Limerick's O'Connell looking forward to new adventure in Thailand

THERE are plenty of ways to forge a career in professional sport, but not many have fashioned it in the way that Limerick footballer Clyde O'Connell has done so in recent years.

The former Limerick FC and Treaty United defender announced that he had joined Thai League 2 side Chainat Hornbill in recent days and wasted no time in impressing with his new club, scoring a precious 85th minute equaliser that helped his new side earn a draw on his debut.

O'Connell had been looking for a move from his club in Cambodia for a few months, but the switch to Thailand has given him the jump that he feels he needs at this stage in his career.

“It's been a crazy couple of months,” O'Connell told Leader Sport. “I had a loan spell in Laos where we won the league last season and before I even came out to Cambodia, my goal was to get into the Thai League.

“It's a very difficult league to get into. Thailand is kind of like the England of south east Asia in that not a lot of players go from Cambodia or Laos to Thailand.

“It's been a lot of hard work over the last three months. I missed the first leg of the season. I have been training for myself and just waiting for an opportunity. I had been talking to a lot of clubs, but they weren't really looking for centre backs in the middle of the season.

“I went on trial with a few other clubs and it was the same story. The window opened in December and I got a call from the club to go on trial and thankfully things worked out with Chainat and I'm delighted it has.”

O'Connell has signed an eighth-month deal with Chainat, but is hopeful that an impressive run until the end of the season will see him stay in the Thai League.

At 25, O'Connell is one of the more senior members of his new club that are known in more recent times for bringing through youth players and helping them progress their career to a higher level.

The initial move to Cambodia was a daunting one for O'Connell but he is happy to have left the League of Ireland and local soccer behind to forge a career for himself on the other side of the world.

“My life has changed so much in the last two years. It's been great. There is a big fan base here in Chainat and I'm really looking forward to experiencing that. Fans in south east Asia generally have a huge connection with their clubs.

“The bigger teams would have thousands of fans, but the smaller teams, similar to back at home, would have their Ultras. The club is just two hours from Bangkok and most of the bigger clubs are there. Chainat is much smaller but it's a beautiful place.”

O'Connell was straight into blocks of training as soon as the move was confirmed, so he hasn't had a huge amount of time to process everything, but that could be made easier after his impressive debut last weekend.

He doesn't hide the fact that he is ambitious and was willing to go anywhere to fulfil his dream of playing football professionally. He thoroughly enjoyed his time with Treaty United but couldn't turn down the opportunity to play in Cambodia when it arose.

“The one thing I said to myself was that I am going out to play full-time football at a good club and play for a coach (Conor Nestor) that I knew really well. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it as well. I didn't want to have any regrets.

“Especially after the Covid year as well. It was all about stepping out of my comfort zone too. It was the best decision that I have ever made.”