Ronan Coughlan insists he had no qualms ‘taking one step back to move two steps forward’ as he eyes a return to England.
The striker - who has won the SWI / SSE Airtricity ‘Player of the Month’ for April - dropped into the First Division this year by joining Waterford.
He hopes to provide the firepower that secures promotion for the Blues, and opens doors for another spell in the UK.
And Coughlan would not rule out following ex-Waterford stars Phoenix Patterson and Junior Quitirna to League One Fleetwood Town, if the opportunity presented itself.
Waterford and Fleetwood are both owned by English businessman Andy Pilley, with scope for player movement in both directions.
Coughlan, who spent three years at Huddersfield Town, has always been a Premier Division striker in the League of Ireland.
He played for St Patrick’s Athletic, Sligo Rovers, Cork City and Bray Wanderers, but has cited injuries for curtailing his impact at the Saints last season.
Waterford pounced and Coughlan is today celebrating winning the Player of the Month award after smashing 11 goals in five games.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back to move two forward. If you’re putting the ball in the back of the net, the level doesn’t really matter,” said Coughlan.
“From where I was last year, not playing, I needed to reinvent myself."
Coughlan has revealed how a psychologist and personal analyst have helped him with his game this season.
“I haven’t had the numbers I should have in the last few seasons and it’s something I’ve worked on with my own analyst, going through the games,” explained the Limerick man.
“I’ve only been doing it recently, seeing where I can save my energy and where I can hurt teams differently.
“I’m more direct in what I do. Probably less involved in the game but more focused on how I can hurt teams.
“I spend an hour with him every week and we review my games and it’s been paying dividends.”
An FAI Cup winner with St Pat’s in 2021, Coughlan says he had offers to stay in the Premier Division this year.
But with a return to England on his list of objectives, he knew he needed to get games under his belt.
“I had eyes on playing in England as my girlfriend is from there and our plan was to move there,” he explained.
“But I didn’t have much of a season last year with limited gametime, so I couldn't really explore that.
“My goal has always been to play at the highest possible level, whether that’s across the water, here or whatever.
“My options were mostly to stay in the Premier. I held out a bit longer to see if it would happen abroad but it came down to playing games.
“If I played in the Premier, it could have been the same old, whereas I needed something to motivate me and show how good I am.
“Waterford was the best move. Being able to show I can put the ball in the back of the net is great. This was the right fit, it’s working well and long may it continue.”
And Coughlan knows that Waterford’s link with Fleetwood is a door he could potentially open if he keeps producing the goods.
“It’s always in the background and we saw that two lads from the club got moves last year. That’s an aspiration of mine.
“I was in England years ago and having my partner from there it makes sense to go back.”
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