'I’ve always just believed in myself': Rovers starlet Adam Brennan reflects on crazy year

Shamrock Rovers' Adam Brennan. Pic: Nick Elliott/Inpho

Adam Brennan is keeping his focus on the present and the future but, when the Premier Division season ends tonight and he joins his Shamrock Rovers teammates in lifting the league trophy at Oriel Park, he can allow himself some time to reflect on a remarkable 12 months.

This time last year, Brennan was playing in the promotion-relegation play-offs with UCD. 

Now, he has a debut Ireland senior cap, a first league winner's medal and the prospect of reaching the European Championships with the Ireland under-21s.

It has been an amazing rise for the 19-year-old, who went on trial with Hull City last November before leaving his ETB course the following month to join Stephen Bradley’s side.

“It’s been a crazy experience,” he said. “To think last year I was playing in the play-offs for UCD and then six, seven months later you’re lining up against Canada for Ireland, I don’t think anyone could have predicted that. Not even myself, to be fair.

“It probably hasn’t sunk in the way it probably should. It probably won’t until I hang up the boots, which is hopefully a long time away. When I look back it’ll probably sink in a little bit more, but right now I’m just focusing on the next match and the next session.” 

The immediate concern is on finishing the domestic campaign with a final victory against Dundalk at Oriel Park and celebrating a bit harder than last weekend, when the Hoops confirmed their sixth title success in seven years by beating Sligo Rovers, with Brennan scoring twice in the 4-0 victory.

“Dundalk away is always a tough game, so knowing that we don’t have to win or rely on other teams is a relief,” he said. "I’m delighted that I came here for moments like this and hopefully many more to come.

"It's been very unexpected, I don't think anyone could have really predicted the season I've had individually, so I'm just still trying to push on and get better. Hopefully it's only the start."

He is then expected to return to international duty with the under-21s, who face home and away play-offs against Finland in mid-November for a place in next summer's finals.

“Hopefully that will be the plan,” he said. “The play-offs are in a couple of weeks. The last camp was very successful, a great win against England and obviously Kazakhstan and Slovakia, so hopefully we can get the job done and get to the European Championships in June."

Brennan describes himself as a late developer and his first international camp came with the under-18s when he was 17, before progressing through the under-19s and under-21s.

“I’d probably say I have been (under the radar)," he acknowledged.

His footballing journey began at Clonee before spells with Stella Maris and Leixlip, followed by a long association with UCD, where he progressed from under-13 level to the first team.

“I wouldn’t have really had many trials or had that interest that other players would have had," he said. "I just kept my head down, bided my time and I think it has worked.” 

Hull weren't the only suitors at the end of last season but, working behind the scenes, Ronan Finn played a key role in Brennan signing for Rovers. Finn, who had played with the teenager at UCD, had become Rovers' new sporting director.

Brennan insists he has no regrets about the choice he made. 

A Player of the Match performance on his debut, when he scored and provided an assist in a 2-0 win over St Pat's, was the launchpad to a stand-out first four months before injury halted his momentum, but he returned to claim a place in Heimir Halgrímsson's Ireland squad for the friendlies against Qatar and Canada.

“It’s just coming in here and having the belief in myself," he said, reflecting on his rapid progress.

"I’ve always just believed in myself, I feel that the managers also believed in me and that’s why, when we had a chat at the start of the season coming in, I just felt it was the best thing for me (joining Rovers), and I think it’s paid off.” 

He came on against Canada in second half injury time, joining fellow Premier Division men Kian Leavy and Dawson Devoy in making their senior international bow. 

A brilliant experience, and while knows how difficult it will be to get back into the selection frame, Brennan is backing himself to do it.

“You look at the level of players who are injured, at players like Evan Ferguson still come back into the squad,” he said. “It’s only the start of my career, so hopefully many more to come.” 

The one real blip was Rovers' failure to take advantage of a fortuitous European pathway. Missing out on the group stages was disappointing.

“That’s been the standard that the club has set, to win the league and push as far as we can in Europe,” he said.

“Obviously, it was disappointing not to get a group stage of European football, but we don’t listen to any of the noise outside. We focus on ourselves - and we’ve won the league.

"Most of the lads are kind of used to this feeling. I'm probably not as such, so it's kind of a bit of a weird one for me, but I'm just trying to take everything in and enjoy it as much as possible."