O'Mahony very much at home in Turner's Cross — and Fratton Park
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: Mark O'Mahony poses for a portrait during a Republic of Ireland U21's photocall. Pic Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
Loan moves are laced with risk. Designed to fast track a player’s career, they can turn suddenly into dead ends. Managers can come or go, faces might not fit, styles of play could prove to be completely unsuitable.
You roll the dice and you take your chances.
Take a look at the Championship table and you might suspect that Mark O’Mahony’s sidestep down the south coast from Brighton to Portsmouth has left him in choppy waters. Anything but. Pompey are second bottom and without a win but O’Mahony has landed on his feet.
Two goals in his first four appearances have made for the ideal start. The plan leaving Brighton short-term was to get game time under his belt. Scoring twice this soon into his stint at the second-tier club has just cemented the sense that this was the way to go.
“I have been loving it so far. It's going well.”
Settling in off the field plays a huge part in it. Having to leave for Ireland U21 duties just days after arriving wasn’t ideal but he has traded in hotel digs for an apartment now and feels right at home down by the sea.
It all reminds him of Brighton and, in some ways, of home in Cork.
O’Mahony managed three Premier Leagues games off the bench for Brighton & Hove Albion at the back end of last term, against Burnley, Manchester City and Bournemouth, but the Premier League 2 was his bread and butter at the Amex.
A developmental league for players aged between 17 and 21, it serves its purpose in giving up-and-coming talent an outlet to show their wares but O’Mahony has been blown away by the experience of playing ‘proper’ football in front of paying fans.
“We were playing Sunderland who are doing well,” he said of his home debut at Fratton Park. “I wasn't expecting the atmosphere to be that good at all, until you're actually there and you sense it.
“When I came on I was like, ‘fucking hell’. It’s different to the Premier League, but for me I think the atmosphere is actually better than a lot of the Premier League. It’s a tight stadium, not a modern-day stadium.”
Fratton Park retains the charm of an old-school ground even after significant development work in recent years.
O’Mahony has been told all about how the place rocked at the start of the millennium when they flew so high in the Premier League.
People have shown him videos with Thierry Henry explaining how it was one of the best venues he ever got to play in. Alex Ferguson said something similar. Rich praise given the number of games and the breadth of their combined experiences.
“I don’t think I have ever been in a stadium like it, the atmosphere is unbelievable down there, especially as we’re not doing the best in the league, but they are still filling the stadium week in week out.”
Championship football, he explained, is basically a “different sport” to the underage bracket that had been his weekly focus.
Not so much in terms of what happens on the pitch, although the physicality and intensity are markedly increased, as in all that surrounds it.
“You actually get to feel pressure. They tell you there is pressure in PL2 but it’s not really pressure. You are playing with lads [here] whose jobs are on the line at the end of the day and you feel the pressure.
“For me, it’s only driving me on because I actually enjoy it, I play better with pressure. It’s a big factor in men’s football when you have fans travelling the country and paying money to come and see you. Pressure comes with that so it has been a massive difference.”
Friday’s U21 Euro 2025 qualifier should suit him to a tee then.
O’Mahony grew up in Carrigaline, a 15-20 minute spin from Turner’s Cross where the game against Norway is to be played. It's a venue he obviously knows well having attended Cork City games there in the past and played for the club in the 2022 First Division campaign.
So much of his football education is centred around Cork City and Friday night’s venue. His only experience of the Aviva Stadium? When City played there in Cup finals. His only Ireland senior game as a fan? The 2016 friendly at Turner’s Cross against Belarus.
Tonight will be his first time to play there with the Ireland U21s as they look to claim a Euro 2025 playoff spot with a win before turning to Trieste next week where a defeat of Italy would qualify an Irish team automatically at this grade for the first time.
“Everyone is buzzing. We know what's on the line and know if we can go through we can create history and be the first team to ever do it. That's spurring lads on. We fully believe we can go and do it. They are two big games but we don't see why we can't get six points.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
