, I was playing well and similar to how I’m playing now but I always knew coming here would be a step up.
“Almost straight away, I realised that I was still performing at the same level — at a level that I think can be good enough for the international team.
“It’s not up to me to pick the squad, so I can’t get too sidetracked about it. If I start playing like I’m trying to impress somebody that may or not be watching me, I don’t think it would be good for me so I’ll just have to keep my head down and hopefully keep performing well.
“If they come and watch me and they’re impressed, or if they don’t come but they’re still impressed then perfect. Hopefully that’s the case.
“Looking back at the last time I was in the Ireland set-up and now, I feel like a totally different player. That would be the one thing I want to show people.”
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What a non competitive event the Leinster championship is. That’s hardly Dublin’s fault though.
Yea…bit of a joke really…a very well supported event, but I cant see the point of this format. Surely an all Ireland league in two divisions would be best
Maybe they should play their games somewhere other than their own back yard for a change. Give the rest of the Provence a chance. Advantage the dubs all the time, – the only way they can win.
That is a losers attitude
Wow that’s an original post.
Well if that’s what all the other counties in Leinster want tell their Provincial Board members to vote for it happening rather than against it. County Boards want money ergo if they get the chance they all want the Dubs in Croke Park.
Niall- Take yourself back to the 2010 Leinster final you absolute GIMP!!
the village is missing it’s idiot
We would love to travel but powers to be want us there as make more money for them
I thought Luis Suarez was banned from all football ? Gaelic football obviously not included.
Lower.
42 like minded fools
Congats Dublin total football, a breath of fresh air……..as for the Ulster final beggars belief how people still watch puke football.
Youre a gob shyte.
Ya,have admit FairPlay to Dublin they play “pure football” as it should be played unlike northern boys with cynical fouling diving pulling dragging etc, ,it’s just some Dublin arrogant fans that I don’t lik but the team are quality!
#kerryman
Fair play Colm, those fans are a minority thankfully.
This Dublin fan fears Kerry. If we meet again and get half the quality of game we got last year all in for a treat.
Watch the replay Tony. It’s a kick in the B****x he deserved.
Another baseless and false accusation against a Dublin player. But we’re well used to it by now. The sourest of sour grapes from Meath IMHO.
Provincial championships are holding back Gaelic football….Leinster,Connacht and to a slightly lesser extent Munster are processions every summer.Ulster is ultra competitive but is dominated by visually poor football.Unless the GAA gain the balls to overhaul the whole championship,it’ll suffer irrepairable damage……
Dunno about irreparable damage but agree the whole season structure is holding football & hurling back
How is Munster less of a precession than Connacht? Same two counties have won Munster since 1993. All Connacht counties bar London and New York have Connacht titles won since then. Might not have won all Ireland’s as many as kerry in that time but there’s still some competition there. I’ve funny feeling people who come on here whinging about Connacht don’t bother to watch or read up on its history.
Get rid of the provincials and you might as well forget about football in weak counties. It’s 20 years on Friday next since Leitrim won the Connacht title. Counties like Leitrim have to genuinely have something of worth to aim for; a B championship won’t cut it alone. The qualifier system does have merit, perhaps it needs to be enhanced with more games (like the hurling). If there is to be a B championship the winners must have an entry back into the later stage of the championship (call it a wild card or what not).
Yep cheers RI & Shane,Dublin are serious outfit with real depth & quality in squad but,they play total football as it should be played with pace skill & zero negative football,I do believe if Kerry meet Dublin again it would be another classic but,still some good teams out there I.e. Mayo,I can’t see cork being as bad again as they wer against us,I feel we played very well & they just flopped on day!!
Just want see quality football!!
Agreed Colm, was shocked at your demolition job of cork to be honest, in term of raw talent i think cork are as good as anyone.
It was painful watching meath players having to go through that towards the end. This particular result doesn’t reflect the pretty good job that mick o dowd has done at meath. Hopefully they can regroup and put in a good performance in their next game.
I’ll say this, even if it is true nothing will be done about it.
Why will nothing be done about it?
Nobody can question the fact that dublin have a talented squad but they have so much more advantages than any other county. Massive pool of players to pick from, massive sponsorship money which other counties dont receive, refs seem oblivious to their constant fouling and the biggest advantage is never having to play an away game outside of Croke park. Its so corrupt and unfair. They should never get to play in Croker until the semi final like every other county.
Yeah who’d want fans to be able to actually watch matches we should fill parnell park and tell everyone else to feck off
I love the way that none of your points were ever issues until Dublin started winning.
Yeah, no games in croke park until the all-ireland semi final. Unless you’re Meath, Kildare, Laois, Louth, or wexford. But they don’t count for the chip on shoulder brigade
I have complained about Dublin playing all year in Croker for years not just since they started winning, its a massive advantage but the narrow minded fans dont see it. Disregarding fans, who else is it fair to? Honest question.
