WHILE HIS PEERS will welcome the conclusion of the current season when it arrives this afternoon, the beginning of the next one can’t come quickly enough for David McMillan.
The Irish striker will aim to score for the third game in succession as he makes his fourth appearance for St Johnstone against a Ross County side battling to avoid relegation.
St Johnstone striker David McMillan. St Johnstone FC
St Johnstone FC
He’ll enjoy his summer break, which will include a trip home to Dublin, but having just returned from a three-month injury absence, McMillan’s campaign is ending sooner than he’d like. On the other hand, he’s just glad to have made it back before the summer recess.
“I’ve settled in very well in Scotland,” he says. “The injury aside, things have been really good since I came over.”
McMillan joined St Johnstone in January after four successful seasons at Dundalk. However, his plans to make an immediate impact in the Scottish Premiership were scuppered when he was injured on his debut in a collision with Partick Thistle goalkeeper Tomas Cerny.
“I fell quite awkwardly, kind of doing the splits with one leg,” McMillan explains. “I had a scan afterwards which showed a lot of bruising but also a strain in my adductor beside my hamstring.
“It was thought that it might only keep me out for four-to-six weeks, but six weeks later I was still having a bit of trouble. I had another scan then which showed a tear in a tendon in my hamstring, so that was what kept me out for a bit longer than I expected.”
The timing of the injury was unfortunate for McMillan, who was understandably eager to hit the ground running for his new employers. Instead he endured a few months of recovery and rehabilitation which makes for a lonely existence for a footballer, particularly one attempting to integrate into a new group.
“When I thought it was going to be six weeks initially I sort of had a target in mind to be back for a certain game,” he says. “When things aren’t healing properly and you’re missing those deadlines it just adds to your frustration. That becomes very difficult.
“Had the injury come a year into my time here it probably would have been easier to deal with. I wanted to make an impression as soon as I possibly could after coming over here, but within the first week or two I ended up being stuck in the physio room for what turned out to be nearly three months.
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McMillan (left) and Robbie Benson celebrating Dundalk's third consecutive Premier Division title in 2016. INPHO / Ryan Byrne
INPHO / Ryan Byrne / Ryan Byrne
“The only upside was that I got to see the team play quite regularly. Watching from the stand, I was able to get to grips with how they played and what different players were like.”
A frustrating lay-off finally ended for McMillan last Saturday as he set about making up for lost time. Fifteen minutes after being sprung from the bench against Motherwell, he scored his first St Johnstone goal in a 5-1 victory. He found the net again in Tuesday’s 2-1 win against Hamilton Academical, giving Tommy Wright’s side the lead from a penalty.
“It’s been fantastic to be back,” McMillan says. “I think we were 4-0 up against Motherwell so it was the perfect kind of time to come back in. It was a good opportunity to try and nick a goal. I felt I played quite well and it was good the get the monkey of the first goal off the back.
“I felt comfortable going into the midweek game against Hamilton and thankfully I was able to score again. It’s been a really good start, especially as there were times when I thought I wouldn’t get back before the end of the season. That just sets me up nicely for pre-season and next season as a whole, which I can’t wait for.”
He adds: “I’m looking forward to going to Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Hearts; all those grounds will be exciting. Obviously with Steven Gerrard taking over as manager at Rangers it has heightened the coverage and brought a lot of excitement and attention, which can only be good for the league here.”
That McMillan has struck goalscoring form in Scotland so swiftly won’t come as much of a surprise to followers of the League of Ireland. After all, this is a player who scored five goals in four games in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League during Dundalk’s memorable European run in 2016.
Having joined Dundalk from Sligo Rovers ahead of the 2014 season, McMillan became a key component in the most successful period in the Louth club’s history. He contributed 74 goals in 125 appearances as Stephen Kenny’s side won three consecutive Premier Division titles, one FAI Cup and two EA Sports Cups, as well as becoming the first Irish club to taste success in the group stages of a European competition.
“They were four amazing years,” he says. “Even from speaking to people over here, they wonder how a team like Dundalk managed to achieve that — getting into the group stages in Europe. St Johnstone went out in the first round of the Europa League qualifiers this season, so it’s no mean achievement to have done what we did there.
McMillan celebrates with John Mountney and Daryl Horgan after scoring against BATE Borisov. David Maher
David Maher
“It was incredible, but also how well we actually did in the group stages. We ended up being very disappointed that we didn’t get through the group, which is remarkable really. It was an amazing time in my career, which is what made the decision to leave so difficult. But I suppose you have to look forward as a footballer and hopefully I can achieve some special things with St Johnstone as well.”
McMillan’s transfer to Scotland adds further substance to a seemingly growing consensus, which suggests that using the League of Ireland as a means of earning first-team experience before moving abroad is a more preferable route than leaving home as a novice teenager.
Last January alone, 29-year-old McMillan — who had never previously played with a club in the UK — was one of nine players who secured a cross-channel move from the League of Ireland. With the exception of a semester spent in Australia relating to the masters degree in architecture he obtained from University College Dublin, McMillan had plied his footballing trade domestically since 2008.
