Coventry City's new, old boy Roy O'Donovan has spoken about his time at the academy and that he wants to emulate the work ethic of former fans favourite Andy Morrell.
O'Donovan was at the Academy under the management of Richard Money, joining in 2001 at the age of 15. He progressed through the youth team until he was 19 and then left the club after being released aged 19.
O'Donovan said of this period in his Coventry days, “It has always been my dream to play for Coventry City since the day I joined the club aged 15, so it is great to get a second chance,” he said.
“I had just turned 19 when I left and it was probably the best thing that could have happened because I think I was too young for Coventry, both mentally and physically, and it was good to get back home to be with my mother and father and friends again.”
He returned to Ireland and signed for his home town club Cork City where he became a prolific scorer bagging 31 goals in 74 games thus attracted the attention of Roy Keane who was then in charge at Sunderland. Keane paid 500.000 Euros for O'Donovan in 2007.
Speaking about his time at Sunderland he said, “Although I didn’t even get a handful of starts in the Premier League, Roy Keane gave me a lot of experience. I would love to play at that level again and it would obviously be nice to do it with Coventry."
“I know the club have struggled to make an impact in the Championship and have changed the manager every couple of years, but I get the sense that things will be different this time round."
"When I spoke to the manager he was very impressive. He’s got so much passion and hunger to do well and you can see from the type of characters that he is bringing in, players who are all hungry to succeed and with a point to prove.”
O'Donovan was sent out on loan to Hartlepool and helped them survive a relegation scare, chipping in with 9 goals in fifteen games and he hopes he can continue with that sort of form at Coventry.
He said, “Chris Turner was very good to me there, It got me back in the shop window and got my confidence back and when you get a bit of success it makes you greedy for more, so hopefully I can use that as a springboard to success at Coventry.”
O'Donovan returned to Coventry on a free transfer whe the new manager Aidy Boothroyd offered him the opportunity to return.
“It’s great to be back and I can’t wait to run out at the Ricoh Arena in August,” said O'Donovan. “I made my debut for Blackpool there when I was on loan with them a couple of seasons ago and it really is a fantastic stadium."
"We went a goal up but ended up losing 2-1 and I remember the fans were superb that day, so I am looking forward to playing in front of them again.” He continued, “Andy Morrell was a senior player here when I was on the books before and like him I always like to give 100 per cent.
“It struck me at the time watching him play and it has stuck with me throughout my career. He may not have been the most gifted player to ever put on a Sky Blue shirt but he gave his all in every game and the fans loved him for that and that’s what I always try to do.”