Nugent Glad To See Galway United Banner Contingent Growing Ahead Of New Season

At just 22 years of age, the career of Maurice Nugent has already ticked plenty boxes with the latest one seeing him embark on his first year as a full time professional player with Galway United.

The Ennis native is entering his fifth season with the Tribesmen’s senior team where his reputation as a solid and versatile defender has seen him earn plenty plaudits around Eamon Deacy Park and beyond.

It is no major surprise to see the former Avenue United man take that next step, having come through the academy system with Galway United including a spell as captain of the U-19 side.

The NUIG graduate has also had the honour of captaining his country with two international caps to his name having played at World University Games in Taiwan in 2017 with the captains armband coming last year when the squad travelled to Italy. His first full senior season in Galway came in 2017, when former Clare Oscar Traynor boss Shane Keegan brought him on to the squad.

The Banner contingent at the club has grown in recent years and this year will see Nugent joined by Mullagh’s Caoilfhionn O’Dea and Lisdoonvarna’s Micheál Garrihy who have both been impressing for the senior side during their pre season run.

The first game of the new season takes place this Friday evening in Galway when Shelbourne will be the visitors, with that game marking the first time new manager John Caulfield will patrol the sideline. The former Cork City boss is also joined by Lisa Fallon who worked on Leeside with Caulfield where they won the double.

Having seen action come to a halt during the Covid-19 pandemic, Nugent admits everyone is just glad to be back on the field once more.

“We are delighted to get back training. We had our first week of preseason in February and it has been going really well. It is great to be out training no matter what the weather is and we are really grateful for that. It was tough during the lockdown because all you could do was keep ticking over doing your own bit. I was working from home so it was a case of getting out for a run at lunchtime and then maybe get a bit of gym work in the evening to keep tipping away so that you don’t fall behind. I was ready then when February came around and we got back in together” he explained.

Having graduated from NUIG last summer, Nugent secured a position with an engineering contractors firm in Oxford, but took up the option to work remotely. He feels having a job to turn to in order to keep structure in his day to day routine was key, but that time away from sport also gave a renewed appreciation for having that outlet in his life.

“I finished up the job in December and we were meant to get back into preseason in January. That was pushed back because of how the case numbers went, and I really thought that month was tough going without any proper structure in the day. Having that break away from sport also gives you a different perspective on it. Even when we got back and were being flogged in the rain, there was still an appreciation for it. After every session, there is that sense of being glad to have it and a realisation of how glad we are to have it and how fortunate we are to be allowed to play” he noted.

The decision to pursue his dream of being a professional soccer player was never in doubt, but it did involve sacrifices in some of his other sporting pursuits. A former Clare minor football championship winner with St Joseph’s Doora Barefield, he also lined out for the Clare minor footballers but had to pull out of the squad for his final year at the grade because of his Galway United commitments.

“At the time, I made the decision that I wanted to push on and see where the soccer journey would take me. It was also a huge commitment for my parents who drove me to games and training, which looking back on it now, it is mad to think how much they did for me. I am hugely grateful to them for that support and hopefully I can repay them somehow for that” he said.

The continued emergence of Caoilfhionn O’Dea and the addition of Micheál Garrihy to the squad is something fellow Banner man Nugent feels is a positive development that also shows that the pathway is there for others to follow suit.

“It is great to see the Clare lads coming through not just at Galway United but also at the likes of Treaty United. It is a massive jump for the two lads from the U-19 team to be training with the senior team full time. It is something that probably takes a year to get used to and all you can do is work hard and do the right things. It will take time to get up to the standard and the speed of things but the two lads are flying at the moment so there will be no fear of them” he stated.

With no college or work commitments for the coming year, Nugent is looking forward to focusing his attention on his career and making the most of the opportunity that lies ahead.

“It is something that will take a bit of getting used to and it is still a bit surreal to be honest. My job is now to go training and make sure that the body is right. That responsibility is on yourself to make sure that everything is ok and that you are going well at every training session. It shows too that the professional soccer career is not out of reach. Younger lads might look at England as being the pinnacle of things but there are levels below that where you can still be a professional. It is something you can aspire to but only hard work will create the opportunity. I was never the best player coming through the ranks but I worked the hardest and that has paid off for me in the long run” he observed.

The Banner presence at in Galway is not limited to the men’s team either as former Irish underage international Chloe Moloney was signed by the Galway United Women’s side last weekend. The Kilmurry Ibrickane woman, who won league and cup titles with Peamount over the last few seasons, while she also played a leading role as the Clare Ladies footballers reached the All Ireland intermediate semi-final last year.