MIKEY DRENNAN IS planning to rediscover the form that earned him the reputation as a prolific goalscorer at Aston Villa.
The Kilkenny native returned home in January after choosing to end his contract with the Premier League club six months early and sign for Shamrock Rovers.
That decision meant his five-year spell in the Midlands would draw to a disappointing close after it had promised so much.
Evergreen FC was the first club Drennan, who was also a talented hurler, showed enormous potential as a schoolboy footballer. By 2010, he was being tracked by a number of top clubs in England and chose to join the growing Irish contingent at Villa.
The striker really hit the ground running and the first season produced ten goals for their academy and one more in the reserves. The following year, he would make a respectable return of 5 goals from 13 appearances, but it was the 2012-2013 campaign that proved to be his most productive.
On top of the 6 goals in 11 games at U21 level, Drennan was part of the Villa team which claimed the Next Gen Series, a European competition featuring some of the continent’s top sides, alongside the fellow Irish players Jack Grealish (“a quality player and a humble lad”), Samir Carruthers and Graham Burke.
He netted six times and finished second top scorer in the tournament behind team-mate Burke — despite suffering a broken foot in the last-16 and missing the final three games.
Drennan didn’t know it at the time, but the mistreatment of that injury would keep him sidelined for the guts of a year and, ultimately, play a major role in his exit.
“The first three years at Villa were really good and I scored a lot of goals but it was all downhill after the Next Gen,” Drennan told The42.ie.
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“Myself and Graham Burke had a good partnership. We knew exactly what the other was going to do and we score a lot of goals and often set each other up. It was good to have a strong Irish base as it makes you feel more at home, especially being away at such at young age.
But my injury wasn’t treated properly and it fucked me over as I was out for ten months when I should have only been out for three.
“I was with the academy when I broke it first and they said I didn’t need an operation as I was young so it would heal. That happened in early February and I went home and took a break.
“When I came back after the summer, it still wasn’t right. I went up to the first team and they told me it should have been operated on. There was no communication there. I had to have surgery and that kept me out for another four months. Then when I was coming back a groin injury added three more to that. It was a frustrating time.”
While attempting to regain his fitness, the Ireland U21 international was sent on short-term loan moves to Carlisle United and Portsmouth but admits he was slightly overweight and still lacking sharpness due to the lay-off.
With his contract up this summer, the decision to severe ties was based on belief that he was unwanted by then manager Paul Lambert — who has since departed the club.
“I just felt it was time to leave because the manager wasn’t going to play me,” he said. “When he first came in he really liked me and wanted me in and around the team. After the injury, he just forgot about me, which wasn’t nice.”
Drennan in action for Villa. PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Eager to get back to doing what he loves best, Drennan weighed up several options on the table before agreeing to test himself in the SSE Airtricity League with the Hoops.
“I had a few choices here and in England but I knew it wouldn’t be a hard choice because Shamrock Rovers is the biggest club in Ireland while Pat is one of the best managers to ever manage here,” he says.
Life in the Premier Division has begun well. Rovers are still unbeaten after the first five games and sit joint-second with Cork City on 11 points. After coming off the bench in the first two games, Drennan has started the last three and got his first competitive goal for the club in the 2-1 win away to Sligo Rovers.
I was just happy to finally get off the mark and take that pressure off you. Hopefully they will all start flying in now as my aim is to get 15-20 goals.”
Rovers may not have an abundance of strikers but Fenlon has opted to play one up front this term meaning competition for places with Danny North and Gareth McCaffrey is fierce.
“It’s me, Danny and Gareth fighting for that spot but it is good competition to have,” Drennan explains.
“It’s the role I’ve played most in my career but I can play as one or a two because it doesn’t really bother me. I’ll play on the left, on the right or in the hole too, as long as I’m in the team I’ll be happy.”
Not long into his two-year contract, Drennan aims to make the most of the opportunity and see where it takes him.
“I’m hoping to win titles and cups, do well in Europe, score a lot of goals and then hopefully get back over to England,” he admits. “I might like it so much here that I will want to stay but my aim is to do the best I can.
“The most important thing is to work hard for the team and the goals will come.”
