THE EMOTION ETCHED on Ryan Delaney’s face was one of the prevailing images from the aftermath of Cork City’s dramatic victory over Dundalk in last November’s FAI Cup final.
After the initial euphoria that greeted Kieran Sadlier’s decisive penalty kick subsided, Delaney was overwhelmed by the significance of his year on loan with the Leesiders.
Ryan Delaney shows his emotion after the 2017 FAI Cup final. Oisin Keniry / INPHO
Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO
“I think it was just pure pride that I was feeling,” he told The42 this week, reflecting on the triumph at the Aviva Stadium that sealed the double for Cork City. “It was a bit of a rollercoaster for the previous year and a bit, so I was just very proud, especially with all my family there. It had been an incredible time for me at Cork City.”
Less than 12 months earlier, his confidence was plummeting. As a first-team breakthrough at English Championship club Burton Albion continued to elude him, the Wexford native was in danger of having his name added to a long list of young Irish footballers whose careers are irreparably damaged by encountering rejection in the UK.
Nevertheless, 2017 transpired to be the most successful season in Cork City’s history and Delaney’s defensive contribution was vital. It also laid the foundations for him to kickstart his career in England by earning a transfer to Rochdale in January.
“It’s been an intense year and a half but the adrenaline and the momentum kept me going,” he says. “I’d say I’ll feel properly tired next week when that all wears off. It feels a bit surreal to think of everything that has happened for me in the last 18 months. You don’t really get a chance to take in everything that’s going on while you’re in the middle of it. Hopefully that’ll happen for me over the summer.”
Delaney playing for Burton Albion in a pre-season friendly against Stoke City in July 2016. Clint Hughes
Clint Hughes
Between the beginning of his temporary move to Cork in January 2017 and the end of Rochdale’s season last weekend, the milestones have been occurring at a remarkable rate for the 21-year-old central defender, particularly in the context of where he was beforehand:
Premier Division, FAI Cup, President’s Cup and Munster Senior Cup winner
Four Europa League appearances
SWAI/SSE Airtricity Player of the Month for May 2017
PFAI Team of the Year 2017
Debut for Republic of Ireland U21s
Two-and-half-year contract with Rochdale
All 90 minutes in both games against Tottenham in the last 16 of the FA Cup (a 2-2 draw and a replay at Wembley)
18 appearances in total as Rochdale came from 12 points adrift of safety to avoid relegation from League One on the final day of the season
“I wouldn’t have experienced all of this if I hadn’t gone to Cork when I did,” says Delaney, who was signed by Burton Albion from Wexford Youths on a two-year deal in the summer of 2016.
However, with Burton battling to avoid relegation from the Championship — which they eventually succumbed to last weekend — for the duration of Delaney’s time on their books, blooding a young defender was a risk that manager Nigel Clough wasn’t prepared to take.
“In football, everyone is going to have different opinions,” says Delaney, a native of New Ross. “That’s something you just have to accept and get on with. You just hope that you find yourself playing under a manager who has faith in you.
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Delaney is a member of the Ireland U21 squad that's currently aiming to qualify for next year's European Championship. INPHO / Oisin Keniry
INPHO / Oisin Keniry / Oisin Keniry
“I can’t thank John Caulfield enough for the faith he showed in me in Cork. He stuck by me, which was really important for me. So were players like Alan Bennett, Johnny Dunleavy and Greg Bolger, who’s from the same town as me. They all had a massive influence on me and I’m extremely grateful to them.
“Just before I moved to Cork, I felt like my confidence was starting to go. I just got on with it when I went over [to Burton] at first, but by December I had only been on the bench a few times and it was starting to have an effect on me.
“I just needed to play some games and get some experience under my belt somewhere. I probably wasn’t looking too far ahead then, but I definitely couldn’t have imagined things going as well as they have done.
“The people at Cork City made me feel like I’d been there for years, which meant a lot. There was a huge change in me from the start to when I went back to England. Going back over after playing 40-odd games at a good level back home, I knew it would stand to me.”
