Fiacre Kelleher: Caoimhín could have made career as outfielder

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher during the international friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Senegal. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Fiacre Kelleher reckons his younger brother Caoimhín could have made a career as an outfielder if his conversion to goalkeeper hadn’t occurred.

Ireland’s No 1 – and the recent €15m purchase by Brentford from Liverpool – famously switched from striker to emergency stopper for Ringmahon Rangers at 14.

He hasn’t looked back since, the 26-year-old winning the Premier League as Alisson’s understudy at Liverpool before departing to become the Bees’ first choice.

His older brother Fiacre has also been on the move. The 29-year-old recently returned to his native Cork to sign for his hometown club and should make his first start, also as captain, in Friday’s Munster derby at Waterford.

After starting at Celtic as a trainee, he moved to England, navigating the lower leagues at Macclesfield, Wrexham, Bradford City and most recently Colchester United.

Family reasons influenced his decision but he’ll be able to take in some of his brother’s matches now that their matches don’t clash at the weekends.

“Colchester wasn't too far from Brentford, so when Caoimhín signed, I had to tell him that I was coming home,” he said about his brother, three years his junior.

“He's doing incredible stuff and it's going to be strange now to watch him every week playing in the Premier League.” 

Being the younger brother meant Caoimhín had no choice but to assume goalkeeping duties for family kickabouts on occasion.

“Somebody had to go in goal and I wasn't going in goal,” says Fiacre with a giggle.

“After a few months, I couldn't score on him then, so I knew then he was half-decent.

“He just took to it quite naturally, to be fair to him. I think Caoimhín could have played outfield as well, to be honest with you.

“He just had that knack for picking something up quite quickly. So yeah, no, he's just quite a talented boy. I think he got most of it.” 

That self-deprecation is harsh given how he carved out a career in the meat market that is the lower rungs of the English ladder. 

The relegation scrap he’s landed into on home soil is nothing new to the centre-back, and he isn’t jealous of his brother’s contrasting background competing for trophies at Pool.

“I've enjoyed football probably just as much as Caoimhín has,” he noted. “I don't think either of us play it for any other reason. We just love to play football, really.

“I can safely say I've not really worked a day in my life yet at 29. It doesn't feel like a job.

“I've scrapped away, managed to make half a career out of it and there's still plenty of life left in me as well. So hopefully I can just keep going here and keep pushing.” 

His first duties entail quelling the joint top scorer in the top-flight. Pádraig Amond is a striker Kelleher is familiar with from sparring in League Two and the 37-year-old has again reached double-figures despite Waterford sitting eight. 

They come into the match on the back of losing 7-2 against title contenders Derry City.

“We pointed out their main men in our analysis and Pádraig Amond has scored a lot of goals,” he said.

“It's up to me and whoever else is playing to ensure that he's not scoring - that we're keeping a clean sheet, really.

“I marked him a good few times, especially when he was at Newport. I know what to expect and I'll be ready for it, hopefully.” 

Wins are essential for basement side City to bridge the five points they’ve to close on Sligo Rovers to avoid automatic relegation. Kelleher is up for the fight.

“There’s been a couple of relegations and promotions over the last few years, which probably seemed a bit unsteady from the outside the club,” he observed.

“But I suppose since Dermot Usher has come in as owner, he's put an awful lot into the club, both financially and with his own time.

“It feels a lot different to what it looks like. I'm actually really optimistic about where this can go.

“I have a lot of experience of being in this situation. I've been in a lot worse ones at the foot of the table. It was a similar situation when I joined Colchester. We must build momentum and the only way you kind of get that is by winning games.”