Grandmaster Linden readyto give ahelping hand

MICKEY LINDEN will celebrate his 40th birthday next Friday.

Unlike other men who reach this milestone in their life, Mickey will not be expecting gifts like bedroom slippers from his wife, Louisa.

Slippers are for men who have settled for a spectating role from the sofa. Mickey Linden still wants to make his mark.

He is the Peter Pan of Gaelic football. This is his 22nd championship in the red and black jersey. The driving and vehicle examiner is Down’s longest serving player by some distance. His closest rivals are Sean O’Neill and Dan McCartan who called it a day after 18 years.

His championship career started in 1982. It was the year Paolo Rossi helped Italy beat West Germany in the World Cup final. Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova were crowned champions at Wimbledon. Tom Watson claimed the British Open title at Troon, and Alex Higgins was the World Snooker Champion.

1982 was a long time ago, but Linden has somehow managed to retain his boyish love of the game. And it is this quality which the father of three obviously reckons is the secret to his own success.

His oldest son, Cormac has started to play for the Mayobridge U-10s. It his son’s devotion to football, rather than his raw talent, which Linden considers to be the most encouraging factor.

“He is doing well. He is fierce enthusiastic which is the most important thing at that age. He really enjoys it.”

The other two boys, John (5) and Micheal (3), haven’t caught their father’s bug just yet. “They would rather be watching Spiderman than watching Daddy on the football field.’

When asked to explain how he has been able to keep going for so long, Linden said: “I’m very lucky probably. I haven’t picked up too many serious injuries.”

He also paid tribute to the support from his wife, who has washed more kits then she’ll care to remember.

Linden is hugely popular in his own county and beyond. He is the GAA’s answer to Gianfranco Zola.

His introduction in every game is greeted with a massive roar from the Down faithful. Yet, Linden is eager to stress that he isn’t someone who merely lifts the crowd.

Many followers of the Down club scene would agree. The 1994 Footballer of the Year continues to impress with Mayobridge, and he produced a mesmerising display of pace and marksmanship in last year’s county final victory over Rostrevor.

However, after spending years as the leading scorer in the Mourne attack, he has had to settle for a new role as an impact sub.

Linden’s scoring exploits are quite extraordinary. His tally of 9-64 ranks him as the 16th highest scoring Ulster player since 1945. This feat is even more remarkable when you consider that the vast majority of his scores came from play. All the other players in the top 15 were free-takers.

Linden has scored in every single championship season since 1986, but he is still waiting to get off the mark in this current campaign.

Given Down’s inability to score points in last Sunday’s Ulster final (they scored just one in the second half), it’ll be no surprise if he makes an appearance on St Tiernach’s Park before the final whistle.

But before coming onto the field, Linden will probably have provided his own suggestions to the management team. It’s a role himself and James McCartan enjoy due to the vast experience they have accrued over the years.

Manager Paddy O’Rourke undoubtedly sees Linden as a peer, whose opinion must be valued. They played in the Down team for 11 years and won All-Ireland medals in 1991.

Commenting on their new partnership as manager and player, Linden revealed that O’Rourke was one of the key reasons why he returned for another year.

“I know Paddy very well. He only lives down the road from me. I’ve always had a very good relationship with him. He was one of the reasons I wanted to go back into the panel this year because I know the enthusiasm and passion he has for football. That was one of the big incentives for me to come back into the panel.”

The consensus of opinion says that Down missed the boat last week.

They’re a young team, with a new manager, but Tyrone’s greater know-how and scoring prowess will dictate the outcome of Sunday’s replay.

Linden’s accepts that the majority view was “understandable,’ but he doesn’t agree. He reckons Down’s young players can continue to improve, and achieve even greater heights.

“I think it was a tremendous performance from the team. Most of the fellas are all 22 or 23. I think it was huge step they took last week. Hopefully, the confidence they gained from that will carry through to Sunday as well.”

If the young boys don’t deliver, they can definitely expect a helping hand from the grand master who’ll be waiting on the bench.