McHugh hungrier than ever for goals in swansong season

When Athlone Town take to the pitch at Finn Park on Friday night they will be well aware of the threat posed by the home side’s veteran striker Kevin McHugh who revealed he is as hungry as ever for goals in what is his final season in League of Ireland football.

McHugh fired in a trademark effort to salvage a draw for Finn Harps against UCD last week, a result which has Ollie Horgan’s men sitting atop the First Division table, one point ahead of Friday night’s visitors to Ballybofey.

The 35-year-old has been terrorising defences across Ireland since making a goal-scoring debut for Harps in a cup match against fellow Donegal side Fanad United in August 1998 while shortly after, he broke his League of Ireland duck against Cork City.

Almost 17 years on, McHugh is still one of the deadliest finishers around and he explained that the secret behind his success in front of goal is simple - hunger.

“I think everything no matter what sport you play comes down to hunger,” he said.

“I don’t care how strong somebody is or how fit they are if you’ve got that hunger mixed with a bit of talent then it can bring you a long, long way.

“I have got the hunger to score goals and that is what keeps me going.

“I like creating and scoring goals and that is what I’ve always done and it’s what I get a buzz from.”

McHugh announced that 2015 will be his final season lacing up the boots and when those laces connected sweetly with the ball at the Belfield Bowl last Friday, they sent it flying into the top corner of the net for the 167^th time in the Killea man’s League of Ireland career.

Twelve of those goals came during a spell in the red and white stripes of Derry City in the mid-2000s while McHugh also spent a season with Irish League side Linfield in 2009.

However, having bagged 106 league goals in 184 appearances during his first spell at Finn Park, McHugh returned to the North West to don the blue and white of Harps for a second spell in 2010.

Since then, the frontman has consistently found the back of the net despite the Donegal outfit’s relative struggles in recent years and he now sits behind only the great Brendan Bradley in the all-time goalscoring charts for Harps with 178 goals.

Despite his status as a club legend, McHugh is not one for getting carried away with plaudits but is instead focussed on ensuring that he enjoys every goal and every game during his final campaign.

“I think there is definitely a different buzz [this season] during every minute I play,” said McHugh, who is ninth on the all-time League of Ireland goalscoring charts while Bradley leads the way with 235 goals.

“Even travelling to different grounds you’re thinking ‘this could be the last time I play here’.

“You’re looking to play every minute the best you can and I know every player should have that mind-set anyway but it doesn’t always happen.

“In terms of [statistics] I’m not one for really keeping up-to-date but people always tell me.

“I like to look at these things when you are finished [playing].

“It’s really nice to be thought of like that [club legend] obviously but it’s hard to think about stuff like that when you are still playing.

“I’m just concentrating on getting on with business at the minute.”

Last season saw McHugh register just twice in the league in what was an injury-hit campaign but just five games into this one he has already matched that tally.

With new French signing Wilfried Tagbo and the returning Sligo Rovers loanee Ruairi Keating also registering two goals apiece in the league to date, McHugh acknowledged that his status as the elder statesman of the Harps strikeforce means that he has to manage his playing time and tailor it to suit the needs of the team.

“There’s no way at 35 that you can play week in week out and expect to be playing at the same level,” he said.

“It will be a case of starting one or two games here and there and just acknowledging my energy levels.

“I am comfortable in that role.

“I think if I wasn’t I would be no good to the team or the management.

“Rarely now do teams play with two up front all the time so I totally understand that the likes of Keating and big Wilfried would be more suitable for that kind of a role.”

“It’s about trying to get the best out of me as well.”

Harps made a similarly promising start to the 2014 campaign but ultimately ended up finishing a disappointing fifth as they finished well off the pace in the hunt for a return to the Premier Division for the first time since 2008.

Despite three wins and two draws from their opening five games of this term, the Harps players and management are not happy with performances so far according to McHugh, who said that the visit of Eddie Wallace’s side on Friday will be the toughest test of the season to date.

“Athlone have come down from the Premier Division and have kept all their experienced players,” added McHugh, ahead of the game which will be the 100^th competitive meeting between the two clubs.

