Forde: I’m lucky I put soccer before GAA

A week after warding off competition from Shay Given to retain his place in the Ireland team, goalkeeper David Forde has revealed how close he was to leaving soccer aside for Gaelic.

The lure of achieving a lifelong dream of representing his native Galway consumed his mind, even when the lights of Stephen Kenny’s car shone brightly into his family home in Newcastle during 2005.

The Derry manager embarked on his trek down the north-west coast armed with a shot at redemption for Forde but with no guarantee of success.

“Stephen offered me a way to regain my love for football,” reflected the Millwall stopper yesterday. “I’d become disillusioned with the game after returning to Ireland from West Ham, and was happy enough playing in midfield for my local club GAA club in Galway City, St Michael’s.

“Gaelic was the line I was thinking of going then, but Stephen asked me to join Derry for the remainder of the season and take it from there.

“I’ve a lot of gratitude for Stephen because he was right and I enjoyed two fantastic years at Derry City. If things had been different, I might have ended up playing in Croke Park. But I knew there was unfinished business for me in the UK and, once I got the platform at Derry, there was always more left in me.”

Now 34, Forde has established himself as first-choice for Millwall and Ireland in the past two seasons.

A threat hovered over that international status in the past fortnight upon the return of legendary Given to the Ireland fold. Martin O’Neill was at pains to dispel speculation in the media that Given’s comeback included a guarantee of the Number 1 spot .

Indeed O’Neill’s renowned man-management skills had been busy already, ensuring Forde was at ease in the run-up to Ireland’s Euro 2016 opener.

“Getting told by the manager on Thursday I was starting was a real vote of confidence,” he explained.

“That allowed me to concentrate on the game. Even when Shay came back, I always thought of what I’d done in the past with Ireland to give me belief.

“Consistency is a big thing I’ve worked on at Millwall under the goalkeeping coach, Kevin Pressman, so I’d like to think I’ve proven over the years that I’m capable of doing the job for Ireland.”

Having emerged from Georgia will full points, Forde believes Ireland have nothing to fear heading into next month’s double-header.

Disposing of Gibraltar on October 11 appears a formality, yet the biggest test of the campaign against the world champions in Gelsenkirchen three days later is one the stopper reckons is opportune.

He said: “Germany have looked a bit shaky lately. It’s difficult for them to go from the elation of winning the World Cup and keep that going. There’s pressure on them.”