Where are they now? Tommy McCallion

FORMER Coleraine captain Tommy McCallion is the latest player to talk about his time in the Blue and White Stripes…

The L/Derry man came through the ranks at the club, before making his debut under the management of Felix Healy against Lisburn Distillery in November 1993.

Tommy would depart The Showgrounds for a spell at his boyhood heroes Derry City, but would return a year later to score 15 goals and pick up numerous awards for the Bannsiders under Kenny Shiels. Those performances caught the eye of Marty Quinn and Cliftonville as Tommy would spend three years at Cliftonville before returning for a two-year stint at The Brandywell. A trophy-laden spell at Glentoran would soon follow prior to re-joining Coleraine in 2006.

Across three spells on the Ballycastle Road, McCallion made a total of 242 appearances, scoring 26 times in the process.

Tommy would finish his career at Newry City but revealed to Jonathan McNabb that he is no longer involved in football and explained his thoughts about his career.

Q1. Tommy you worked your way through to the first-team at Coleraine – how much do you owe Felix Healy for giving you your breakthrough?

For any young player coming through a club there needs to be a lot of support and guidance to make that jump.

I was a very fortunate young player. I first came to Coleraine when I was just 13 years of age alongside my older brother Sean. Iam McFaul was manager and rather than discourage me being around the club they seemed to enjoy me being around and often had me in and around the first team training. Not sure I realised how fortunate I was but I guess that’s youth for you and in particular there was Bertie Peacock, George Christie and Victor Hunter, who all knew my dad, and each of them spent time with me, helping me settle and being part of the club.

I had a taste very early of being in and around the club and I knew it set the tone for what I always set out to be and that was to be a first team player. After Iam, Billy Sinclair and Eric Bowyer came to Coleraine, fortunately they kept me around the first team, I would be involved in all pre season training and managed to play some first team games during pre-season.

Next up was Colin O’Neil and to be honest he set an energy and professionalism that rubbed off on me and many others around the club. He unfortunately parted with the club too soon and next in was Felix. He quickly gave me my debut and I remained in the team for that season and for that I’m always thankful but the journey was in the main thanks to all those in and around the club that had helped me from that young boy from Derry and who had put their arm around me and guided me towards the first team. They are people I will truly always be thankful and remember and with special mention to Victor Hunter and his family for always being there in the early days.

Q2. You left to join Derry City for a single season before returning back to The Showgrounds – why do you think that spell didn’t work out despite scoring so many goals?

Many, many players will tell you it’s their dream to play for their home town club, and that is how it should be. I was no different. I wasn’t enjoying my football and even my training with Coleraine at the time for various reasons and Felix approached me to join Derry.

I went on to score a hat trick in my home debut, win player of the month for the league and as a young player of 18-19 you think your invincible. Unfortunately you’re not and perhaps able to cope with that expectation and pressure is not easy in an environment as Derry back then. Did I see that then? No. But with hindsight and maturing I look back and realise that although it didn’t work out and with a lack of guidance within the club I drifted and questioned whether I wanted to keep playing.

This may surprise many but football when it’s negative can leave young players feeling like this and that’s when you need a manager and senior players to help you get through and understand that. As we get older we look back on those periods and rather than see it as not working out we learn the valuable lessons that later guide you as a player and more importantly as a person. I returned shortly after to Coleraine and enjoyed one of my most successful seasons ever under Kenny Shiels. I was fortunate to be club top goalscorer and picked up every player of the year awards in that season but as so often happens in football for whatever reasons the manager was prepared to let me go to Cliftonville and I found myself up the road with Marty Quinn for the start of a three year adventure at Solitude.

Q3. A spell with Cliftonville would soon follow – how did Marty Quinn sell the club to you? How would you describe your time in North Belfast?

As many people in and around Coleraine will tell you Marty Quinn is persuasive, motivated and highly impressionable. He lives and breathes football and has a passion that makes you want to play football and this is why he is still regarded as one of the most successful Cliftonville and Coleraine managers of all time.

Marty values the shirt and ethos of the clubs he is at. He demands hard work and loyalty and I guess that stuck with me. I knew very few people at the time at Cliftonville and there was moments were I wondered if I made the right decision but quite soon I learned how special a club Cliftonville is, how special their fans are and how lucky I was to represent them.

