Old Trafford a treat but not quite Croke Park

SPORTING PASSIONS:Laois footballer Ross Munnelly talks about his years playing soccer and his support for IReland and Manchester United. MARK RODDENreports.

I USED to enjoy playing soccer and I like playing some golf now. When I was younger I used to play soccer in Carlow with a team called St Patrick’s Boys, from under-10s right the way through to senior level.

Italia ’90, Packie Bonner and David O’Leary scoring that penalty against Romania got young fellas soccer-mad for a while. My brother ended up playing as a goalkeeper because of Packie Bonner and I started playing out the field. I was always a Manchester United fan as well, so I used to go around the back garden pretending I was Eric Cantona.

I played on the left wing or up front. It was funny because when I progressed to under-18 level I was playing with two other fellas who played for the Laois minors at the time, Jason Enright and Barry Brennan. Because we were playing in the Carlow League we were playing against minor footballers from other counties. I would have become good friends with Simon Rea from Carlow because I was playing soccer against him and then we played against each other at minor level.

I played at Oscar Traynor level for the Carlow League soccer team against the other counties as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the test of playing soccer one day and then playing football on the Sunday, or maybe having both games on the same day. When I was younger I found that it definitely contributed to having a good level of fitness for playing Gaelic games. I thought it was good because it gave me a chance to play both sports and make friends from different areas. Even now if I go to Carlow I’d meet some people that I would have played with or played against – those are the kind of memories that you’ll always have.

I would have been a big fan of Cantona – with all his silky touches he was an awesome player. After him would have been Roy Keane and I suppose every Irish person saw him as a hero at some stage. But Alex Ferguson would be one of the people I admire most in sport because of his dedication and commitment to the club and how year after year he continually deals with millionaires who are between 20 and 30 years old.

He’s always able to keep them in tow with everything they believe in at Manchester United and when they don’t, he’s well able to find a suitable replacement. He’s built team after team after team and I think he’s just an unbelievable sportsperson.

I suppose I started supporting Manchester United because when you turned on the television they were always on. But my house is split – my older brother supports Liverpool and my younger brother supports Tottenham.

I was at the match against Chelsea with my brother and we’ve gone to Old Trafford a few times together. It’s a great spectacle over there, although it wouldn’t quite be as good as going to Croke Park for an afternoon. But I find it a great buzz watching some of the best players in the world there.

I work as a school liaison officer in DCU and because Bohemians use our facilities I’ve been up to see them play in Dalymount a few times. I’ve gone to all the soccer internationals in Croke Park as well. It’s a bit unusual looking at the soccer and the rugby layout when you’re in there – the one thing that strikes you is how much smaller the pitches are.

I would be very proud of the GAA and everything it stands for but at the same time it’s an opportunity to look at top-class international athletes. You’re looking at Irish athletes as well and a lot of them played Gaelic games when they were younger. I have no doubt that for a lot of those players it would have been a major milestone in their professional careers, being Irish and playing in Croke Park.

When I finished with the Laois minors I played soccer for a year and after that I decided I was going to try to play for the Laois under-21s. Luckily enough I made the panel and I never looked back. I decided that I was going to give my full commitment to Gaelic games and it’s a decision I’ve never regretted. It’s fantastic to see great moments in sport with Manchester United or the Irish national team but for me there was no real hard decision to be made. Gaelic football was what I’ve been passionate about since I was knee-high – it was always my number one.