After a hugely successful stint back in the League of Ireland, Delaney was reinvigorated when he returned to Burton in January. In spite of the impact he made at Cork City, it soon became clear to the Ireland U21 international that Nigel Clough’s outlook hadn’t changed.
Delaney explains: “I came back in and they weren’t doing well at the time. I kind of had it in my head when I went back over that I wanted a new challenge or a new opportunity. After the first 10 days it seemed clear to me that I wasn’t going to get that with Burton.
Delaney celebrating Cork City's Premier Division triumph last October with Alan Bennett. INPHO / Morgan Treacy
INPHO / Morgan Treacy / Morgan Treacy
“The manager told me he was going to go with more experienced players, so I said ‘fair enough’ and told him that I’d like the opportunity to leave if I could. To be fair to him, it was difficult for him to take a risk on younger players. I’m still grateful for him giving me the chance to go to England in the first place. The six months I had at Burton was a great learning curve.”
While Delaney remained contracted to Burton during his spell at Cork City, his performances for John Caulfield’s side piqued the interest of several other clubs. Among them were Rochdale, whose first-team coach — former Cork City player Brian Barry-Murphy — monitored Delaney’s progress at Turner’s Cross.
“He [Barry-Murphy] gave me a call and told me that the manager at Rochdale [Keith Hill] would be very good for me,” recalls Delaney. “He was a defender himself and he’s managed a lot of defenders who have gone on to have good careers, like Kevin Long and Craig Dawson. They thought it would be a good move for me. I suppose they were right, because it’s all been going very well so far.”
Delaney’s priority when he arrived at Rochdale was to break into the team and then play a part in improving the fortunes of the Lancashire club, who hadn’t won a League One game in over two months by the time he made his debut at the end of January. Playing at Wembley against one of the top teams in the Premier League certainly wasn’t on the agenda.
“Absolutely not,” Delaney laughs. “It’s probably a once in a lifetime chance to play against a team like Tottenham. It was a fantastic experience, especially only a year after I went to Cork. It’s amazing how quickly things can change in football.”
Delaney tangles with Tottenham's Lucas Moura. Nigel Roddis
Nigel Roddis
Rochdale, who had eliminated Championship promotion chasers Millwall in the previous round, pulled off a huge FA Cup upset by drawing 2-2 with Tottenham at home. The calibre of Mauricio Pochettino’s side eventually told in the replay 10 days later, with Spurs running out 6-1 winners at Wembley after the sides were level again at half-time.
Rubbing shoulders with players of the stature of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Fernando Llorente provided a welcome distraction, but the reality for Rochdale at the time was that they looked doomed to relegation to the bottom tier of the Football League. Keith Hill’s side were 12 points adrift of safety, but Delaney believes the FA Cup run galvanised the squad for the league run-in.
“The Tottenham games definitely brought us together a bit more,” he says. “You can’t just be an individual when you’re playing against a team of that quality. It was the same against Millwall. We all stuck together, did the job collectively and we carried that momentum into the league in the last few months.”
Rochdale gave themselves a chance on the final day of the campaign last weekend. They needed to win at home to Charlton Athletic, while also hoping that Oldham Athletic failed to get the better of Northampton Town.
After keeping their own end of the bargain with a 1-0 victory, they endured an anxious wait on the pitch at Spotland — which seemed much longer than the nine minutes it actually lasted — before news of a 2-2 draw at Sixfields finally filtered through.
Delaney: “We knew at the end of the game that we had done our job. It was a long wait to see if the Oldham result went our way. It was a weird sensation, knowing that our job was done but still not knowing if it was going to be enough. When their result came in and we knew we were staying up, it was an unbelievable feeling.”
Rochdale fans invade the pitch at Spotland after their League One status was secured. Clint Hughes / EMPICS Sport
Clint Hughes / EMPICS Sport / EMPICS Sport
After playing 67 club games in the last 18 months, Ryan Delaney returned to Wexford this week for a well-earned break which will allow him to reflect on his accomplishments.