SSE Airtricity League Premier Division fixtures
Friday night (7.45pm unless stated)
Sligo Rovers v Bray Wanderers (5.45pm)
Cork City v Derry City
Drogheda United v Bohemian FC
Shamrock Rovers v Galway United
Limerick v Dundalk (6.45pm, Saturday)
Longford Town v St Patrick’s Athletic (7.30pm, Saturday)
Hoops new man Drennan out to prove himself after disappointing end to life at Villa
MIKEY DRENNAN IS planning to rediscover the form that earned him the reputation as a prolific goalscorer at Aston Villa.
The Kilkenny native returned home in January after choosing to end his contract with the Premier League club six months early and sign for Shamrock Rovers.
That decision meant his five-year spell in the Midlands would draw to a disappointing close after it had promised so much.
Evergreen FC was the first club Drennan, who was also a talented hurler, showed enormous potential as a schoolboy footballer. By 2010, he was being tracked by a number of top clubs in England and chose to join the growing Irish contingent at Villa.
The striker really hit the ground running and the first season produced ten goals for their academy and one more in the reserves. The following year, he would make a respectable return of 5 goals from 13 appearances, but it was the 2012-2013 campaign that proved to be his most productive.
On top of the 6 goals in 11 games at U21 level, Drennan was part of the Villa team which claimed the Next Gen Series, a European competition featuring some of the continent’s top sides, alongside the fellow Irish players Jack Grealish (“a quality player and a humble lad”), Samir Carruthers and Graham Burke.
He netted six times and finished second top scorer in the tournament behind team-mate Burke — despite suffering a broken foot in the last-16 and missing the final three games.
Drennan didn’t know it at the time, but the mistreatment of that injury would keep him sidelined for the guts of a year and, ultimately, play a major role in his exit.
“The first three years at Villa were really good and I scored a lot of goals but it was all downhill after the Next Gen,” Drennan told The42.ie.
“Myself and Graham Burke had a good partnership. We knew exactly what the other was going to do and we score a lot of goals and often set each other up. It was good to have a strong Irish base as it makes you feel more at home, especially being away at such at young age.
“I was with the academy when I broke it first and they said I didn’t need an operation as I was young so it would heal. That happened in early February and I went home and took a break.
“When I came back after the summer, it still wasn’t right. I went up to the first team and they told me it should have been operated on. There was no communication there. I had to have surgery and that kept me out for another four months. Then when I was coming back a groin injury added three more to that. It was a frustrating time.”
While attempting to regain his fitness, the Ireland U21 international was sent on short-term loan moves to Carlisle United and Portsmouth but admits he was slightly overweight and still lacking sharpness due to the lay-off.
With his contract up this summer, the decision to severe ties was based on belief that he was unwanted by then manager Paul Lambert — who has since departed the club.
“I just felt it was time to leave because the manager wasn’t going to play me,” he said. “When he first came in he really liked me and wanted me in and around the team. After the injury, he just forgot about me, which wasn’t nice.”
Eager to get back to doing what he loves best, Drennan weighed up several options on the table before agreeing to test himself in the SSE Airtricity League with the Hoops.
“I had a few choices here and in England but I knew it wouldn’t be a hard choice because Shamrock Rovers is the biggest club in Ireland while Pat is one of the best managers to ever manage here,” he says.
Life in the Premier Division has begun well. Rovers are still unbeaten after the first five games and sit joint-second with Cork City on 11 points. After coming off the bench in the first two games, Drennan has started the last three and got his first competitive goal for the club in the 2-1 win away to Sligo Rovers.
Rovers may not have an abundance of strikers but Fenlon has opted to play one up front this term meaning competition for places with Danny North and Gareth McCaffrey is fierce.
“It’s me, Danny and Gareth fighting for that spot but it is good competition to have,” Drennan explains.
“It’s the role I’ve played most in my career but I can play as one or a two because it doesn’t really bother me. I’ll play on the left, on the right or in the hole too, as long as I’m in the team I’ll be happy.”
Not long into his two-year contract, Drennan aims to make the most of the opportunity and see where it takes him.
“I’m hoping to win titles and cups, do well in Europe, score a lot of goals and then hopefully get back over to England,” he admits. “I might like it so much here that I will want to stay but my aim is to do the best I can.
“The most important thing is to work hard for the team and the goals will come.”
SSE Airtricity League Premier Division fixtures
Friday night (7.45pm unless stated)
First Division
– First published 06.30
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