Tuam striker paints a picture of life as footballer

Every weekend as young soccer enthusiasts tune into the Premier League action, they dream of what it would be like to live the life of a sporting superstar.

But what they see on Sky Sports is a far cry from the reality enjoyed by one Tuam native who took the plunge this time last year to play soccer in England – albeit in the fourth tier of the game.

It was nonetheless a dream come true for Rory Gaffney when he was discovered by scouts and signed an 18 month contract with Cambridge United.

Rory played Gaelic football, but soccer was always his passion.

Starting with Tuam Celtic, he went on to play League of Ireland with Mervue United and Limerick City before moving cross-channel.

To the football fan, this would seem like the golden ticket to a life of riches, fast cars and luxury houses.

But the 26 year old was level-headed enough to know that the reality would be very different – all he wanted was play football in England and see how it went.

He drives a seven year old Volkswagen Golf, lives in a house with five other players and in his spare time he is studying accountancy for the fateful day when professional football isn’t an option anymore.

Rory does not see a role for himself in football after his career comes to an end but in the meantime he simply wants to enjoy the experience of playing in England.

And it started with a bang – because when Rory signed for Cambridge this time last year he was on the bench for an FA Cup tie against Man United.

But he’d only made a handful of first team appearances for Cambridge before suffering an ankle injury which required surgery.

He resumed training and towards the end of last year went on loan to Bristol Rovers where he scored four goals in two games to put the side into the top five of League Two.

He admitted that it was an opportunity to prove his potential and was delighted with what he achieved.

“Over here you are in competition with five or six strikers – even in the fourth tier of English football. That is how difficult it is,” he told The Connacht Tribune.

Rory trains at around 8.30am every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and then mentally prepares for the possibility of being selected for a match the following day.

Training ends at 1.30pm after which they have to ‘knock in’ the rest of the day either by reading, sleeping, watching TV or walking around the city.

Asked about his ambitions and if he would like to join a club in a higher league, his response was unbelievably rational that it would be a lesson for anyone with ambitions of playing football in England.

“You cannot think like that. You are as good as your last game. If the goals start coming then there will probably be attention from other clubs but we will never hear this because we are tied to contracts.

“Equally, if you are not scoring then it is a completely different situation so nobody at this level can start thinking above their station. But don’t get me wrong, I am loving every minute of it,” Rory added.

He earns a decent living but nothing like those in the higher leagues. He doesn’t get home to Tuam as often as he likes and even when he does, it is often for just a night or two to his parents James and Kathleen.

But he is anxious to see out his professional career in England and ‘challenge myself’ over the coming years.

“It is my intention as well as being an expectation that I keep scoring goals and if that happens, then who knows what lies ahead but you have to stay grounded.

“I enjoyed playing League of Ireland football but I always wanted to take it to the next level and I am delighted that I have achieved this. It is what I always wanted and would not give it up for anything,” he says.

Rory hopes that he can continue playing in England until he is 30 or 31 and after that he has to concentrate on embarking in a different direction which is why he is studying accountancy.

However, after his professional career comes to an end in England, he would not be averse to a couple of seasons with Galway United and, indeed, has not completely ruled out a stint playing Gaelic football with Tuam Stars.

But that, he hopes, is a long way down the line yet.