What do you make of the new sponsorship with Mr Green?
It’s great for the club and I’m sure it will be a success. Bohemians is one of the biggest clubs in Ireland and I’m sure that’s why Mr Green got on board.
The lads will be delighted with the green boots too. It’s going to be a bit weird when all of us are wearing them on the pitch and I’m sure we’ll get a bit of slagging but the lads won’t mind getting free boots.
Will there be slagging from fans about the fact that you will be wearing green, which is the colour of your rivals Shamrock Rovers?
Not really, it’s irrelevant really. The boots will get dirty anyway and it will be all the one!
You’re back at Bohemians for a second spell. Was coming back always something you had in mind?
It’s just the way it happened. There are no long-term contracts anymore and no one is guaranteed deals now. You’re going on a year-to-year basis and you don’t know where you’re going to be.
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It was hard to leave Bray because I had two good seasons there and Devo (Pat Devlin) took a chance on me when nobody else did.
Owen took over at Bohs and he is a very good friend of mine. He said he wanted a goalscorer and asked me to come on board. Hopefully we can be a success and I want to do a job for him this year because he’s a friend and I don’t want to let him down.
Owen went into management last year but is it something you would look at doing when you retire?
Well I’ve just finished my B Licence and passed it so the next step is the A Licence and then there’s just one ahead of that. Before I didn’t really look at the prospect of coaching because I don’t know whether I’d have the confidence to do it but I did it this year and really enjoyed it.
It’s a whole different side of football and I didn’t think I’d enjoy it but I did and it’s something I do want to do in the future. That will be the next step after I finish.
Do you think you and Owen would make a good double act?
Yeah, it could be good in years to come. Obviously I have to finish off my badges but the both of us have a wealth of knowledge that we can pass on to the younger lads to help bring them along.
That’s down the road because I’m just looking forward to playing this year, scoring a few more goals and getting closer to that record.
Heary and Byrne during their spell together at Bohemians. Credit: INPHO/James Crombie
You’re getting closer to that record all the time (28 off the 235 goals). Have you set yourself any targets this year to narrow the gap on Brendan Bradley’s record?
I used to set myself a target of 20 goals a year but it has been decreasing in recent years and it’s probably down to 15 now. The last two season I reached the 15 and Owen brought me here to score goals because one of the things they were lacking last year was goals.
They created a lot of chances but it wouldn’t go in the back of the net. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t get 15-20 goals this season. That will be my target and if I do get that I’ll have to stay on for another year because I’ll only have 13 more to catch the record.
You’ll have a young team around you. What will they offer?
We’ve got good quality wingers with the likes of Karl Moore and Paddy Kavanagh. There a some good young lads with a lot of energy like Bucko (Keith Buckley) who will run a lot.
You won’t see me running the channels as Owen just wants me to stay in the box and when the ball comes to me my job is to score the goals.
'If I get 15 goals this season, I'll have to stay on for another year' - Jason Byrne
What do you make of the new sponsorship with Mr Green?
It’s great for the club and I’m sure it will be a success. Bohemians is one of the biggest clubs in Ireland and I’m sure that’s why Mr Green got on board.
The lads will be delighted with the green boots too. It’s going to be a bit weird when all of us are wearing them on the pitch and I’m sure we’ll get a bit of slagging but the lads won’t mind getting free boots.
Will there be slagging from fans about the fact that you will be wearing green, which is the colour of your rivals Shamrock Rovers?
Not really, it’s irrelevant really. The boots will get dirty anyway and it will be all the one!
You’re back at Bohemians for a second spell. Was coming back always something you had in mind?
It’s just the way it happened. There are no long-term contracts anymore and no one is guaranteed deals now. You’re going on a year-to-year basis and you don’t know where you’re going to be.
It was hard to leave Bray because I had two good seasons there and Devo (Pat Devlin) took a chance on me when nobody else did.
Owen took over at Bohs and he is a very good friend of mine. He said he wanted a goalscorer and asked me to come on board. Hopefully we can be a success and I want to do a job for him this year because he’s a friend and I don’t want to let him down.
Owen went into management last year but is it something you would look at doing when you retire?
Well I’ve just finished my B Licence and passed it so the next step is the A Licence and then there’s just one ahead of that. Before I didn’t really look at the prospect of coaching because I don’t know whether I’d have the confidence to do it but I did it this year and really enjoyed it.
It’s a whole different side of football and I didn’t think I’d enjoy it but I did and it’s something I do want to do in the future. That will be the next step after I finish.
Do you think you and Owen would make a good double act?
Yeah, it could be good in years to come. Obviously I have to finish off my badges but the both of us have a wealth of knowledge that we can pass on to the younger lads to help bring them along.
That’s down the road because I’m just looking forward to playing this year, scoring a few more goals and getting closer to that record.
Heary and Byrne during their spell together at Bohemians. Credit: INPHO/James Crombie
You’re getting closer to that record all the time (28 off the 235 goals). Have you set yourself any targets this year to narrow the gap on Brendan Bradley’s record?
I used to set myself a target of 20 goals a year but it has been decreasing in recent years and it’s probably down to 15 now. The last two season I reached the 15 and Owen brought me here to score goals because one of the things they were lacking last year was goals.
They created a lot of chances but it wouldn’t go in the back of the net. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t get 15-20 goals this season. That will be my target and if I do get that I’ll have to stay on for another year because I’ll only have 13 more to catch the record.
You’ll have a young team around you. What will they offer?
We’ve got good quality wingers with the likes of Karl Moore and Paddy Kavanagh. There a some good young lads with a lot of energy like Bucko (Keith Buckley) who will run a lot.
You won’t see me running the channels as Owen just wants me to stay in the box and when the ball comes to me my job is to score the goals.
New sponsorship deal provides entire Bohemians squad with free green boots
Heary hoping old heads Byrne and Price can pass on league-winning experience
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Bohemians Bohs Brendan Bradley Jason Byrne League of Ireland LOI