Joe Adams wasn’t a complete stranger to League of Ireland football before his arrival at Dundalk last winter - thanks to Seamus Coleman, Chiedozie Ogbene, the Lilywhites’ Europa League adventures and the name recognition of rivals Shamrock Rovers.
The Wales Under-21 international is a massive Everton fan. So when Seamus Coleman moved from Sligo Rovers in 2009, shortly before Adams turned eight, he did a bit of research into the Bit O’ Red.
Then when he moved from Bury to Brentford, the Bolton-born midfielder teamed up with former Cork City and Limerick flyer Chiedozie Ogbene.
READ MORE: Stuart Byrne: This is my League of Ireland Team of the Year
As for the rest of his League of Ireland knowledge, he said: “I watched Dundalk against Arsenal a few years ago, not really knowing much about the league and stuff.
“And obviously I’d heard about Shamrock Rovers.
“I’m an Everton fan, so when Seamus Coleman signed for Everton I looked up Sligo a bit. But after that I didn’t know what to expect, really.”
Adams added: “At Brentford I played with Chieo, who is in the Irish set-up now. He’s obviously doing well in England as well.
“He’s a few years older than me, but he is a bubbly guy, a lovely guy.
“His pace, he is the quickest player I have ever played with. Off the mark he is so quick. But his finishing as well is top-class.”
So he wasn’t completely blind to what he was stepping into when he made the move last winter from the Bees to Dundalk.
“No, I had an inkling of what to expect,” said the 21-year-old.
“Obviously it’s not everything I’ve expected, but the general grasp, speaking to the gaffer, he told me how it was, and what he said was true, to be fair.”
Adams admits it took him some time to come to terms with the pace and intensity of the game here, having played just 12 first-team matches between Leagues One and Two.
“It’s been tough. You play sometimes Friday-Monday, once a week minimum, and it’s been tough,” he said.
“At the start I was getting a few knocks that I never really experienced playing 23s and B team football. But in the last three or four months I’ve grasped it and it’s been helpful.
“I feel like my performances have improved, especially in the last two months. I’ve probably been playing the best I have since I came over here.
“I probably struggled at the start, probably because I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the intensity.
“But over the last two months I feel like I have really come into my own.
“It’s my first full season in first-team men’s football and I’ve loved it.
“I’ve learned a lot from playing against different teams, different levels of teams, different stadiums, and I’ve learned a lot from the boys who were already here.”
The target for Adams and his teammates is European football - and a win against Bohemians tonight could seal the deal, depending on how St Patrick’s Athletic fare in Sligo.
Dundalk are in third place, two points ahead of the Saints with just two games remaining.
“Obviously we want to try and secure third place. We are going to be positive about trying to get three points (against Bohs), and that should take us a step closer to Europe,” said Adams.
“When we’ve been speaking about Europe, relying on (a Derry City win in) the Cup final has not even come into our minds.
“We want to get it done ourselves and we are pretty confident we can do that.
“As we sat down at the start of the season, we said we definitely wanted to get into Europe.
“I think other people in the league probably expected us to be more mid-table. But internally we wanted nothing less than Europe.
“I’d imagine we’ve exceeded expectations of people outside of Dundalk.”
READ NEXT:
Katie Taylor addresses retirement question ahead of Karen Elizabeth Carabajal fight
Footage emerges of travelling Gent fans clashing with Gardai in Dublin
Andy Farrell gets IRFU's full backing for Lions 2025 top job - if he wants it
All Star recognition helps lift county final gloom for Derry stalwart Chrissy McKaigue
FAI must cash in on World Cup qualification by backing semi-pro league at home, says Nicola Sinnott
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
