It was a summer of much change for Caoimhín Kelleher but he feels the time has now also come for this Ireland squad to get a move on in terms of qualifying for major tournaments.
After 10 years with Liverpool, having joined the club’s academy from Ringmahon Rangers in 2015, Kelleher signed for Brentford in June to secure first-team football.
The 26-year-old left Anfield having won two Premier League titles, a Champions League, one FA Cup, two Carabao Cups and a Uefa Super Cup. He made 67 appearances for Liverpool and earned the respect of supporters for his performances when deputising for Alisson Becker.
The move to London sees Kelleher link up with international team-mate Nathan Collins, who is the Brentford captain. The departure of Thomas Frank from the club shortly after Kelleher’s arrival then led to Dubliner Keith Andrews becoming manager of the Bees.
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Kelleher has played all three of Brentford’s Premier League games so far this season.
“I’ve known Keith for a lot of years now and I was really excited when he did get the job,” says Kelleher. “I think he’s done excellent so far and we’re going in the right direction. It’s really enjoyable with all the Irish lads there.
“[With Nathan], we’ve played a lot together at national team level and we’re quite close anyway. But playing at club level, you get to know each other a lot more, seeing each other every day and building a better connection.
“It can only help at national team level as well. It’s been really good so far and I think Nathan’s been great in helping me settle in.”
The luxury of settling in is not really an option for Ireland for their upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign because their programme of matches will be wrapped up on November 16th. It starts against Hungary in Dublin this Saturday.
Ireland’s six games to qualify will take place over 10 weeks and across three international windows. It’s a sprint, not a marathon.
However, it has been a slog for Ireland to get out of qualification groups for many years now. Indeed, Ireland’s last appearance at a World Cup remains 2002.
Kelleher made his senior international debut in a friendly against Hungary in 2021 but the Cork native feels there is a greater maturity in the dressingroom now.
“The majority of the group then was maybe making their debuts around that time and coming into the squad,” he recalls.
“It’s been a good few years of development for us. We’ve had a few attempts at qualification and obviously it’s not happened for us. But I think in terms of this group, most of us are in the right time of our career.
“We’re all at a good age, we’re all playing week-in, week-out as well, which is important. And I think the last few camps have been really positive in terms of performances and results.
“The squad has remained relatively similar each time, so we’re all getting to know each other. I just think everything’s adding up and it’s looking good at the moment.
“The next thing for us is to put the pressure on ourselves and to try and go and qualify.
“I think it’s like [the manager] said, it’s go-time for us now. This is it. We’re just all eyes on Saturday, looking to start with a win.”
As Ireland’s last line of defence, Kelleher enters Saturday’s Aviva showdown with Hungary at a positive period of his career as he is now a first-choice Premier League goalkeeper.
“It’s a nice position to be in, knowing you’re going to be playing. The pressure’s there to perform every week, so I think definitely it’s a change of mindset for me, but you know it’s been one I’ve wanted for a while and it’s definitely a positive one for me.”
If Ireland are to come out on top this Saturday, chances are they will need to curtail the threat of Dominik Szoboszlai, who produced a stunning free last weekend to earn Liverpool a 1-0 win over Arsenal.
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“I know him quite well from Liverpool,” says Kelleher. “One of his biggest threats is his shooting ability. So, for sure, I think we need to limit that on Saturday.”
Either way, Ireland need to get this campaign off to a positive start. It’s not win or bust, but losing could potentially derail Ireland’s qualification ambitions on the opening night.
“It would be ideal to start off with a victory,” says Kelleher. “Obviously, it’s one of our bigger rivals in the group, so I think definitely the target for us is to probably start off with a win.
“I don’t think a draw is the end of the world, but we’re looking towards a win, and I think that’s what we need to get to be honest.”
