Tyreik Wright 'buzzing' to have Aaron Connolly back with Ireland U21s

Connolly's standing with Stephen Kenny had slipped after eight senior appearances and the Galway man reacted positively when Crawford asked him to step back down to the U21 grade

Tue, 20 Sep, 2022 - 07:00

Brendan O'Brien

Jim Crawford wasn’t exactly short of attacking options before he asked Aaron Connolly to link up with his Republic of Ireland U21 squad for the fast-approaching 2023 European Championship playoffs against Israel.

The Dubliner used four different men at the apex of his pyramid across ten games in Group F. JJ Kayode got the nod in four of them, Evan Ferguson in three, Mipo Odubeko got two at the back end of the campaign while Colm Whelan started at home against Italy.

Connolly, though, was an option the manager felt couldn’t be ignored.

His standing with Stephen Kenny had slipped after eight senior appearances and the Galway man reacted positively when Crawford asked him to step back down to a grade that he hadn’t graced since a 3-1 win away to Sweden three years ago.

What would the other players think?

“It's a massive confidence boost to the group,” said Tyreik Wright. “He's played in the Premier League for Brighton. He scores goals and, yeah, I'm absolutely buzzing to have him back and I’m sure that the whole team is as well … It’s healthy competition and it will only push each other to be better players.”

It was Wright who claimed Ireland’s first goal of the campaign, from the penalty spot against Bosnia & Herzegovina, but the thrust of his job from the tramlines has been to provide the strikers with opportunities of their own.

He ticked both boxes over the weekend, scoring Bradford City’s second goal and setting up another in a man-of-the-match display against Stevenage in League Two. A welcome start for a man after three iffy previous stints on loan from Aston Villa.

“Up in Bradford it's football crazy, really. Even the fans, I just love the fans: 17,000 at home (on Sunday). I've never experienced that before and I just love it.

“It feels like a family environment, I am just loving it. I have been trying to get my stats up the last year, it hasn't gone my way but this season... I still have ambitions to play for Aston Villa in the Premier League.

“I only have a season remaining there so I don't have time to waste this season. I need to get my stats up and it [weekend goal] was a massive confidence booster, going into the international break.”

Key to all these good vibes has been his new gaffer Mark Hughes.

Wright doesn’t remember ‘Sparky’ in his playing prime but he has seen enough of his back catalogue on TikTok to appreciate his talents as a player and the Welshman has provided the man from Ovens in Cork with the freedom to express himself and just play.

“He has been a pleasure. He has me straight away into the group, giving me game time. He's a Manchester United legend and I grew up supporting Manchester United. It was a no-brainer for me to go to Bradford and work under him. He has worked at the highest level so to work under him is a pleasure.”

It’s a complete turnaround for a player who admits that he had “lost himself” a bit at Salford City and the sense of confidence is crystal clear when he declares his ability to break into Villa’s multi-million-pound Premier League team if he can maintain his current form.

For now the priority is Ireland and that shot at Euro 2023 and Ireland will have to do without Sheffield Wednesday’s Mark McGuinness, Liam Kerrigan of Como 1907, Barnsley’s Luca Connell and Cork City’s David Harrington who have all been ruled out with injuries.

In their place come Burnley’s Dara Costelloe, NAC Breda’s Anselmo Garcia MacNulty and the St Patrick’s Athletic pair of Adam O’Reilly and David Odumosu. The experienced McGuinness will be the biggest loss at the heart of the defence.