“It’s an age thing as much as anything else,” he says. “If you move across the water at 17 or 18, and you’re getting first-team opportunities at that stage, that’s fantastic and I don’t see any problem with that. But I think if you’re very young and you’re going over into the unknown with no guarantees, leaving family and friends and trying to settle in an unfamiliar place, that can’t be easy.
“I’m 29, I’ve experienced living away from home before and I’ve travelled a lot, so it’s much easier at my age to settle in. I also have realistic expectations of playing first-team football, which is a massive factor too. For me, getting first-team experience at UCD at 19 or 20 was huge. I didn’t have the opportunities to go over to the UK at a young age, but if I had I think I would have found it really difficult.
“It’s different for everybody, it depends on your level when you’re a teenager, but certainly from my experience our league in Ireland is a perfect platform for young players to get first-team experience before coming over here. It certainly gives you the experience coming over to make you ready to go straight into first-team football at whatever age it may be.”
Another advantage for players who extend their stay at home is the opportunity to further their education, which can prove beneficial for life after football. Even during his time at Dundalk, McMillan continued to work part-time with an architectural practice in Dublin.
McMillan made his League of Ireland debut with UCD back in 2008. INPHO / James Crombie
INPHO / James Crombie / James Crombie
“It’ll make things a bit easier when I do have to call time on my career,” he explains. “It gives me something to fall back on. It’s something I’ll try and keep going even while I’m here. I obviously have plenty of time on my hands in between training and stuff like that.
“It’s something I enjoy doing, even though it might not be for everybody. A lot of guys go into coaching, which is also something I’d look at myself, but having something else certainly helps. If I didn’t have something to fall back on, I might have questioned my decision to come here. To have that behind me is very helpful.”
McMillan isn’t drawing up plans to succeed Dermot Bannon just yet, however. He may have been a latecomer to the UK, but there are still several years left in his career as a professional footballer. The three-time League of Ireland Premier Division Player of the Month would like to think that the best is yet to come.
A hard-working and clinical striker who reads the game intelligently, McMillan certainly has the attributes to prosper in the Scottish Premiership. Nevertheless, in spite of the inclusion of Shamrock Rovers attacker Graham Burke in the latest Republic of Ireland squad, international recognition isn’t at the forefront of his thoughts.
“To be honest, not really,” McMillan says. “People asked me that when I signed and I pointed to strikers who have already done very well in this league — the likes of Adam Rooney who has scored a lot of goals here but hasn’t really gotten any recognition.
“For me, the focus is on continuing to settle in here, winning a regular place in the team and scoring goals. Whatever comes with that will be great, but I wouldn’t be looking any further than that.”
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'Even people over here wonder how a team like Dundalk managed to achieve that'
WHILE HIS PEERS will welcome the conclusion of the current season when it arrives this afternoon, the beginning of the next one can’t come quickly enough for David McMillan.
The Irish striker will aim to score for the third game in succession as he makes his fourth appearance for St Johnstone against a Ross County side battling to avoid relegation.
He’ll enjoy his summer break, which will include a trip home to Dublin, but having just returned from a three-month injury absence, McMillan’s campaign is ending sooner than he’d like. On the other hand, he’s just glad to have made it back before the summer recess.
“I’ve settled in very well in Scotland,” he says. “The injury aside, things have been really good since I came over.”
McMillan joined St Johnstone in January after four successful seasons at Dundalk. However, his plans to make an immediate impact in the Scottish Premiership were scuppered when he was injured on his debut in a collision with Partick Thistle goalkeeper Tomas Cerny.
“I fell quite awkwardly, kind of doing the splits with one leg,” McMillan explains. “I had a scan afterwards which showed a lot of bruising but also a strain in my adductor beside my hamstring.
“It was thought that it might only keep me out for four-to-six weeks, but six weeks later I was still having a bit of trouble. I had another scan then which showed a tear in a tendon in my hamstring, so that was what kept me out for a bit longer than I expected.”
The timing of the injury was unfortunate for McMillan, who was understandably eager to hit the ground running for his new employers. Instead he endured a few months of recovery and rehabilitation which makes for a lonely existence for a footballer, particularly one attempting to integrate into a new group.
“When I thought it was going to be six weeks initially I sort of had a target in mind to be back for a certain game,” he says. “When things aren’t healing properly and you’re missing those deadlines it just adds to your frustration. That becomes very difficult.
“Had the injury come a year into my time here it probably would have been easier to deal with. I wanted to make an impression as soon as I possibly could after coming over here, but within the first week or two I ended up being stuck in the physio room for what turned out to be nearly three months.
“The only upside was that I got to see the team play quite regularly. Watching from the stand, I was able to get to grips with how they played and what different players were like.”
A frustrating lay-off finally ended for McMillan last Saturday as he set about making up for lost time. Fifteen minutes after being sprung from the bench against Motherwell, he scored his first St Johnstone goal in a 5-1 victory. He found the net again in Tuesday’s 2-1 win against Hamilton Academical, giving Tommy Wright’s side the lead from a penalty.
