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When it comes to Gaelic Games, Michael Considine and David O’Brien are very firmly on opposite sides of the fence.
Considine is a key figure in the Kilmurry Ibrickane club, while O’Brien is the man who led Miltown to the intermediate title in 2013 before adding the senior crown to his CV with victory over the neighbours last year.
That was all forgotten about last week though with their love for Liverpool FC being that uniting force as the Reds bridged a 30 year gap to claim the Premier League title. They are regular visitors to Anfield, with one of their first trips as a group seeing them present Michael Owen with the award for the Young Player of the Year. Considine also has a special memento of a match ball signed by the likes of Jamie Redknapp, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler, but still recounts the story of how it almost ended up left on the roof of a petrol station in the Midlands on the way home from that trip. He credits Kenny Daglish as being the force that drew him towards supporting Liverpool, along with the strong connection between Ireland and the city.
The victory was confirmed after Man City’s loss to Chelsea meant that Jurgen Klopp’s outfit held an unassailable lead at the top of the standings. There had been much speculation as to whether the season would even be completed due to the Covid-19 crisis, and Considine described the feeling at the final whistle as a huge relief.
“I remember the last one in 1990 and I didn’t think I would be waiting 30 years to see another one. That is what has transpired so it is a relief more than anything else. If they had been given it on the points per game system they were talking about, it would not have been the same. It is always nice to win it on the pitch so that was a worry because anything could have happened. When the Belgian and French leagues were declared null and void it looked dodgy but once the German league came back, they just decided to with it. Money played a huge part too because the clubs need that television money to meet their wage bill, and the crowds were not going to be coming through the gates so they needed it” he outlined.
O’Brien is similarly obsessed, and even admits that part of his decision to step away as Miltown manager this year was to free up more time for travelling to Anfield. He explained that his love affair with the club came about purely by chance.
“My father, who had no real interest in soccer, bought a football for me when I was about five years old and it just happened to say Liverpool on it. It could have been any other name on it but it just happened to be Liverpool and that was it. He picked it up one Friday coming home from work and that was how it came about” he laughed.
Similar to Considine, he felt the overriding emotion when the victory was confirmed was one of relief.
He said: “I was just delighted to be finally done with it and the pressure is gone now. They are very consistent now but you always had it in the back of your mind that you can never relax. They have been building and they are like a machine at the moment. They’re by no means the most flamboyant team in the world but they are the best all round team”.