There’s much to look forward to in his first full season at Rochdale, including an opportunity to make a point against his former club, Burton Albion, following their relegation to England’s third tier.
He certainly won’t spend the summer patting himself on the back, however. Even at the age of 21, Delaney is already aware of how volatile football can be.
“You have to keep your feet on the ground,” he says. “Things can change very quickly. Different managers can come in, injuries can happen and stuff like that. You’ve got to keep yourself level-headed.
“I’ve enjoyed things over the last while but I know there will be more challenges ahead. That’s something I have to be ready for, but it’s also something I’ll relish.”
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'It feels a bit surreal to think of everything that has happened for me in the last 18 months'
THE EMOTION ETCHED on Ryan Delaney’s face was one of the prevailing images from the aftermath of Cork City’s dramatic victory over Dundalk in last November’s FAI Cup final.
After the initial euphoria that greeted Kieran Sadlier’s decisive penalty kick subsided, Delaney was overwhelmed by the significance of his year on loan with the Leesiders.
“I think it was just pure pride that I was feeling,” he told The42 this week, reflecting on the triumph at the Aviva Stadium that sealed the double for Cork City. “It was a bit of a rollercoaster for the previous year and a bit, so I was just very proud, especially with all my family there. It had been an incredible time for me at Cork City.”
Less than 12 months earlier, his confidence was plummeting. As a first-team breakthrough at English Championship club Burton Albion continued to elude him, the Wexford native was in danger of having his name added to a long list of young Irish footballers whose careers are irreparably damaged by encountering rejection in the UK.
Nevertheless, 2017 transpired to be the most successful season in Cork City’s history and Delaney’s defensive contribution was vital. It also laid the foundations for him to kickstart his career in England by earning a transfer to Rochdale in January.
“It’s been an intense year and a half but the adrenaline and the momentum kept me going,” he says. “I’d say I’ll feel properly tired next week when that all wears off. It feels a bit surreal to think of everything that has happened for me in the last 18 months. You don’t really get a chance to take in everything that’s going on while you’re in the middle of it. Hopefully that’ll happen for me over the summer.”
Between the beginning of his temporary move to Cork in January 2017 and the end of Rochdale’s season last weekend, the milestones have been occurring at a remarkable rate for the 21-year-old central defender, particularly in the context of where he was beforehand:
“I wouldn’t have experienced all of this if I hadn’t gone to Cork when I did,” says Delaney, who was signed by Burton Albion from Wexford Youths on a two-year deal in the summer of 2016.
However, with Burton battling to avoid relegation from the Championship — which they eventually succumbed to last weekend — for the duration of Delaney’s time on their books, blooding a young defender was a risk that manager Nigel Clough wasn’t prepared to take.
“In football, everyone is going to have different opinions,” says Delaney, a native of New Ross. “That’s something you just have to accept and get on with. You just hope that you find yourself playing under a manager who has faith in you.
“I can’t thank John Caulfield enough for the faith he showed in me in Cork. He stuck by me, which was really important for me. So were players like Alan Bennett, Johnny Dunleavy and Greg Bolger, who’s from the same town as me. They all had a massive influence on me and I’m extremely grateful to them.
“Just before I moved to Cork, I felt like my confidence was starting to go. I just got on with it when I went over [to Burton] at first, but by December I had only been on the bench a few times and it was starting to have an effect on me.
“I just needed to play some games and get some experience under my belt somewhere. I probably wasn’t looking too far ahead then, but I definitely couldn’t have imagined things going as well as they have done.
“The people at Cork City made me feel like I’d been there for years, which meant a lot. There was a huge change in me from the start to when I went back to England. Going back over after playing 40-odd games at a good level back home, I knew it would stand to me.”
After a hugely successful stint back in the League of Ireland, Delaney was reinvigorated when he returned to Burton in January. In spite of the impact he made at Cork City, it soon became clear to the Ireland U21 international that Nigel Clough’s outlook hadn’t changed.
