Long looking to strike it lucky
at Royals
 By David
Thorpe
The impact Irish striker Kevin Doyle has made on the Premiership this
season has seen Reading soccer jerseys become an increasingly common sight
on Irish streets — but the Wexfordman is not the only young Irish
striker making waves at the Madejski Stadium.
Former Tipperary minor hurler Shane Long joined the Royals from Cork City
as part of the same deal which took Doyle to the Steve Coppell-managed
side. Long was just 18 at the time and has been used sparingly as the
Royals have made a massive impact in the Premiership. But the Republic
of Ireland U-21 international is highly thought of by the manager and
showed glimpses of his potential when scoring for the Royals in their
recent FA Cup victory over Burnley.
Long, who was born in Gortnahone, was highly thought of in hurling circles
in the Premier County and it is believed he would have been part of the
Tipperary senior panel this year had soccer not come calling.
He joined Cork City on a scholarship in 2004 and progressed quickly through
the ranks before joining Reading. Scouts had been coming to watch Cork
games for some time
He said: “They came to watch Kevin in a pre-season friendly back
in Cork. They saw me as well and asked me if I wanted to come in the same
deal and I said: ‘Where do I sign?’.”
For a player who has been used to the sporting spotlight for most of his
young life Long is refreshingly down-to-earth. When discussing Reading’s
outstanding start to the Premiership season Shane repeatedly mentions
hard work and is refusing to get carried away with talk of the Royals
qualifying for Europe.
He said: “The aim this season is for the club to stay in the Premiership.
I think we can do that now so it’s a case of getting as many points
as possible. There is a big gap between the two divisions — mainly
the pace the game is played at in the top flight and the fact that there
are no easy games in this league. Every week you face opponents who can
beat you. That wasn’t necessarily the case last year.”
As for his own progress Shane says he is happy to be involved in the first
team.
He said: “I have started two games but more importantly I am getting
on the bench regularly and the manager has been good enough to put me
on plenty of times. Making my Premiership debut was the best moment of
my life. Hopefully I can keep getting games as the season goes on. The
reality is that the most competition for places at Reading this year is
among the strikers but I have time on my side so hopefully if I keep working
hard I can progress to getting more first-team games.”
Since the emergence of Kevin Doyle there has been a flurry of interest
from British clubs in Eircom League players and Shane believes that there
are plenty more players in Irish domestic soccer capable of having a similar
impact on the English Premiership.
He said: “There are a lot of talented young players and the success
Kevin has enjoyed has sent the scouts flocking over to Ireland looking
for another player like him.”
With a down-to-earth attitude and quiet intelligence Shane Long is player
who could go to the very top and whatever the rest of this season holds
for the Tipperary man, time is on his side and he is a player to watch
in the coming seasons.
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