Northern Ireland striker Josh Magennis out to complete fairytale rise

07 October 2015 06:31

Northern Ireland's Josh Magennis is hoping to score a famous goal for his country on Thursday and put the finishing touch on a remarkable transition from youth goalkeeper to international striker.

Magennis, 25, is in line to make a first competitive start for his country against Greece on Thursday, when victory would secure a first major tournament for the Green and White Army since 1986.

The prospect of replacing suspended top-scorer Kyle Lafferty for such a critical fixture would present a huge opportunity for any Northern Irishman, but Magennis' back story is a unique one.

Magennis was 16 when Cardiff came calling to take him from Belfast outfit Glentoran, where he had caught the eye with his glovework.

In 2007 he even came within moments of donning the gloves in a League Cup match against Liverpool.

But after his development hit a dead end, he made the decision to start from scratch as a striker - a role he has performed in for the Bluebirds, Aberdeen, current side Kilmarnock and now Northern Ireland.

As background stories go, few centre-forwards on European duty this week can have much on Magennis.

"It's a bit surreal," he said.

"In my first year at Cardiff it was great, I ended up almost playing in the Carling Cup against Liverpool. We had a goalkeeper, Michael Oakes, who came on loan from Aston Villa, but he wasn't even sure if he could play.

"If he wasn't able to play, it was going to be me starting.

"I was thinking, 'This is the life, this is what I want to do'.

"Cardiff thought after that experience I should have kicked on, but I went the other direction and I sort of plummeted. I honestly don't know whether it was nerves or self-belief, but I just never hit the heights where I thought I could go."

But, having told Magennis he would not make it as a keeper, Cardiff academy manager Neil Ardley did offer him the chance to prove his qualities at the other end of the pitch.

"Neil said I could come back and try being a striker, if not we'll have to let you go. If I stayed as a goalkeeper I was going home.

"Neil said, 'You don't have to prove anything to anybody, as long as you keep believing in yourself - you don't need to be Maradona, you just need to be yourself'."

That advice helped the Bangor native carve out a career in the Scottish Premier League and he now has the chance to complete the fairytale by netting his first international goal against Greece and help his side book a first ever European Championship.

"Every trip you come away you dream about it," he said.

"What you can achieve on a team basis is more than what you can ever achieve as an individual.

"But you're only human and your mind does wander. You do think or what can happen. The big massive what if - if you score the winner or have a hand in the goal.

"It's just trying to balance your emotions with reality. If the opportunity does come we'll have to do our best to take that chance."

Source: PA