THERE’S A SENSE of nervous excitement about Aaron Kernan as he prepares to embark on this new challenge.
Excitement because he’s about to experience life at a Premier League club, something he may have thought was a possibility when he played a trial game for Tottenham Hotspur, or when he was in the academy at Dundalk FC.
But there could be nerves too. It’s often said that top GAA players work just as hard as professional footballers. A new TV documentary that Kernan will feature in may well reveal if that’s the case.
We’ll certainly be watching. We’re sure Stephen Hunt will too. Kernan feels like he’ll be flying the flag for GAA players when he departs for England tomorrow to spend a week training with Sunderland AFC.
Aaron Kernan of Crossmaglen Rangers and - for one week only - Sunderland. Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE
Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
“I’m excited by it because I know the condition that everyone else is in and I know what I’ve put in this last ten years to GAA,” said Kernan. “I hope that I go over and give a good reflection of ourselves.”
‘The Toughest Trade’, which is to air on TV3 on 9 March, will see the former Armagh defender join the set-up at Sunderland, while ex-England international midfielder David Bentley will take Kernan’s place at Crossmaglen Rangers.
Bentley arrived in Crossmaglen on Monday and trained with the club that evening. But his commitments don’t stop there. The former Arsenal and Blackburn player, who’s in town for the week, is also working for Kernan’s property lettings company.
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Yesterday was his first day on the job – ”Unfortunately he was late for work… which probably wasn’t a surprise,” said Kernan — and tonight Bentley will line out for Crossmaglen in a challenge match against local rivals Silverbridge Harps.
Corner-forward is probably where he’ll be deployed, Kernan said: “I can’t see him coming in as a corner-back anyway. With his finishing in soccer I’d say he’ll probably end up playing up front.
“I think he came through it [training] really well and he enjoyed the camaraderie with all the boys. There is great excitement around town with his arrival, within the players themselves as well. He was up at the pitch early and took part in the warm-up, just did everything like everyone else in the group was doing.
“They said he came straight into the changing room, walked around and shook everybody’s hand. The bit of slagging started straight away. We have a few Arsenal supporters, we have one Tottenham supporter – one token Tottenham supporter.
“He’s based in the hotel in the centre of the square in town. He was even seen out walking about the town by himself, going around the streets, taking the whole thing in.
“So in fairness to him, he’s really bought into it and is trying to immerse himself into life in Crossmaglen, which is obviously going to be completely different to anything he has ever experienced before.”
Kernan says Bentley is unlikely to be aware of the history of Crossmaglen, but it’s a sign of the times that an Englishman pulling on the black-and-amber stripes of the six-time All-Ireland champions isn’t a thorny issue. It wouldn’t always have been that way.
“It’s changed times, too,” said Kernan. “It might not have been great for an Englishman walking around the streets 20 years ago, but we have moved on well from that.
“And the most pleasing thing from our point of view is the excitement it has created in him coming, and from a town and a locality point of view, we want to show the best of what Crossmaglen has to offer and how warm and welcoming we can be as a parish. That has been brilliant so far, the excitement around the town and the club to have him there.”
Bentley receiving instructions from Fabio Capello while playing for England in 2008. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Aaron Kernan was a promising soccer player as a youngster, so he might not be completely out of his depth when he trains with Sunderland for the first time tomorrow.
And although the 31-year-old has played his last game of inter-county football for Armagh, he’s stayed fit by continuing to represent Crossmaglen and playing rugby with Dundalk RFC.
He said: “It’s a case of see how I get on and how I adapt to the life of a professional soccer player. Couple of sessions a day, just as they do. For me it’s really exciting because from a GAA point of view, it’s well-documented how much we train and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
“I’d always have liked to have seen how I’d test up against a professional player. I feel we’re an extremely high standard of fitness and conditioning, so this will tell. I could get my comeuppance this weekend!
“It’s going to be totally different to Gaelic. The ball is going to be coming at high speed on the ground. Brian Mallon, who would have played for Armagh and was a very good underage soccer player, reckons my second touch will be a tackle!”
‘The Toughest Trade’ will air on TV3 on Monday, 9 March, at 10pm. The documentary will also be available to watch afterwards on the AIB YouTube channel.
