Copyright irishmirror
It’s been a little over seven years since Ollie Horgan “forgave” Mark Coyle for his decision to swap Finn Harps for a spell in the Ulster Senior League and a return to Gaelic football. Horgan, who passed away in August, steered the versatile star on a course that, this evening, sees him in Europa Conference League action in the 33,000-capacity Toše Proeski Arena in Skopje. Shelbourne are looking to bid on the positive start to their campaign - a scoreless draw at home to Swedish side Hacken - and Coyle will be key to that. A midfielder who has proven himself equally adept in defence, he took a moment on the eve of the Reds’ game against Shkendja to reflect on his move away from and then back to the 11-a-side game. Having struggled to break into the first-team at Harps, he spent 2017 at Cockhill Celtic and combined that with a return to Gaelic football. “My priority was Gaelic football,” he said, ahead of Shels’ final training session before this evening’s league phase game. “I don’t know what happened, really. I got [back] into Harps and it was just a mindset change. What am I doing? I’m either picking one or the other and I’m going to go at it. And since then, I really have. “I don’t know if I ever thought I’d get to this stage, but I’ve worked damn hard to get here and I’ve earned it. So for me it’s about enjoying it and embracing it, and making the most of it while I’m here.” Coyle initially cited the physicality of Gaelic football for his decision to return to soccer, although he is no shrinking violet on the pitch in his preferred code. And so he added that it was Horgan’s persuasiveness that also helped coax him back. “Every time the gaffer [Joey O’Brien] says we’ll have a cut off them, it’s something [Horgan] always used to say to us,” said the 28-year-old. “I’d say that’s one of the biggest things I learned from him; how much hard work matters. “Everyone has seen the viral clips of him saying, work, work, work, but that was him to the core, the work ethic he put in. That rubbed off on us as players and we wanted to do that for him. “But I’d say one of the biggest things I learned from him was how important hard work is in anything you do in life.” Coyle and Horgan kept in touch after his move to Shels in December 2021, although the Donegalman admitted: “I don’t think he was too happy at the start when I left. “He was a great man, a good, honest, authentic man. I think as a player that’s all everyone wants, a good honest manager, and that’s what he was. “We kept in touch here and there. He was probably tapping me up to see if I knew a player here or there. They were nearly the reasons why we were chatting. “But when we won the league last year, he was one of the first people to text me. “He’s got a good wit about him, it was funny, but it was a lovely message to get from somebody who played a massive role in me getting into the League of Ireland. “He was the one that gave me the first chance, and second chance when I came back from Gaelic, he forgave me in a way to bring me back. “I have massive respect for him and he was somebody that I owe massively for my career.” What was the jist of Horgan’s text? “He just said, congratulations, you deserve it, don’t enjoy yourself too much, or something along those lines,” Coyle replied. “He enjoyed a pint himself, so I’m sure he knew where we were going.” Coyle’s boss Joey O’Brien added that Horgan contacted him during the summer, towards the end of the Galway United assistant manager’s cancer battle, urging the Shels boss to “behave yourself in Azerbaijan!” This evening, against a talented Shkendja side, Shels will need to combine the work ethic that Horgan preached along with the talent that has seen them hit form in the race for European football next year. Coyle’s career has been built on hard work and much of what you see today is a legacy from his time on the Gaelic football pitch. “It was a great learning experience for me in terms of physicality and mindset,” he said of his spell in 2017 away from Harps. “When I got that experience I learned so much on how far I got and how hard I actually had to work on myself as an individual, physically and mentally and tactically. “In that sense I think that was my biggest turning point - going in there and embracing that environment, and knowing what it really takes to get to where you want to be.” Music to his manager’s ears. “To listen to Mark speak like that is incredible, brilliant, an incredible insight for young players to be able to keep working hard, keep pushing yourself and never giving up,” said O’Brien. “Touching on what I said, you are never happy; you don’t want to be here just to take part, you are always driving yourself on to keep on improving. “This is what happens when you work hard; you get a breaking ball or a bit of luck here or there along the way. Good things happen to good people.” Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
