Top player award for McLoughlin

ONE of the great comeback stories in Irish sport in recent years stretched into another chapter last night when Alan McLoughlin was awarded the FAI Opel International Player of the Year.

McLoughlin was presented with the award at a banquet in the Burlington Hotel after he had pipped the other short listed candidates, Denis Irwin and Shay Given, for the prestigious prize.

There was, however, some consolation for Given when he was named as the winner in the under 25 category. The under 21 trophy was presented to the Norwich City's Keith O'Neill.

For McLoughlin, it was another accolade in a remarkable year which has seen him grow from a fringe member of the national squad into a highly influential member of Mick McCarthy's new team.

In spite of that precious goal against Northern Ireland in Belfast which earned Jack Charlton's squad a place in the 1994 World Cup finals in the US, the Portsmouth player still failed to attain regular first team status.

That was a difficult situation for him to accept, and when Charlton again left him out of the European Championships playoff against Holland at Anfield last December, the midfielder decided he had had enough.

"At that point I was seriously thinking of quitting international football and concentrating on my job in the Portsmouth team," he said. "Then, of course, there was a change of manager in the Ireland camp and suddenly I was flying. From a position in which I rarely got the chance of putting two games back to back for Jack I've played in nine of the 10 games in which Mick McCarthy has been in charge.

"In a sense this is his award as much as mine. He had enough faith to give me an important role in his team and, as it happened I delivered for him. This is one of the best days of my life."

Charlton, who was not at last night's function, said he was delighted for McLoughlin. "When I was managing the team, I always had doubts about Alan's ability to get the full 90 minutes in the kind of role I was asking of him and with so many good midfield players available to me, I wasn't able to give him a regular spot in my side.

Given's climb to fame has been only marginally less spectacular. Two years ago, his young career looked in ruins when he was given a free transfer by Celtic. He then signed for Blackburn Rovers but it was only after he went on loan to Sunderland in their promotion season that his career flourished.

He owed his first chance in the Ireland team to an injury to Alan Kelly, but he took it so well that he stayed in the side. However, deprived of regular first team football at Blackburn, he was replaced by Kelly for last month's game against FYR Macedonia.

O'Neill headed off challenges by Ian Harte and David Connolly for the under 21 award, fitting recognition for his achievement in scoring four times in eight international appearances.

The award for the outstanding player in the National League went to Shelbourne's under 21 international Tony Sheridan.