I leave the stress at the Finn Park gates - Cooney on Leaving Cert studies

It’s a stressful time of the year for Finn Harps goalkeeper Oisin Cooney but he admits that the football has been a good release for him.

The 18-year-old is a Leaving Certificate student at Carndonagh Community School and has had a busy schedule over the school year.

The Clonmany man has represented the Republic of Ireland Under-19s as recently as March, and he will be hopeful of making Tom Mohan’s squad for the European Championships as Ireland take on Kazakhstan, Cyprus and the Netherlands.

Cooney has also been on trial in recent months with Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Ipswich Town so it’s all go at the moment.

“The international stuff is the best privilege you can get in sport and that keeps me motivated. I’m eligible for them next year and I was number one at the last camp so I know I need to keep up a high standard.

“The trials were brilliant at the end of last year and the start of this season going to three Premier League teams.

“The window is opening now and anything can happen, but I’m just focused on controlling what I can control and keep doing my best for Finn Harps and the rest can look after itself.

“The Leaving Cert is challenging and you’re missing every second Friday with away games but Kevin (McHugh) has been brilliant and if I needed a night off I know I could ask him, he knows me well.

“I’m an hour and a half from Finn Park so sometimes I have to get up early and get a bit of extra study in, but it’s a good distraction, it’s a nice way to switch off in a stressful year but when I go in the gates at Finn Park I can leave that baggage at the gate for an hour.”

Keeping his place in the first team will be a priority over the next couple of months, and there is competition for places in the squad.

Cooney was displaced by David Aziaya in February but he has gotten back into the side this month.

Aziaya is expected to go back to his parent club, English League Two side Bromley Town, next month, but manager Kevin McHugh has shown no fear in giving a chance to younger players if needed.

And with Corey Sheridan impressing at underage for club and Northern Ireland, as well as the experienced Shane O’Gara waiting in the wings, Cooney will need to be on his toes to keep the number one spot.

“I was in for the first couple of games before I came out then.

“Listen, I don’t think I showed the best I can in the first games and the competition is good and healthy. 

“David came in and did well, and I was chomping at the bit to get back in, and thankfully I did against Treaty. I feel like I’m showing what I can now and I want to be the best version of myself and keep building on that.

“There’s only one position up for grabs for a goalkeeper and there are four of us fighting. I was lucky to get nine or ten games last year and I was hoping to secure that spot as number one this year.

“But I wasn’t up to the standard, and I hold my hands up to that so I wasn’t going to let that happen again.”

After Saturday’s draw against Longford Town gave the young shot stopper a first clean sheet of the season, he will hope for the same against UCD this Friday (kick-off 7.45pm).

The Students have been better on the road and are currently sixth in the table, just two points ahead of the Harps.

Although Cooney was 12 years old the last time Finn Harps beat the South Dublin side over eleven meetings and six years.

“It was good against Longford, we were kind of back to the old Harps.

We were solid and on another night, we could have nicked the win. But the 11 men all performed and I’m happy to get the clean sheet.

“You can lose a game in the first ten minutes and we had got in the habit but we wanted to stamp that out and I thought we did that on Saturday night.

“They’re quality and have experienced players, but we have the same and we have no doubt we can get a result. 

“We’ll have a game plan and we’ll try our best to carry it out.”