6 minute read
Danny Grant
GRANT
Debut goals mean so much for any footballer but for Danny Grant, his first goal in the yellow and black had more behind it. The goal marked his first senior goal in English football after joining Huddersfield from Irish side Bohemians in the winter of 2020. However, two serious hamstring injures left Grant side-lined for several months.
Words: Nickolas McInally
Speaking on his volley against Everton U21s in the Papa Johns Trophy, the Irishman said: “I just felt pure happiness and relief. Obviously it’s my first goal over here in England professionally and it was a great feeling. I love scoring goals and I don’t think you can beat that feeling.
Having joined the club on transfer deadline day, the attacker has had to wait patiently for his opportunity. However, Town’s number 9 hopes that the goal can be the catalyst for a strong season.
He explained: “There is a lot of good players at this football club so I knew coming in that there would be competition. When you are a loan player you’ve got to fight your way in to the team and prove your good enough to do it. I’ve got that first goal so hopefully that means I get another opportunity to keep working hard and getting more minutes. From there it’s up to me. I’ve got to keep playing well, creating chances, scoring goals and hopefully I can keep that place.”
Grant began his career with Irish side Bohemians, where he made over 60 first team appearances and the 22-year-old believes this exposure to senior football as a teen has helped him to develop as a footballer.
He revealed: “Bohemians [Bohs] are a really popular club in Ireland so the fan base is really big. Playing in front of three and a half to four thousand people every week was brilliant. It was a different experience to coming through an academy in England.
The Irishman believes his time with the Dublin based club helped him to improve as a person as well as a player.
He said: “I owe a lot to Bohs, it’s a brilliant club and I think they probably made me who I am today. I am very grateful from the opportunity I had there. I think my time there has helped me to stay humble. The club don’t have the biggest budget and there were some great characters there. I think they probably rubbed off on me that little bit. I appreciate the small things, whether that be in life or in football.”
A strong 2020 campaign saw the 22-year-old notch seven goals in 17 appearances. This was form which saw him awarded the Young Player of the Year award and the winger admitted he felt ready to take the next step in his career.
He said: “I spoke to my family and friends at the time, I had open and honest conversations and I felt like I was ready. You see a lot of 16 or
17-year-olds coming to England and it ends up not working. I was 20 and felt mature enough to give it a bash over here.”
The Irishman believes his previous experience with Bohemians has allowed him to settle in to the environment of Town.
He said: “I think there is definitely similarities there. The club is run by working class people, with the club coming up through the leagues they aren’t going to be the richest club in the division which is similar to Bohs. Coming in I think the culture around the place seems similar where you work hard every day.”
As well as success on the domestic front, Grant earned a call up to the Irish U21 squad, an honour which filled the Huddersfield loanee with pride.
He said: “It was a huge honour for me. At U21 level the standard is really high. When you’re at international level the players involved either play first team football or will go on to play it. The experience of playing with these guys was fantastic.”
However, as interest grew, Grant admitted it was tough to leave behind first team football in pursuit of his development.
He said: “It was tough but I had to take that jump to improve. I know I wasn’t going to come straight in to English football and play but I have to keep working hard and prove myself.”
A move to Huddersfield Town would follow. However, the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions made the challenge of settling in to a new country even more difficult.
Reflecting on the period, Grant explained: “It wasn’t ideal. It was very difficult, ordinarily when you move to a new country you bring a family member over to help you settle in, I couldn’t do that. I took the jump by myself and didn’t see my family for over half a year and I spent that time on my own so obviously that is tough. The lads at Huddersfield were fantastic, they gave me all the help I needed and after a couple of months I really started to settle in.”
While adapting to a new country off the pitch, momentum was with Grant on it. Personal accolades, international caps and a new club. However, the first of two hamstring injuries would bring this all to a halt.
Speaking on the injury and it’s impact, the Irishman said: “It was tough, at the time you probably sulk for a few days but you have to get yourself going again pretty quickly. It’s a long career so you have to come back as strong as possible.
“Everything was going well and you just want to excel when you do make the move but I wasn’t able to do that. I don’t have any regrets about it, these setbacks happen but you have to use them to become stronger. These injuries can make you or break you but I would like to think I am mentally stronger as a result of it and better equipped to deal with setbacks.”
Having missed several months’ worth of action Grant has revealed he is eager to make up for lost time as he seeks to rediscover his previous form.
He said: “I’m definitely trying to catch up. I’ve missed a lot of games and that is the reason I wanted to go out on loan. I felt I needed to get games under my belt and make up for lost time. I wanted to show I could do it in the football league and this club was the right fit. It’s close to where I was living and that’s brilliant for me. When I heard about the interest I immediately said ‘yes’. The club is an ambitious one who have climbed the leagues so I jumped at the opportunity straight away.
