Tom Mohan is certainly making a name for himself in the world of international football. In 2019, the Aghadrumsee man guided the Ireland Under-19s to the semi-finals of the European Championships.
Last week, a 1-1 draw with Bulgaria secured Ireland a place in the Elite stage in European qualifying – a feat which Mohan is very pleased to have played a part in.
“That is our goal at the start of the season, to get to the European Finals. We have got over those three very difficult hurdles in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria. The fact that we had to travel to Bulgaria, we were up against three Eastern European teams and you have to fight for every inch when you play against them. They are always physically strong, well organised and some really gifted players at the top end of the pitch and they can hurt you at any given moment.
“In fairness, our boys did well. They put in great effort. When you had three different opponents in the three games, you had to select your squad accordingly. You had different players acquired for different games.”
Like all sports, Covid-19 has played a big part in how Mohan must prepare his team. The restrictions and risk of contracting the virus means that he also has to make a lot of sacrifices in his personal life as well.
“You have to be so, so careful. It can make such a difference to any squad. One or two players get it, or a staff members gets it, you have to adapt and change things and that is life at the minute.
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