Packie Mailey Looks To The Future After Award

December 19, 2009

By Bartley Ramsay

Packie Mailey admits that he was “shocked and surprised to be honest with you” when he was awarded the Finn Harps Player of the Year title last Saturday night.  He goes on to say “I thought that some of the others would be contenders for it like Michael Funston, who is a real hard worker prepared to put his body on the line for the team, young Ciaran Gallagher did really well, so well that you forget how young he is, and Wizzie McGowan who had a good season would have got it.  I was honoured to receive it.”

Queried as to how last season went for him he said, “I enjoyed it.   After I came back from Scotland I needed a break away from soccer and played Gaelic football to keep my fitness levels up.   Although the season didn't end that well for us I enjoyed it.  All the boys in the squad are a great bunch of players and I enjoyed the camaraderie.”  

When I asked Packie what did he hope to achieve next season he was forthright “Personally I am hoping to kick on a bit, obviously having received the award for Player of the Year that will give me great confidence for next season.  Hopefully as a team we can achieve promotion, it will certainly be the aim.”    He goes on to say “I cannot wait to get started next year, we showed in bits and parts this season that we were a good team, but we will need to perform on a consistent basis in the coming season.  One game in particular I am looking forward to is against Derry City.   The rivalry between the two clubs in intense and form will go out the window.   As they say bragging rights will be on the line so we will have to do everything we can to make sure it is us who get them.”

As a youngster Packie was a regular on the terraces at Finn Park, from the age of six, travelling up with his cousins from Convoy.   In particular he recalls the FAI Cup Final of 1999 “I remember well going to the Final in 99 and was upset when it didn't end well.  All the time I was away in Scotland I was always trying to keep in touch with home to see how the Harps had done.”

Packie played all his underage soccer, until he was sixteen, with his hometown club of Convoy Arsenal.  He then joined the Institute, in Derry, under the tutelage of Paul Kee, before joining Scottish Premier Division side Hibernian in 2005.  “I had three and a half years in Scotland.  I initially signed a two-year youth professional contract, before getting a two and a half year professional contract from Hibs.   I also had a four month loan spell at Stenhousemuir but my time in Scotland didn't work out for me.”

When queried as to why he felt it didn't work for him he is candid “There was a few factors.  One was a change of manager from John Collins to Mixu Paatelainen and after that I didn't really get a look in.   I didn't get any game time to show the manager what I could do.  I also had a cartilage injury in my knee but cannot really blame that.   Injuries happen but they can slow down your progress.  I had a year left on my pro-contract but pre-season Paatelainen told me that I was free to explore other options.”

Packie returned home and was playing Gaelic football for both Convoy and the Donegal county Under 21 side.   “To be honest when I cam home in August 2008 I wanted a break away from soccer and started playing for the Convoy GAA side.  Things went well and I progressed to the Donegal Under 21 panel.  While I was playing away both John Cunningham at Dungannon and Paul Hegarty at Harps were both trying to sign me.” 

He continues on “I knew Bugsy from my time at Institute and agreed to sign a form that would get my international clearance through but I told him when I signed that form that I wasn't sure of signing for Dungannon.  He went to the papers and told them I had signed for Swifts but that wasn't the case.  I was a bit annoyed at the time because I was still talking to Paul Hegarty as well.   After my Gaelic commitments ended I was happy to sign for Finn Harps, which I did in April of this year.”

In his short spell at the club Packie has made twenty-five appearances scoring three times from the centre-back position.  Harps fans will be hoping that their Player of the Year for 2009 continues in that vein and that come the end of 2010 he will have helped the club towards the aim of promotion.