“We are at home so we will be expected to take the game to them.”

Mohan revelling in magic moment as draw for UEFA U17 Championships looms

Tom Mohan has described guiding the Republic of Ireland to qualification for the UEFA U17 Championships as the most satisfying moment of his coaching career ahead of travelling to Bulgaria for Thursday’s draw for the tournament.

The Young Boys in Green secured a first appearance at the Championships since 2008 by finishing runners-up in their Elite Qualifying Round in Poland last week despite going down to a 1-0 defeat to the hosts in their last outing.

However, an opening day draw with Greece followed up by an impressive display against Belarus was enough to see Mohan’s side qualify as one of the best runners-up and join 15 other nations in the draw taking place in Pomorie for the expanded Championships which run from May 6 to 22.

“It definitely was a proud moment,” said Mohan.

“When you’re managing the team there is a lot more onus on you and a lot more pressure so no doubt about it was a magic moment to qualify and get the players through to a European finals where we will be playing against the cream of Europe.

“The likes of Spain, The Netherlands, France and Russia will be there and that’s where the players want to be at this level and testing themselves in that sort of company.”

Two wins over Gibraltar and The Faroe Islands and a draw with Scotland saw the Irish top their Qualifying Round group last September to set up the final six-day tournament in Poland.

Going into the final day, the Young Boys in Green knew that only a heavy defeat would see them eliminated on goal difference but Mohan revealed that nerves were still somewhat frayed as the other game between Belarus and Greece was still being played, eventually finishing 0-0.

“Once we knew that we didn’t suffer a heavy defeat ourselves then we were confident that the other result would not have that big an impact but I suppose you can never be sure until the final whistle goes,” said the 41-year-old from Aughadrumsee in County Fermanagh.

“With seven or eight minutes of injury time in the other game you never know what might happen but we got there.”

Despite having to do without some key players in the form of the injured trio of Jake Doyle-Hayes, Steven Kinsella and Anthony Scully, former League of Ireland stalwart Mohan paid tribute to the application and dedication of the 18 youngsters who travelled to eastern Europe.

Six of the squad were home-based players including Ringmahon Rangers stopper Caoimhin Kelleher who pulled off a string of crucial saves in the final game against the hosts that ensured the Irish side held onto second spot in the group.

Lucan United striker Jamie Aherne bagged a brace in a 3-1 win over Belarus adding to a strike by Josh Barrett two days after the Reading striker had rounded off a superb two-goal comeback against Greece from the penalty spot to salvage a draw against the eventual group winners.

“It’s a dream for them kids to wear an Ireland jersey and to be successful and get to a finals of a major competition is really great for them,” said Mohan, who was part of Sean McCaffrey’s coaching set-up when the Republic of Ireland last competed in the UEFA U17 Championships in Turkey seven years ago.

“It is also testament to the work of everyone involved in the development of football in the country from the grassroots up.”

Mohan spent 11 seasons plying his trade in the League of Ireland with Derry City and Finn Harps before a short spell with Longford Town was curtailed by injury in 2005.

By then the combative midfielder had already begun climbing the coaching ladder completing his Level 1 coaching badge and UEFA ‘B’ Licence before hanging up his boots.

He then went on to do his UEFA ‘A’ Licence while last year he undertook his UEFA Pro Licence.

He took over the reins of the U17 team from John Morling in 2012 having being part of the international underage set-up since 2007.

Mohan is well aware of the task at hand when competition gets underway in Bulgaria in May but says his players will not be overawed when they potentially go up against the likes of reigning champions England as well as past winners France, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands and Germany.

“At the end of the day we have some very good and extremely talented players in our squad too and it will be a great occasion for them to go out and prove how good they are and challenge themselves against top players,” added the former Northern Ireland Schoolboys international.

“We are not just going to be happy to turn up and be there, we want to compete and do our best against the best.

“In terms of expectation, we cannot look beyond our first game and whoever we get we are going to have to do a lot of preparation and work to ensure we are ready for the challenge.”