The article below appeared in ‘The Stangmore Blue” on Saturday 8th August for our game v Glentoran at Stangmore Park, we thought some of our fans from further afield may like to catch up on how Liam is getting on. Unfortunately Liam didn’t observe a Swifts win on the day but it was great to have him back home.
The Swifts most recent teenage prospect to head across the water was Liam Donnelly when he joined up with Fulham FC in July. The Stangmore Blue caught up with Sixteen year old Liam during the week and he updated us on what life is like at Fulham. We would like to thank Liam for taking the time to tell us all about his experiences. He managed to get a weekend off to nip back home and take in a Swifts game today. Welcome back to Stangmore Park Liam!
A day in the life of Liam at Fulfam FC consists of….Well, early morning start, up at half 7 every morning! Have to be at the training ground changed and up in the canteen for breakfast before 8.30. After breakfast we have education from 8.45am to 9.30am, we don’t go to school, we do our education in the club, so that’s handy! Training starts at 10am and finishes around 12. After training we have lunch and then either into the gym or back out on the pitch for a double session at 2 o’clock to 3, although we have half days on Wednesday and Fridays! After 3 o’clock that’s us finished for the day, get showered, go home and you have the rest of the day to yourself!
I made my debut against Milwall in a Pre season friendly which we won comfortably 2-0. No sign of any captains armband yet, maybe next year when I’m a second year! Haha. We’ve been drawn in a tough league and I look forward to every game, but there’s a few big ones! We play Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool home and away in the league so they’ll be big games for us, games we can win too! And then there’s the FA Youth Cup which will be great and hopefully we do well in it as well as the league!
The step up from playing part time football to playing Full time…There’s quite a difference from playing part time football at Dungannon to playing full time football here at Fulham. When I was at Dungannon I had school during the day and then training in the evenings, but now football has replaced my school hours, and not having to go to school is a bonus! I’ve settled in well now and got used to the routine, I’m working hard and enjoying it all!
London is slightly different from living out in the country in NI, putting football to the side… Do you prefer London life or Dungannon/Rock Life??
Yeah just slightly different… Now that I’ve got used to it I cant say I’m not enjoying city life! After trainings over for the day you’ve always got something to do instead of sitting in your house bored all evening! I go into the town a couple of days a week with a few of the lads, do a bit of shopping or just go in for a bit of eye candy! Haha! As much as I enjoy it, though, it’s always great to get home to see all my family and friends, there’s no place like home!
Best experience to date at Fulham…
It’s all been a good experience! But the standout one would maybe be getting on for my first appearance for the Reserves/Under 21’s development squad! Also, beating Wolves 7-1 in our first game of the season wasn’t bad either!
Tell us a bit about the Northern Ireland U17 setup you’re involved in…
There’s a change of manager from last year and a few changes in the squad too, we drew 0-0 with Denmark and then got beat 1-0 by Greece, we were very unlucky not to win both games! But seeing as that was our first time together as a new squad and with our new manager we done very well and have a lot to build on! Considering that Denmark and Greece are two of the highest ranked U17 teams in Europe, we made them both look like average teams, so we can be proud of our performances, but our manager is very driven and wants more than just a draw or an unlucky 1-0 win, which is good for the players! He knows and us players know that, on our day, we’re capable of competing with top teams and can do well in the upcoming Euros! I still love getting away with all the NI lads, the trips are always great crack and it’s good to get a break from club football the odd time.
You were playing along side the FULL Northern Ireland Internationals in a training exercise this week?! How did this come about?
Yes I was indeed! Well the NI assistant manager, Billy Mckinley, works as a first team coach at Fulham, and they needed two more players to make an 11 v 11 in training as 3 players pulled out of the squad through injury? It was a great experience for me to train alongside some of the top professionals such as Aaron Hughes, Jonny Evans, Steve Davis, Gareth McAuley, Chris Brunt, Chris Baird etc, had big Kyle Lafferty in my back pocket haha!
Do you miss much about Dungannon Swifts?
There’s a lot I miss about Dungannon Swifts! It’s a great club, one that will always hold a big place in my heart! I learned everything through the club and through Dungannon United Youth, so I thank the club for the opportunity that I have got to play at a Premier League club! I miss the banter with all the lads and the buzz about Stangmore when the big teams visit, and no doubt there will be a big buzz about the place today for the game vs Glentoran! I’ll be back at Stangmore today cheering the lads on, hopefully they go out and get a win like we did against the Glens here last season! I still keep in touch with a few of the lads, Rodney and Dixie.
Finally I'd like to wish Rodney, Darren and all of the lads the best of luck for today's game and I hope they get 3points in the bag! BAWA!
Liam
