Matt Doherty’s bleak Tottenham future means he could miss out on FA Cup action - but an old pal is hoping that’s not the case.
Morecambe skipper Anthony O’Connor played alongside Doherty throughout Ireland’s underage ranks, reaching a European Championship semi-final in 2011.
And a decade on, he wants to test himself against him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Ireland star Doherty is linked with a move away from Spurs in this window after finding games hard to come by, although he started against Chelsea in last night's League Cup semi-final.
Ordinarily he would expect to feature in an FA Cup match, but playing against League One Morecambe would leave him cup-tied ahead of a potential move.
Cork man O’Connor, 29, told Mirror Sport: “We played together all the way through from U15s to U21s.
“When we got to the semis against Spain, I was the centre-back and he was the right-back. John Egan was my centre-back partner and we’re good friends to this day.
“We always roomed together and I live in Leeds and John is in Sheffield, so it's only up the road. We text a lot and every opportunity we get to meet up, we take it.
“Like Matt, he’s a mainstay in the Ireland side now alongside Shane Duffy, who I also played with in the 19s and 21s.
“We had some really good players in those underage teams, Jeff Hendrick too. If Matt plays on Sunday, we’ll share a few words after the game and catch up.
“I've not seen him in a few years and he's gone on to have a great career,” added O’Connor who scored both of Ireland’s goals in a win over Greece at those 2011 finals.
“Matt was really good at Wolves and is probably disappointed that it hasn't taken off for him at Spurs but he's still such a good player.”
Whether O’Connor will have anything to brag about after Sunday’s daunting third round clash is another matter.
After last night’s League Cup semi-final with Chelsea and a second-leg to come, he expects Antonio Conte to shake up the Tottenham team.
But O’Connor would rather face their heavyweights and says Morecambe’s confidence is soaring after a 4-3 win over Doncaster last week having been 3-0 down at half-time.
“I hope they play Harry Kane and Lucas Moura. As a defender, I want to test myself against the best and show that I’m capable,” he said.
“We're going to a great stadium, a great club but we’ve nothing to fear. To get a result they’ll need an off day and we'll have to play really well.
“But we’ve proved this season that when we’re underdogs, we can dig out a performance.
“Blackburn Rovers are riding high in the Championship but we beat them 2-1 in the Carabao Cup and were all over them.
“I'm not saying we're going to do this or that, but we want to give a good account of ourselves. Whatever happens, happens. It’ll be really tough, but there’s nothing to fear.”
In November 2016, O’Connor reached the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park but his Aberdeen were stuffed 3-0 by Celtic.
And six months later, he returned to the same venue to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final but Aberdeen lost 2-1 to a 90th minute winner.
Eyeing Spurs, O’Connor added: “You could be drawn against a team in your own league and be put out by them.
“You're better off being drawn against a top team and go enjoy it and try to cause an upset yourself.
“The FA Cup is about who’s at their best on the day and it throws up lots of shocks.”
Meanwhile, O’Connor has not ruled out finishing his career with hometown club Cork City.
But the defender, 29, is in no rush to come home having spent his entire career in England and Scotland after joining Blackburn Rovers in 2008.
O’Connor also had stints with Plymouth Argyle, Burton Albion, Aberdeen and Bradford City along the way.
“I went over really young at 15,” he said.
“You see young Irish boys coming over and going home just as quickly, but I had it in my head that the UK is where I wanted to be.
“And I’ve done everything in my power to stay here and make a good career.
“Do I think I had the ability to play at a higher level for longer? Of course I do. I always had the ability but maybe didn't always get the luck or be in the right place at the right time to get that break or chance.
“But I’ve played 400 odd games now. Every season I have consistently played 40 or 50 games and there are not many players who can say they’ve done that over a career.”
O’Connor admits a swansong at Cork City appeals to him one day, but he doesn’t see it happening any time soon.
“I'd like to stay here for as long as possible and then at the latter stages of my career maybe play for my hometown club Cork City, who knows,” he said.
“My motivation is always to play as many games as I can. But right now I'm motivated to keep going over here.”
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