DROGHEDA UNITED midfielder Ollie Cahill has been named as the Eircom/Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Player of the Month for July after turning in a series for strong performances for his club in the Champions League qualifiers.
The 32-year-old, who won this award twice during his time with Cork City, scored a crucially important goal in the home leg against Levadia Tallinn and was also impressive in the first encounter with Dynamo Kiev, a game United narrowly lost before drawing a week later in the Ukraine.
"We'd struggled in the league," he says, "our form had been very poor so the European run gave everybody a big lift we needed.
"It was the first time for the club in the Champions League as well, so I suppose that lifted everyone there and it gave us a spring in our step."
Cahill's contribution was all the more impressive given that, while he generally plays wide on the left and has regularly slotted in at left back when required, he played in a relatively unfamiliar central midfield role for the European games as manager Paul Doolin opted for a 4-5-1 formation.
"I've played at left back and in left midfield and in the centre once or twice but I suppose it shows a bit of experience that I can play it a lot more now," he says.
"I enjoy it, because you get involved and get on the ball more and you know what's needed. You can't be silly in the middle in those European games; you need to do things right and be patient, time your runs when you need to and know when to sit as well.
"In the first game against Levadia," he adds, "when Paul Keegan got injured, I sat in that holding role for a while, which was a bit more of a challenge. You have to use your experience and know when to talk to people around you and give them a bit of advice."
The challenge, he acknowledges now, is for everyone at the club to ensure they are playing European football against next season.
"They're the kind of games where you want to play. I mean, for me, it's probably the highest level of game that I'll ever get the chance to play in and the games went well for us, which gives you a determination to look to be involved more."
The most promising qualification route for the club would appear to be the FAI Cup, which resumes this weekend.
"This is a really important few weeks for us. We need to go on a run. We've got this big cup game away to Bohemians this Friday which is a really big match for us that we need to win."
Waterford United, meanwhile, have confirmed the 20-year-old striker David Grincell has signed a two-year contract extension.
