Reds in sight as Foley plots cup shocker
A long career with the Boys in Green beckoned for Foley when, in April 2004, he formed part of Ireland U18 squad alongside Joey O’Brien, Connor Sammon and Andy Keogh that lifted the prestigious Portugal International tournament in Viseu.
Then on the books of Cheltenham Town, serious injuries would halt his progress and force him to drift onto the non-league circuit. The move proved the making of Foley as, under the tuition of former Bolton Wanderers striker Dean Holdsworth at Newport County, he excelled to secure his move in May 2002 to Yeovil, where he remains the joint-longest serving player with the club.
It was during his revival in the Conference that international matters came back on the agenda, albeit from a different country.
Holdsworth informed Foley of an imminent call-up by England for their C team, the equivalent of Gerry Smith’s Irish Amateur squad.
“Because I was raised in an Irish culture, lining out for England would have felt weird, so I told Dean where my heart lay,” explains the 28-year-old.
“The memory of earning U18 caps for Ireland a decade ago will stay with me forever and I’ve never given up on the hope of wearing the green jersey again.”
An eventful couple of years at Huish Park have unfolded, from the joy of winning the League One play-off at Wembley to the despair of finding himself in the bad books of manager Gary Johnson during last season’s Championship campaign alongside fellow Irishman, Paddy Madden.
Although a loan move to Shrewsbury Town could have hastened his exit on a permanent basis in the summer, he regained the favour of Johnson following their relegation to establish himself as a regular once again this term.
League form has been poor, sinking them to the basement, yet the strong FA Cup pedigree of Yeovil, which began in 1949 by shocking Sunderland, has been maintained.
Foley claimed the man-of-the-match accolade in the first-round triumph over Crawley Town while his assists in the recent replay against Accrington Stanley helped seal the plum tie of the third round. Despite the gulf between the clubs’ resources, coupled with results in their respective divisions, suggesting a non-event for the main live Sunday televised game, enough shocks have been achieved in Dorset over recent years to hold out hope of another.
Foley explains: “Our ground is neat and tidy, with just 4,000 fans packed into the stands, so there’s always plenty of noise for the away team to withstand. I’ve seen it down the years, especially with the supposed bigger clubs with huge stadiums, that their players turn their nose up at the prospect of playing in our place. That suits us just fine, as we thrive on it. Two seasons ago, when we got promoted, there must have been three or four managers who got sacked after losing at our ground.”
For Foley, the visit of Louis Van Gaal’s multi-millionaires is another big opportunity as the club gets over last season’s disappointment.
“I’ve had to play in a few different positions but I’m just glad to be back in the team,” he outlined. “A lot of players left in the summer and the team is starting to get settled now, so it’s not all doom and gloom around the place. It’s still early enough in the season to improve our league form and this FA Cup game is one we will be putting everything into. We know the quality Manchester United have but we’ll go out there aiming to win.”
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