A SWEEPING finish against Newry City and a 15-minute hat-trick in Glentoran’s mauling of Dungannon Swifts – and yet Niall McGinn says he still doesn’t feel match-fit.
The Glens snapping up the out-of-favour Dundee winger earlier this month might turn out to be the best bit of transfer business in the local game.
It’s roughly 15 years since the Co Tyrone native last played Irish League football – for Dungannon Swifts – before going on to enjoy a brilliant career with Derry City, Celtic, Aberdeen and Brentford.
Now 35, McGinn certainly doesn’t view his latest stop as a retirement home. He wants to be part of the Oval renaissance and add to his international appearances with Northern Ireland.
But for most of the season, the writing was on the wall for McGinn at Dundee. He describes the last “four or five months” at Dens Park as the “most difficult” of his long career that began at Stangmore Park back in 2005.
Now playing with a smile on his face again, McGinn hopes to haul the east Belfast giants back into top four contention after a wretched season to date, with Rodney McAree being promoted to the managerial hot-seat and former boss Mick McDermott moving upstairs.
“If I’m being honest the last four or five months have been the most difficult of my career,” says the Donaghmore native.
“I found myself out of the team at Dundee for different reasons. I was training with the youth team for three months, I wasn’t even training with the first team.
“People don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. I was doing well in pre-season, I was scoring a few goals and then all of a sudden I found myself out of the team. That was the manager’s decision, that’s football.
“But I’ve always been the type of character to keep my head down and if you work hard enough, you’ll get a bit of luck along the way and get an opportunity.
“And when this opportunity to sign for Glentoran came up, it was a chance to go away, enjoy my football, get match-fit and play with a smile on my face and just enjoy the last couple of years of my football career but at the same time be hungry and play at a good level.
“I just want to play for as long as I can, and as long as I’m enjoying it, that’s the most important thing. I’m 35 now and my contract brings me up to 37. After that I want to get into coaching, so I just saw moving to Glentoran as a good opportunity. And playing in front of my family and friends is a bonus as I didn’t always get the opportunity to do that all of the time.”
Tuesday night’s hat-trick at the Oval against his old club was only the second of his career. He grabbed three goals against Dundee during his Aberdeen days – at a time when his manager at the time Craig Brown had the foresight to play him as a central striker one season rather than in a more accustomed wide role, where he notched 21 goals.
“I’ve always been used to playing off the left and obviously off the right with Northern Ireland etc., As long as you’re playing, you can’t complain too much."
He added: “Michael O’Neill said to me over the years: ‘You always find yourself in the right place at the right time.’ Maybe I was finding unorthodox positions. I remember we played Hungary away [Euro 2016 Qualifier] and I came on as a sub and scored and set up the winner.
“And Michael said to me afterwards: ‘You shouldn’t have been in that position to score that goal...’
“I never thought in a million years I’d be scoring a hat-trick after a couple of appearances or Glentoran.”
McGinn feels he’s become more of an “all-rounder” as he’s got older and hopes he can stitch together the kind of performances that might turn O’Neill’s head who’s back managing the north.
“Once the day Northern Ireland don’t want me is the time I’ll hang up my boots,” he said.
“I’ve had my best time under Michael [O’Neill] and I’m just hoping he needs that international experience. He knows I’m back home and if I’m doing well, hopefully that allows me to be still involved in the squad. I haven’t had any conversations with him and maybe I will come towards the end of March [Euro 2024 Qualifiers against San Marino and Finland].”
Currently living in a Belfast city centre apartment – “the perfect location” – McGinn spent 15 years in Scotland where he enjoyed two spells with Aberdeen and a successful two-and-a-half years at Celtic.
He wouldn’t have chosen the manner of his exit at Dundee - but has been hugely impressed with the standard of football in the Irish League and the quality of players at Glentoran.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Scotland. It’s 15 years of my life,” he said.
“The thing is with football, you’re away from your family and friends, you’re trying to create a career for yourself and be proud of that.
"I’ve lived in Scotland, England, South Korea and now back in Northern Ireland, and I think the Irish League has improved, it’s more professional. If you’re involved in full-time professional football it sometimes doesn’t matter where you’re living because you’re in that zone, that routine.
“I’m from Donaghmore in Tyrone and I didn’t see myself moving back there straight away and that’s why I’m living in Belfast as I’ve been used to the cities over the years.
“I know there are good players in this Glentoran squad and they’ll always make chances – it’s just keeping them out at the other end and building on that. It’s building confidence and obviously Rodney coming in has freshened things up.”
