Starlet Sean living the Irish dream

IT’S BEEN boyhood dreams come true all the way for Sean Scannell over the past few months.

First, there was Alex Ferguson presenting him with the Irish Examiner Junior Sports Award for soccer at a gala lunch in Dublin.

Then came a first cap at U21 level against Montenegro in Galway. After that there was the ultimately disappointing business of contesting the Championship play-offs with Crystal Palace, for whom he has been in eye-catching form since breaking into the first team this season.

And, finally, to cap it all, he was called into Giovanni Trapattoni’s very first squad for the training camp in Portugal and the upcoming games against Serbia and Montenegro.

Boy’s own stuff indeed for the 17-year-old Croydon lad who qualifies for Ireland through his Armagh-born father Brendan. But it was from his former school teacher and long-time supporter Peter Yates that Sean learned he’d broken into the senior squad.

“I was at training at Palace when I got a message from him, and I thought he was taking the mick,” he says. “Until I went on the FAI website and saw that it was true. Everything came so quick. In the space of a couple of months everything changed.

“It was great to get on the pitch for the games in Portugal. But it was hard too in that Trapattoni wants me to play differently. But I’ll adjust to it.”

Scannell admits that he was a little apprehensive about his arrival in the Irish camp, especially since his strike partner and now fellow Irish international at Selhurst Park hadn’t made the final cut.

“I thought Clinton (Morrison) was going to come as well, so at least I’d know someone, but Clinton didn’t make it,” he says. “So I was a bit nervous but everyone was very welcoming and helped me settle in quickly.”

Confirmation that Scannell really is a new kid on the block comes when he is asked to identify the first Irish game he can remember.

“It was Ireland against Spain in the World Cup in 2002 when I was about 11,” he says. “I watched it at home with my Dad. He doesn’t even like football, — except when it comes to Ireland, he loves it.”

Sean signed a two-and-half year deal with Crystal Palace back in January and, despite all the headlines he’s been making recently, is content to walk before he can run.

“I don’t really want to make a move to the Premiership at the moment,” he says. “I could get better but I like Palace and I’m getting first team football and being called-up for Ireland, so everything is good for me.”

And looking ahead to tomorrow’s friendly against Serbia, Scannell added: “Hopefully I can get on the pitch but even if I don’t, this has still been a great experience.”