Mark Connolly has experienced plenty of ups and downs on the pitch, and he has been touched in recent years by tragedy - so learning to enjoy the simple pleasures in life has been key to his footballing renaissance.
And these days there is nothing better than playing for his local club in front of his mum and close friends.
It’s almost 13 years ago that Connolly thought he had made it in the big time, when Bolton Wanderers, then in the Premier League, paid Wolves €1.2m for the then-17-year-old.
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His only tastes of first-team football during his two years with Bolton were on-loan at St Johnstone and Macclesfield.
“I made mistakes, made decisions that were not right for me,” said Dundalk centre-half Connolly, who yesterday was named the SSE Airtricity/SWI Player of the Month for June.
“At Wolves I was captain of the youth team and reserves, and was highly thought of.
“I went to Bolton, it wasn't the right move for me and my career, I was training with the first team.
“My first day there I was sitting between Kevin Davies, captain, and Gary Cahill, who both had serious careers.
“I was with the first team, travelled with them, was in the squad every week, it was a great experience but I wasn't playing.
“That's why I'd look and if boys are going to big clubs you have to be playing football.
“If you're at a big club and not guaranteed first team football the next step would be to go on loan and play first team football. If you are not playing you get forgotten about.
“So I regret not staying at Wolves to learn my trade.
“If I can use that experience to help anyone going down that line with decisions in football I'd happily give that advice.”
Connolly went on to play for Kilmarnock, then had a second spell at Crawley before moving to current club Dundee United.
He lost his father in February of last year, and a few months later he suffered a Posterior Cruciate Ligament injury.
“My father passed at the beginning of February, so there was kind of a spell from then until I got injured in May where I was just thinking everything is against me now and I've not got much luck,” he recalled.
“I had a decision to make then of either feeling sorry for myself or get back on the horse and go again and thankfully I did.”
After a loan spell at Dunfermline last year, he made another temporary switch at the start of 2022, this time close to his hometown of Clones.
Seeing his mum, along with other family members and friends, in the crowd at Oriel Park is just the tonic for the 30-year-old centre-half.
“She loves it. She loves coming down to the front wall and waving over,” he said.
“She's the centre of attention so she's loving it, but even going back to Clones where I'm from, everyone is keeping an eye on the results. Everyone is taking an interest.
“Them being able to experience the games and the wins and especially when they come up to Oriel, it's a special place.
“It's a place where when the nights are good and you're winning games and when we've beaten Shamrock Rovers and stuff like that here, there's something about this place that brings everyone together.
“Even my sister comes up to a lot of games and she's hugging people around her and stuff like that who she doesn't even know because there's just a togetherness.
“It has been good to have family and friends there. Every week there have been people from Clones coming up. They're always asking me for free tickets but they'll be all right.”
He added: “I came back to Ireland to be closer to family and friends which has been brilliant.
“The biggest help to getting that love (for football) back is being in a dressing-room full of great lads.
“We’ve been doing well on the pitch which has been good too.
“A lot of people – maybe not wrote us off – but didn’t expect us to be where we are.
“That’s testament to all the boys, having such a tight group of players, staff and behind the scenes.
“Probably, for me, coming back from the UK to a load of Irish boys all together in a dressing-room was what I needed.
“Yeah, I got my love for the game back. Coming in every day, you have a laugh and joke with these boys.”
Whether Connolly is a Dundalk player for much longer remains to be seen, as talks are ongoing between the League of Ireland side and his parent club Dundee United regarding his long-term future.
The centre-half could be whisked back to Scotland if the Tannadice club decide to end his loan spell.
“It’s currently ongoing talks, and they have been for quite a bit now, between myself, Dundalk and Dundee United,” he said.
“Nothing is concrete on what’s happening, the clubs are still talking, and that’s where it’s at.
“Hopefully I’ll learn more in the coming days with what’s happening, so I can’t really give you too much.
“The clubs are still talking, I am still talking to Dundee United and Dundalk, and we’re trying to see what the best option is for all parties involved.”
He added: “I have been really, really happy since I came back.
“From playing with the Dundalk Schoolboys growing up, it’s somewhere I’ve always kept an eye on since I moved to England and then Scotland.
“Coming back I’ve been treated fantastically by the staff, the manager and all of his staff, the players have been brilliant with me, and the fans have been top class.
“I have enjoyed my time so far and hopefully I’ll see what’s going to happen in the coming days, and see where I go from there.”
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