If playing in Croke Park was such an advantage to Dublin, why have they only won 3 All-Irelands in 20 years? Dublin have won National Leagues in the last few years which means winning in other grounds up and down the country. The team is the best in the country because of their ability, athleticism and drive. Not because of Croke Park. As for refs giving everything to Dublin? Whinging at best.
noted Dublin fan john doyle of kildare in an interview with the Irish independent last year dismissed the notion of Dublin having home advantage – said if that influenced you then you had no place playing at all. besides, meath and kildare since the new croke park opened have played almost as many and havent had a problem winning.
in relation to the massive sponsorship – the aig deal is less than the vodafone one and covers more teams, and people seem to overlook that the county board needed a big sponsor to cover the thousands of teams and grades including all the juvenile in the county – the massive playing population some seem to see as a problem. i would have thought true gaa fans would welcome a big playing population in Dublin but time and time again you see comments that Dublin having people playing is an unfair advantage.
Dublin always had the biggest sponsorship with arnotts and nobody minded, Dublin played their league games in croke park for decades nobody minded, Dublin played all their big matches in the redeveloped croke park nobody minded.
until last September.
you want Dublin out of croke park? give out to the leinster council, they tell Dublin where to play, theyre based in that Dublin stronghold of portlaoise. since provincial championship money goes to all the counties and they need something to show the boxes and term ticket holders im sure theyll listen keenly to you.
but sure, haters gotta hate.
tom stamp absolutely on the money
Andrew… Did you listen to johnny Doyle on the Sunday game last night? He has played far more championship games in Croker than in newbridge. That goes for Meath, Laois etc. Your argument is null and void. Tell your county boards to stop voting to keep the dubs in HQ. Also half the population of Dublin are culchies and not available for selection. Also far more sports played in the capital than in smaller towns and villages.
Well Im a Limerick man so Dublin football does not affect me in any way shape or form. Im not just talking about Leinster teams, what about the likes of Cork or Galway etc, the teams who dont play there every year. Is it really fair to them to play Dublin there when the dubs have played maybe 5 games there that year before the other team have played there. Its an intimidating place for most teams yet alone playing a team who play all their games there and are used to it. I understand its not Dublins fault and the gaa will never change it over the money. My example would be to have Kerry play every game in Kilarney during the year and then meeting the dubs in the final down there. There would be war from Dublin and you know it. Its not fair.
Never heard the great Meath manager Sean Boylan whinge,grow up O’Dowd.
A proud Meath man my team should be ashamed of themselves don’t start blaming the dubs the only thing I’d say against the dubs was they should of won by 30points that game will of done them no good the mad thing is well win next Saturday
David i have been in the company of meath supporters at match times going back to the mid 80s and they would have no time for some of the comments about Dublin in croke park – they would dismiss it as the sort of stuff they would expect from small counties not meath. not that these types would cross the road to attend a match or put down the keyboard.
The leinster championship is now worse than the old ulster hurling, beyond embarrassing.
Come on Sean it’s not dat bad
It’s like watching ground hog day, with out at least two laughs… totally predictable totally boring.
I’m not a Dublin or Meath fan but am I alone in thinking that Dublin had home advantage today? I’m not saying it would have made any difference, but when was the last time Dublin played a championship match outside Croke Park? I thought Parnell Park was their home ground!
Where else in Leinster would you fit 62,000 people? Not all of them Dubs either by the way.
It is, so that means we play nearly every game away, great attempt at making your point.
Dublin win? So what
bitter and twisted sad really
Who asked you to leave Dublin?
Do they not serve finger food in Coppers anymore?
Dublins sheer professionalism is beginning to strike fear into us Kerrymen down south….
Don’t expect anything from G.A.A as it’s rubbish at protecting it’s players.
Says the man with the crest of the club who protected the racist Suarez.
@derek…. You absolute pinhead ! Better to look stupid than speak and remove all doubt!
If dublin play outside croke park the gaa lose a fortune and every county except dublin lose. 20,000 in parnell park with every cent going to dublin versus 60,00 in croker with the money going to central council?
parnell park capacity in 9500 or thereabouts. kildare county board gave out last year that its not fair that Dublin dont have a mountain of debt like they do and should be forced to build a 40-60k ground on a greenfield site to get that debt. same county board who are so worried about Dublin home advantage they switched their home league game against them last year to . . . . . . croke park.
No coverage of the Ulster Final?
Fack sake
Who gives one?
Ok, Fitzgerald park and the Gaelic grounds and a spattering of county grounds added up would possibly accommodate a crowd for a Game involving Dublin late in the championship . Perhaps a round robin championship involving the Dublin crowd moving systematically around grounds in the south-west of the country playing the Leinster championship is the answer, but is it plausible?