PATRICK HICKEY OF GALWAY United has been named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for August having helped keep the Tribesmen in the hunt for European qualification.
August was an unbeaten month in the Premier Division for John Caulfield’s team with Galway earning an away win over Dundalk to start the month and a superb home victory over Derry City to end it.
In between, they drew with Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght Stadium and took a point from their clash with in-form St Patrick’s Athletic at Eamonn Deacy Park. A penalty shootout defeat to Shelbourne in the FAI Cup was the only blot in any otherwise impressive period.
The 6’ 6″ midfielder played a vital role for Galway in August – scoring two goals; the winner against Derry and a fine strike to hand his team the lead against the champions.
While his goal against the Candystripes was an instinctive close range finish, his effort against Rovers was a true strike that flew into the bottom corner of Leon Pohls’ goal.
Having moved to Ireland after a spell in the Spanish lower leagues, the versatile player impressed with Athlone Town before moving west.
Hickey won the vote of SWI members, beating the impressive St Patrick’s Athletic pair Jake Mulraney and Zack Elbouzedi into second and third respectively.
The Chicago-born player follows teammates Stephen Walsh and Brendan Clarke in receiving nominations this season. Hickey becomes the 12th Galway United player in the 53-year history of the award to claim the prize.
He is also just the second American to win it, following Sligo Rovers goalkeeper Nicky Broujos in February 1998.
Speaking after receiving his award, he said, “It was a bit of shock. I was thrilled to be nominated.
“I didn’t really think I’d have a chance of winning it because some of the players on the list are brilliant footballers who have done incredible things. It was a great feeling and then to find out I won was even more special.”
“It was good timing. My sister has just started her Masters degree here at the University of Galway and my parents came over to help her settle in. They were over from America at the time. We were going out to eat and John Caulfield called me to tell me I’d won. I got in the car and said I won Player of the Month. My dad started screaming!
“It was special, it was awesome. It was great that they were here with me, rather than over a phone call.”
On playing the best football of his career with Galway, Hickey added, “I’ve noticed a lot of development in myself over the last three or four years. I’ve gotten significantly better as a player. Playing in Spain, you learn different things and then I came to Ireland for a new experience.
“It is a different type of league entirely. It took me time to adapt and now that I have, it’s reflected in my play and my output.”
The six-man shortlist for August’s Player of the Month award was made up of Drogheda United left back Conor Kane, UCD striker Mikey Raggett and Dylan Watts of Shamrock Rovers.
It needs to be banned immediately. Nash has opened up a can of worms here the GAA don’t seem prepared to deal with. TJ has already joined the party and the rumour is that Tony Kelly has been getting the ball almost into the 6 yard box at trainings down in Clare.
It’s extremely dangerous and anybody arguing otherwise almost certainly hasn’t played in goal or across the full back line. It had better not take sterilised full back or a collapsed throat to get this fixed.
Are u from Clare or something ?? Helmets are already there !! Does this mean u can’t shoot inside the box ?? Other players have been doing it for years and its just because Nash can hit them perfectly people are complaining.
I’m from Dublin, word has it Clare are going to be doing this even worse this year, and Kilkenny and Cork. I’m Sure the Dubs and Tipp and Galway are all lining up someone for it as well. I explained in another post how it’s distinctly different to open field play as the backs and goalkeepers movement and positioning is restricted.
Why don’t we just let them hoist the ball into the box and smack it 2 inches from peoples faces. There has to be a limit, the helmet wont stop broken rib and ruptured testicles. Players need to be given reasonable capacity to protect themselves. That can either take the form of a restricted carry distance or allowing them to rush the striker
It’s one of the most unique and exciting aspects of hurling.. if there are safety issues re players necks, there is nothing stopping neck guards being kept behind the goal, like face-masks are kept for short corners in field hockey.. clip them onto helmets like with ice hockey helmets.
So neck guards and cups for crotch protection. Should they just strap on full body armour to stand in goal? We got by fine for decades but one breach of the honour code has opened up the floodgates on this.
Honour code?.. it’s been done for decades.. DJ Carey was particularly adept at it.. plus penalty takers know there’s a risk of over carrying.. like Nash’s botched drop-shot effort in the final last year.. next up will be a ban on any form of point blank shooting.
It was never to this extent. The issue is that it forces the goal keeper and defenders into the most dangerous possible position on the hurling field, middle distance. In open play point blank shooting is grand because goal keepers and defenders have the opportunity to get into one of several safe positions, behind the man to hook, in close to block, out of the way altogether or far enough away that you can read the flight of the ball and block or dodge. It’s also not possible to get the same kind of power on a shot from open play as from a penalty.
But with these shots you’re too close to dodge or reasonably attempt to protect yourself but you’re not allowed move up to block. The rules force you to be in a position no player would get themselves in in open play because it’s dangerous. If they’re not going to stop the carry then they need to let the keeper and backs rush the striker
What nonsense, I’m surprised at Ger. Bearing in mind you can strike the ball even harder from the hand, does this mean you won’t be allow to shoot inside the box during open play either?
Declan Ryan tipperary and clonoulty-rossmore and former tipp manager was the man who invented the style, it’s a great skill and a penalty is a penalty, Ciaran there would want to cop himself on there and keep his bullshit to himself. That is all