Everything crystal clear in Delaney’s Palace wonderland

Sometimes life moves so fast it’s difficult to appreciate its highlights when they roll around. That’s exactly how Damien Delaney feels about his whirlwind year.

From the joy of promotion to the Premier League, to the challenge of marking some of the best players in the world, and starting for the Republic of Ireland away to Germany, the Corkman must still be dizzy from his tumble down the rabbit hole into this great, new wonderland.

It is certainly a long way from the dark days of three years ago when a blood clot in his thigh briefly threatened to end his career. Sympathy gushed his way back then, but the burly defender has been forced to scrap for everything he has earned since – on and off the pitch.