Conor McMenamin made his Northern Ireland debut in the Nations League quadruple header in June
Conor McMenamin has described his withdrawal from the Northern Ireland squad as “difficult” following the emergence of a historic video.
The Glentoran forward was left out of the squad hours before NI’s Nations League win over Kosovo last month.
He was then reinstated by the Football Association of Ireland’s Disciplinary Committee and was able to feature in the final game four days later against Greece, where he came off the bench.
“Obviously it was difficult back then,” said the Glentoran winger.
“The club have been brilliant with me, they have supported me. The gaffer [Mick McDermott]the entire board and the guys all gathered around me and made sure I was okay.”
McMenamin said his return to the pitch with Northern Ireland and then Glentoran was a relief.
“It’s probably the safest place outside,” added the 27-year-old.
“You don’t think about anything else and you just want to play football, do good for the club and do good for the boys. Luckily I was able to do that.
“I always believe I can do well and help the team. I’m playing really well and may it stay that way for a long time.”
After a stellar 2021/22 season with the Glens, McMenamin made his first call-up to the Nations League quadruple header in June and retained his spot in the squad for the international window in September.
However, the video surfaced two days after Kilmarnock forward Kyle Lafferty was withdrawn from Ian Baraclough’s squad following an allegedly sectarian remark.
The Irish Association has since defended his handling of the situation after McMenamin traveled to Athens for the final Nations League game.
“The video in question was made a long time ago. I’m sorry and I regret it. We all make mistakes,” McMenamin said after being reinstated in the squad.
“Biggest game of the year”
McMenamin played a key role in Glentoran’s unbeaten start to the season, which continued with a 3-0 win over rivals Linfield on Friday night.
McDermott’s side are a point off the top of the table but have a game on their hands against early pacesetter Larne.
“It’s early days. We’re not going to get carried away. Coming here is obviously the biggest game of the year,” added McMenamin.
“It’s the biggest crowd, it’s our big rivals, so obviously we’re going to be buzzing over the next few weeks to get a win like that.
“That will inspire confidence and hopefully we can just move on and stay calm.”
Conor McMenamin impressed as Glentoran beat rival Linfield on Friday night
Glentoran’s unbeaten start to the season follows a disappointing finish to the previous campaign, which saw them rise from title challengers to total oblivion in European football after a dramatic overtime play-off loss to Larne.
“It’s day and night,” McMenamin said of the mood in the dressing room compared to the end of last season, which he described as “heartbreaking.”
“Not a word was spoken after the Larne game. We were so disappointed, especially with what happened.
“You couldn’t watch the gaffer for two months until the season started.
“He was really down and he’s still not over it and stuff. We pulled ourselves together and we bonded really well and hopefully we can move on.”
Learning from past celebrations
McMenamin added that Glentoran would “stay grounded” after defeating Linfield, citing last season’s much celebrated win over the Blues in February, which came before the Glens collapsed and David Healy’s side eventually won the title .
“I think when we beat Linfield at the Oval last season, everyone was too hasty and sang and danced.
“We all make mistakes and it’s about learning from them as a team and individually. We’ll go to Newry next week and hopefully get three points.”
Remarkably, the Glens have conceded just one goal in eight games that fell against Crusaders in the second game week and McMenamin has praised an improved defense which has conceded 44 goals last season.
See: Purki’s double helps Glens beat 10-man Linfield 3-0
“When I first signed for the club we looked like we could go two games without conceding,” added McMenamin.
“Last year we conceded goals from all possible directions.
“We were early [for pre-season], at the same time as clubs in Europe. We worked on things that were fatal to us last year. We always knew we could score goals and we look really solid.
“The boys were unreal. The gaffer keeps coming at us, if we can keep goals away we will score goals with our attack and win more games than we lose.”
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