Uefa European Championship U21 Qualifying Group Three: Northern Ireland v Iceland (Friday, 7pm, Mourneview Park)
LEADING the line for Northern Ireland at the World Cup in two years’ time may be Shay McCartan’s immediate sporting ambition, but pulling on the red-and-black jersey of his county once more is a dream that refuses to die.
The name itself is an indicator of McCartan’s rich Gaelic football lineage. A second cousin of former Down stars ‘Wee' James, Dan and Eoin, Shay always wanted to be the next McCartan to don the famous shirt.
A lightning-quick forward who shone on St Colman’s College, Newry’s MacRory and Hogan Cup-winning sides of 2010 and '11 alongside the likes of Donal O’Hare and Caolan Mooney, Pete McGrath had marked him out as one for the future.
Then over the Down minors, the two-time All-Ireland winner called the 17-year-old into his panel for the Mourne county’s 2011 Ulster Championship opener against Armagh. Bagging three goals before half-time, McGrath’s faith in the Glenn clubman had been vindicated - and then some.
Unfortunately for Down, McCartan’s ability to find the back of the net hadn’t gone unnoticed. By then, he was already on the books of Danske Bank Premiership club Glenavon and, before long, Lancashire outfit Burnley, then operating in England’s second-tier, came calling.
“I do miss the Gaelic. As a young kid, I didn’t dream of playing for anybody else other than Down, so it’s weird the way it’s gone,” he said.
“I have never supported a football team. I didn’t really play football properly before moving to England. Before that, I played for Glenavon and I think I played five games. I never went [to play for them] because I loved playing Gaelic.
“Where I come from, nobody really takes an interest in football. Gaelic’s the main sport. Nobody really follows the local football clubs - everybody follows Down. The celebrity status would always have been with Down, not football players. I’d like to come back eventually maybe, when I settle back home. But that won’t be for another 10 years, hopefully.”
Now starring for Accrington Stanley in League Two and with an eye on bigger things, McCartan has always been a man who has dreamed big. Accrington turned down a bid from Championship side Barnsley for his services in January, but the 22-year-old is confident that, provided he keeps doing the business, a move to the big leagues isn’t too far away.
Making a breakthrough on the international stage would certainly help his case. On Friday night, he will play for Northern Ireland U21s in their Euro 2017 qualifier against Iceland. The North are already out of the running for qualification for Poland next summer, but McCartan is determined to catch the eye of senior boss Michael O’Neill.
U21 boss Jim Magilton has faith in the Newry striker and McCartan would love to make the step up as O’Neill’s men bid to build on qualification for last summer’s Euros by reaching the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
“It’s the perfect time to play,” he added.
“The team’s doing well, everyone’s following the team. It’s probably the first time everybody’s got together and supported Northern Ireland. Obviously, the World Cup is coming up in 2018, Northern Ireland will be pushing for that and, you never know, you could be in the squad.
“Michael comes to most of the U21 games, he always says the next batch of players is from that age group. The pool of players isn’t that big. Jim said to us the other day ‘you’re not that far away from it, but you’re a million miles away at the same time’.
“So getting into the senior squad, that’s the main goal.”
