'Anything can happen' - Aaron Bolger eyeing cup upset after kickstarting career with Cork City

The midfielder credits former Turner's Cross boss Colin Healy for helping him to enjoy his football again.

Fri, 06 Oct, 2023 - 06:52

Paul Buttner

Aaron Bolger has credited Colin Healy with revitalising his career when joining Cork City in the summer of 2021.

The Wicklow midfielder was nurtured up through the ranks of renowned south Dublin schoolboy club St Joseph's Boys in Sallynoggin before joining Shamrock Rovers’ academy.

Capped at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels for the Republic of Ireland, Bolger made his senior Rovers debut aged just 16 in 2016.

Such was his progress, he was signed, on loan initially, by then Premier Division Cardiff City in 2019. Though it was made permanent, the move didn’t work out as planned and he returned to Rovers in the summer of 2020.

Having come from first team football at Rovers, Bolger was disappointed by his time in Wales where he expected to be in and around the first team environment.

“But I was back down with the under-23s,” he explained, speaking ahead of Sunday’s FAI Cup semi-final with St Patrick’s Athletic at Turner’s Cross.

“It’s hard to adjust when you have been around professionals like Ronan Finn and ‘Pico’ Lopes and then you are in with people your own age again.

“I thought I would have been around the first team. But, listen, it was an experience.”

Having returned to Rovers, an unenjoyable stint on loan at Longford Town followed before Healy signed him permanently for Cork.

Bolger was a mainstay of City’s midfield as they romped to the First Division title last year.

“I think I’ve gone through a lot in my football career and I’m still only 23. It was something to learn from.

“When I came back from Cardiff it was about getting my feet back on the ground.

“It was just about trying to enjoy it again. I went down to Cork and that’s when it really kicked on again under Colin Healy.

“He was really great with me. I think he understood me from working with me with the Ireland under-19s.

“He gave me a platform to play and to go and enjoy my football again.”

Bearing that in mind, Bolger was hugely disappointed to see Healy depart Cork in early May.

“I was devastated to see Colin go. I think he’s an unbelievable manager. He’s an unbelievable man and man manager, friend even now, I think.

“He is now in with the Ireland women’s which is a huge bonus to them.”

Once again a vital cog in their midfield this season, even a nasty head injury suffered in the madcap 4-4 draw against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium in early March hasn’t held Bolger back.

“I can’t remember anything of being on the pitch. I just remember the ball getting cleared from the box and we were going on a counterattack,” said Bolger of the clash with Rovers’ Trevor Clarke in which he was knocked unconscious.

“It wasn’t as bad as everyone initially thought. It was still a really bad collision. I knocked my teeth out. I had to get three root canals, so it was severe enough.”

Nine points adrift in the relegation play-off place, Cork’s main battle this season is to remain in the top flight.

“It’s been massively disappointing so far. At the end of the day, we have this cup semi-final to look forward to and a play-off,” said Bolger. “We have time to turn the season around.”

A massive lift in doing so would be beating St Pat’s on Sunday afternoon, something they’ve not managed this season.

“We know how difficult a game it’s going to be, though I think a cup semi-final is a totally different game to the league. Anything can happen and I think the home advantage is huge.

“When the draw was being made we were looking for home advantage because we know how strong Turner’s Cross can be.

“We know our fans will come out in force and hopefully we can give them a day to remember.”