Sadly for me Marty left for Coleraine but I remained a further two seasons and enjoyed possibly one of the best spells of my career playing under Laurence Stitt and Mal Donaghey. I have nothing but praise for Cliftonville and I look back so fondly at my time there.

Q4. After a second stint with Derry City you made the jump to Glentoran which was extremely successful in terms of trophies?

Roy Coyle was keen to sign me to The Oval and it was a deal easily made. As a kid growing up you always knew about how big a club Glentoran was and what they stood for. Like so many times in my career I look back and realise how l was a young boy from Derry chosen to play for the biggest team in Belfast and to play for them in Europe and Cup finals.

To win a League and various Cups and to build friendships that have lasted still, Glentoran will always hold a special place for me and I enjoy to this day meeting up with former players and putting on the Glentoran club colours again in charity matches.

Q5. You made a third return to the Bannsiders under Marty Quinn – what was the reasons behind this? How would you sum up your time at the club in general?

As I look back on my career I feel blessed that I was able to return to Coleraine and enjoy such a wonderful period of my playing career. Coleraine had always been my club and for whatever reasons I always felt I had more to give them.

My relationship with Marty was such that he encouraged me to help develop the younger players on the training field and in the dressing room. A growing crop of young players were becoming part of a new look Coleriane team and as Captain he demanded that I help to positively influence them.

Kyle McVey, Johnny Watt, Darren Boyce, John Neill and Darren Cassidy were all emerging and that first season we were able to raise the expectations and ambitions of the club that for years previous had faced troubled times. The next year we built on that success with the club moving further up the league table and disappointingly losing to Linfield in an Irish Cup final. It was sad to see Marty leave at that time and I was able to remain one more season under new manager Davy Platt.

That really signalled the end of my playing career, and true, possibly too early, but once I left Coleraine this time I felt that I didn’t want to play much more and that disappointment of leaving saw me sign for Newry for 6 months but I know on reflection it was the end of my time playing.

I was sad and angry being honest to leave at that time and felt I had so much more to give to the club in general but as so often it happens in football as we get older our value is not always seen. It took me a long time to get over that but with time you realise it is just one of those things. You realise that you should reflect on the good times and appreciate the opportunities given and the good people and times that I got to enjoy.

At Coleraine I was luckier than most and can think back to my early days getting the train from Derry to Coleraine to play for Killowen in the morning and then travel with the youth team in the afternoon, to later captaining the club and genuinely getting to know so many good football people.

Football goes in very quick and when we take a moment to reflect we remember the good and the lessons we are taught. For that I am extremely thankful.

Q6. Are you currently involved with football in any capacity? What’s your opinions on the standard of Irish League football currently?

Surprisingly to myself I am no longer involved in football. After I finished playing I wouldn’t even watch football. Not on TV and certainly not at any local ground. I grew disillusioned with football and being around it made me miss it even more. Playing was such a big part of my life and when it was gone it came so sudden and I understand now how players struggle when they finish playing.

I had been coaching football for many years and Iike so many believed that’s where I would end up. But it’s one thing to play and another to coach and at that time I wasn’t ready to make that step. Since then I have fortunately been able to experience new things and watch and spend time with my young family as they grow. I have a son who plays and now i just love to go and watch and enjoy things that father’s should.

I think it would be unfair for me to judge the standard as I don’t see as much as I would like to. In football the basics remain, you need to be organised, you need to be disciplined, fit, hard working and you need to have good decision making. That doesn’t change and too often modern coaches and pundits make it sound more complicated than it is.

One thing that’s changed in the league is the progression and regression of clubs. In my day Linfield, Glentoran, Portadown, Cliftonville and Crusaders were all big, influential clubs but in recent years some clubs have gone back allowing the likes of Coleraine, Glenavon and Ballymena to take advantage.

I believe that many of these clubs will develop once again and the league will become even more competitive. Outside of Cliftonville and Crusaders, no club has been able to change the balance of power in the Irish League. Some clubs have had a good season or two, but these clubs are missing that ability to push to that next level. It will take something special to make that jump but I see more and more clubs trying to do that.

An interesting season lies ahead as such and with management changes at various clubs and that push from so many clubs to move to the next level then a big season lies ahead in the Irish League and no doubt there will be the usual ups and downs that follow all football clubs throughout any season and for that reason I’m looking forward to watching, or rather listening on a Saturday afternoon!