HIS FORM HAS been rewarded with a first senior international call-up but Conor Hourihane says there’s plenty he still wants to achieve, with the Corkman insisting that his inclusion in the Republic of Ireland squad is merely “another step” along the road to where he wants to go in his career.
Having picked up the Player of the Month award for August in the English Championship, the Barnsley captain was named in the Irish squad on Friday when manager Martin O’Neill announced his panel of players for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Moldova.
“It’s fantastic. It’s something that I’ve been working towards for a long time. Being a proud Irishman it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, so it’s nice to get the call-up,” the 25-year-old midfielder told Barnsley’s official website over the weekend.
“It’s been a long road, there have been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of hard work — it’s paying off slowly but surely, but there is still a lot of hard work to do, still a lot of places that I want to go, so it’s just another good step in the right direction.”
Hourihane had been tipped for a call-up following his impressive performances for the Oakwell outfit, and the good news came 24 hours before O’Neill released his squad.
“It was Martin who broke the news to me,” Hourihane explained. “He phoned me [on Thursday] afternoon and had a word with me and we had a chat for five minutes, so for him to take the time out to let me know was nice.”
Hourihane is also enthused by the prospect of working with Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane again. Keane brought Hourihane to both Sunderland and Ipswich Town during his time in charge at the Stadium of Light and then Portman Road.
Hourihane, who joined Barnsley in 2014 after three seasons at Plymouth Argyle, said: “I’ve known him down the years. He signed me for two clubs and he drops me a text every now and again.
“He’s a fellow Corkman and you look after your own when you’re in a new country over here in England. I’ve always looked up to him; he’s been my hero ever since I was young. It’ll be nice to see him again and hopefully learn more things from him.”
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