“It’s without a doubt the biggest game of my career' - Irish midfielder Gavan Holohan chats to paulfennessy21 ahead of Grimsby's historic FA Cup tie today -
Paul Fennessy WHEN GAVAN HOLOHAN stepped up to take a penalty at St Mary’s Stadium earlier this month, he would not have needed a reminder as to what was at stake.
Per BBC Sport, Grimsby’s last appearance in the FA Cup quarter-finals had been in the 1938-39 season. A victory would break Reading’s 83-year record in terms of the gap in time between appearances at that stage of the competition. It meant Grimsby became just the sixth team from the fourth tier or lower to reach the competition’s last eight since the division was introduced in the 1958-59 season.
From birth, the odds were against Holohan. He grew up in a county not renowned as a soccer stronghold and was a keen GAA player as well as a talented footballer. “I’m still living in Hull to this day,” he tells The42. “So I ended up kind of being adopted by Hull and it’s more like a second home to me now.”
“But looking back on it now, it was probably the best decision I made for my career, it really helped me progress and put me in the shop window — I managed to get that experience that I needed.” Such was the quality available to the Leesiders that Holohan tended to find himself in and out of the starting XI.
Despite some commendable individual performances, including a first-ever career hat-trick against former side Drogheda, Holohan could not prevent Galway’s relegation, though he stayed in the Premier Division, signing for newly promoted Waterford ahead of the 2018 campaign. Yet it was not enough to ensure a long stay at the club as he went back to the National League with Grimsby, signing in March of last year. After making over 100 appearances, he had lost his place in the starting XI while the decision to drop down a division was aided by the fact that the club was in much closer proximity to his home in Hull.
And there is a sense that Holohan has spent a long time searching for a permanent home. His Hartlepool stint lasted just shy of three years and before then, discounting underage level, he had not spent more than two seasons at any one club.
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