Delaney explains: “I came back in and they weren’t doing well at the time. I kind of had it in my head when I went back over that I wanted a new challenge or a new opportunity. After the first 10 days it seemed clear to me that I wasn’t going to get that with Burton.
“The manager told me he was going to go with more experienced players, so I said ‘fair enough’ and told him that I’d like the opportunity to leave if I could. To be fair to him, it was difficult for him to take a risk on younger players. I’m still grateful for him giving me the chance to go to England in the first place. The six months I had at Burton was a great learning curve.”
While Delaney remained contracted to Burton during his spell at Cork City, his performances for John Caulfield’s side piqued the interest of several other clubs. Among them were Rochdale, whose first-team coach — former Cork City player Brian Barry-Murphy — monitored Delaney’s progress at Turner’s Cross.
“He [Barry-Murphy] gave me a call and told me that the manager at Rochdale [Keith Hill] would be very good for me,” recalls Delaney. “He was a defender himself and he’s managed a lot of defenders who have gone on to have good careers, like Kevin Long and Craig Dawson. They thought it would be a good move for me. I suppose they were right, because it’s all been going very well so far.”
Delaney’s priority when he arrived at Rochdale was to break into the team and then play a part in improving the fortunes of the Lancashire club, who hadn’t won a League One game in over two months by the time he made his debut at the end of January. Playing at Wembley against one of the top teams in the Premier League certainly wasn’t on the agenda.
“Absolutely not,” Delaney laughs. “It’s probably a once in a lifetime chance to play against a team like Tottenham. It was a fantastic experience, especially only a year after I went to Cork. It’s amazing how quickly things can change in football.”
Rochdale, who had eliminated Championship promotion chasers Millwall in the previous round, pulled off a huge FA Cup upset by drawing 2-2 with Tottenham at home. The calibre of Mauricio Pochettino’s side eventually told in the replay 10 days later, with Spurs running out 6-1 winners at Wembley after the sides were level again at half-time.
Rubbing shoulders with players of the stature of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Fernando Llorente provided a welcome distraction, but the reality for Rochdale at the time was that they looked doomed to relegation to the bottom tier of the Football League. Keith Hill’s side were 12 points adrift of safety, but Delaney believes the FA Cup run galvanised the squad for the league run-in.
“The Tottenham games definitely brought us together a bit more,” he says. “You can’t just be an individual when you’re playing against a team of that quality. It was the same against Millwall. We all stuck together, did the job collectively and we carried that momentum into the league in the last few months.”
Rochdale gave themselves a chance on the final day of the campaign last weekend. They needed to win at home to Charlton Athletic, while also hoping that Oldham Athletic failed to get the better of Northampton Town.
After keeping their own end of the bargain with a 1-0 victory, they endured an anxious wait on the pitch at Spotland — which seemed much longer than the nine minutes it actually lasted — before news of a 2-2 draw at Sixfields finally filtered through.
Delaney: “We knew at the end of the game that we had done our job. It was a long wait to see if the Oldham result went our way. It was a weird sensation, knowing that our job was done but still not knowing if it was going to be enough. When their result came in and we knew we were staying up, it was an unbelievable feeling.”
After playing 67 club games in the last 18 months, Ryan Delaney returned to Wexford this week for a well-earned break which will allow him to reflect on his accomplishments.
There’s much to look forward to in his first full season at Rochdale, including an opportunity to make a point against his former club, Burton Albion, following their relegation to England’s third tier.
He certainly won’t spend the summer patting himself on the back, however. Even at the age of 21, Delaney is already aware of how volatile football can be.
“You have to keep your feet on the ground,” he says. “Things can change very quickly. Different managers can come in, injuries can happen and stuff like that. You’ve got to keep yourself level-headed.
“I’ve enjoyed things over the last while but I know there will be more challenges ahead. That’s something I have to be ready for, but it’s also something I’ll relish.”
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Lancashire hot shot League of Ireland LOI Ryan Delaney Rochdale