'It might not have been great for an Englishman walking around the streets 20 years ago'
THERE’S A SENSE of nervous excitement about Aaron Kernan as he prepares to embark on this new challenge.
Excitement because he’s about to experience life at a Premier League club, something he may have thought was a possibility when he played a trial game for Tottenham Hotspur, or when he was in the academy at Dundalk FC.
But there could be nerves too. It’s often said that top GAA players work just as hard as professional footballers. A new TV documentary that Kernan will feature in may well reveal if that’s the case.
We’ll certainly be watching. We’re sure Stephen Hunt will too. Kernan feels like he’ll be flying the flag for GAA players when he departs for England tomorrow to spend a week training with Sunderland AFC.
“I’m excited by it because I know the condition that everyone else is in and I know what I’ve put in this last ten years to GAA,” said Kernan. “I hope that I go over and give a good reflection of ourselves.”
‘The Toughest Trade’, which is to air on TV3 on 9 March, will see the former Armagh defender join the set-up at Sunderland, while ex-England international midfielder David Bentley will take Kernan’s place at Crossmaglen Rangers.
Bentley arrived in Crossmaglen on Monday and trained with the club that evening. But his commitments don’t stop there. The former Arsenal and Blackburn player, who’s in town for the week, is also working for Kernan’s property lettings company.
Yesterday was his first day on the job – ”Unfortunately he was late for work… which probably wasn’t a surprise,” said Kernan — and tonight Bentley will line out for Crossmaglen in a challenge match against local rivals Silverbridge Harps.
Corner-forward is probably where he’ll be deployed, Kernan said: “I can’t see him coming in as a corner-back anyway. With his finishing in soccer I’d say he’ll probably end up playing up front.
“I think he came through it [training] really well and he enjoyed the camaraderie with all the boys. There is great excitement around town with his arrival, within the players themselves as well. He was up at the pitch early and took part in the warm-up, just did everything like everyone else in the group was doing.
“They said he came straight into the changing room, walked around and shook everybody’s hand. The bit of slagging started straight away. We have a few Arsenal supporters, we have one Tottenham supporter – one token Tottenham supporter.
“He’s based in the hotel in the centre of the square in town. He was even seen out walking about the town by himself, going around the streets, taking the whole thing in.
“So in fairness to him, he’s really bought into it and is trying to immerse himself into life in Crossmaglen, which is obviously going to be completely different to anything he has ever experienced before.”
Kernan says Bentley is unlikely to be aware of the history of Crossmaglen, but it’s a sign of the times that an Englishman pulling on the black-and-amber stripes of the six-time All-Ireland champions isn’t a thorny issue. It wouldn’t always have been that way.
“It’s changed times, too,” said Kernan. “It might not have been great for an Englishman walking around the streets 20 years ago, but we have moved on well from that.
“And the most pleasing thing from our point of view is the excitement it has created in him coming, and from a town and a locality point of view, we want to show the best of what Crossmaglen has to offer and how warm and welcoming we can be as a parish. That has been brilliant so far, the excitement around the town and the club to have him there.”
Aaron Kernan was a promising soccer player as a youngster, so he might not be completely out of his depth when he trains with Sunderland for the first time tomorrow.
And although the 31-year-old has played his last game of inter-county football for Armagh, he’s stayed fit by continuing to represent Crossmaglen and playing rugby with Dundalk RFC.
He said: “It’s a case of see how I get on and how I adapt to the life of a professional soccer player. Couple of sessions a day, just as they do. For me it’s really exciting because from a GAA point of view, it’s well-documented how much we train and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
“I’d always have liked to have seen how I’d test up against a professional player. I feel we’re an extremely high standard of fitness and conditioning, so this will tell. I could get my comeuppance this weekend!
“It’s going to be totally different to Gaelic. The ball is going to be coming at high speed on the ground. Brian Mallon, who would have played for Armagh and was a very good underage soccer player, reckons my second touch will be a tackle!”
‘The Toughest Trade’ will air on TV3 on Monday, 9 March, at 10pm. The documentary will also be available to watch afterwards on the AIB YouTube channel.
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