“It’s been fantastic to be back,” McMillan says. “I think we were 4-0 up against Motherwell so it was the perfect kind of time to come back in. It was a good opportunity to try and nick a goal. I felt I played quite well and it was good the get the monkey of the first goal off the back.
“I felt comfortable going into the midweek game against Hamilton and thankfully I was able to score again. It’s been a really good start, especially as there were times when I thought I wouldn’t get back before the end of the season. That just sets me up nicely for pre-season and next season as a whole, which I can’t wait for.”
He adds: “I’m looking forward to going to Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Hearts; all those grounds will be exciting. Obviously with Steven Gerrard taking over as manager at Rangers it has heightened the coverage and brought a lot of excitement and attention, which can only be good for the league here.”
That McMillan has struck goalscoring form in Scotland so swiftly won’t come as much of a surprise to followers of the League of Ireland. After all, this is a player who scored five goals in four games in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League during Dundalk’s memorable European run in 2016.
Having joined Dundalk from Sligo Rovers ahead of the 2014 season, McMillan became a key component in the most successful period in the Louth club’s history. He contributed 74 goals in 125 appearances as Stephen Kenny’s side won three consecutive Premier Division titles, one FAI Cup and two EA Sports Cups, as well as becoming the first Irish club to taste success in the group stages of a European competition.
“They were four amazing years,” he says. “Even from speaking to people over here, they wonder how a team like Dundalk managed to achieve that — getting into the group stages in Europe. St Johnstone went out in the first round of the Europa League qualifiers this season, so it’s no mean achievement to have done what we did there.
“It was incredible, but also how well we actually did in the group stages. We ended up being very disappointed that we didn’t get through the group, which is remarkable really. It was an amazing time in my career, which is what made the decision to leave so difficult. But I suppose you have to look forward as a footballer and hopefully I can achieve some special things with St Johnstone as well.”
McMillan’s transfer to Scotland adds further substance to a seemingly growing consensus, which suggests that using the League of Ireland as a means of earning first-team experience before moving abroad is a more preferable route than leaving home as a novice teenager.
Last January alone, 29-year-old McMillan — who had never previously played with a club in the UK — was one of nine players who secured a cross-channel move from the League of Ireland. With the exception of a semester spent in Australia relating to the masters degree in architecture he obtained from University College Dublin, McMillan had plied his footballing trade domestically since 2008.
“It’s an age thing as much as anything else,” he says. “If you move across the water at 17 or 18, and you’re getting first-team opportunities at that stage, that’s fantastic and I don’t see any problem with that. But I think if you’re very young and you’re going over into the unknown with no guarantees, leaving family and friends and trying to settle in an unfamiliar place, that can’t be easy.
“I’m 29, I’ve experienced living away from home before and I’ve travelled a lot, so it’s much easier at my age to settle in. I also have realistic expectations of playing first-team football, which is a massive factor too. For me, getting first-team experience at UCD at 19 or 20 was huge. I didn’t have the opportunities to go over to the UK at a young age, but if I had I think I would have found it really difficult.
“It’s different for everybody, it depends on your level when you’re a teenager, but certainly from my experience our league in Ireland is a perfect platform for young players to get first-team experience before coming over here. It certainly gives you the experience coming over to make you ready to go straight into first-team football at whatever age it may be.”
Another advantage for players who extend their stay at home is the opportunity to further their education, which can prove beneficial for life after football. Even during his time at Dundalk, McMillan continued to work part-time with an architectural practice in Dublin.
“It’ll make things a bit easier when I do have to call time on my career,” he explains. “It gives me something to fall back on. It’s something I’ll try and keep going even while I’m here. I obviously have plenty of time on my hands in between training and stuff like that.
“It’s something I enjoy doing, even though it might not be for everybody. A lot of guys go into coaching, which is also something I’d look at myself, but having something else certainly helps. If I didn’t have something to fall back on, I might have questioned my decision to come here. To have that behind me is very helpful.”
McMillan isn’t drawing up plans to succeed Dermot Bannon just yet, however. He may have been a latecomer to the UK, but there are still several years left in his career as a professional footballer. The three-time League of Ireland Premier Division Player of the Month would like to think that the best is yet to come.
A hard-working and clinical striker who reads the game intelligently, McMillan certainly has the attributes to prosper in the Scottish Premiership. Nevertheless, in spite of the inclusion of Shamrock Rovers attacker Graham Burke in the latest Republic of Ireland squad, international recognition isn’t at the forefront of his thoughts.
“To be honest, not really,” McMillan says. “People asked me that when I signed and I pointed to strikers who have already done very well in this league — the likes of Adam Rooney who has scored a lot of goals here but hasn’t really gotten any recognition.
“For me, the focus is on continuing to settle in here, winning a regular place in the team and scoring goals. Whatever comes with that will be great, but I wouldn’t be looking any further than that.”
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a design for life David McMillan League of Ireland LOI ST JOHNSTONE Dundalk