As a boy growing up in Pearse Street on Dublin’s south inner city, Keith Buckley would regularly make the walk to the old Lansdowne Road to stand on the terrace.
The Bohemians captain was able to smile and reflect on those memories as he prepares for a third outing at the renovated Aviva Stadium in the space of a month after a lifetime thinking about playing there.
PAOK’s visit for their third round Europa Conference League qualifier will be another level in difficulty, up from Stjarnan and Dudelange.
A major part of Buckley’s evening will likely involve trying to shackle Shinji Kagawa, the Japanese star who has dined at the top table with Dortmund and Manchester United.
He’s big business in his country whereas Buckley is one of the Bohemians players that supplements his income with a day job.
In his youth, he cycled to a part-time job working in a bar after games, thus growing a cult hero status. He now fits in painting and decorating around his training schedule, yet the 29-year-old is arguably playing the best football of his career.
“Whoever plays it is just another name on the shirt, isn’t it?” grinned Buckley, when Kagawa’s name was raised. “Let’s see if he can keep up the intensity against myself.”
The midfielder’s improvement has tied in nicely with the Bohs evolution. Players have come and gone for various reasons but Buckley has been a fixture in the Gypsies shirt with emerging talent Dawson Devoy now learning next to him.
His infectious personality has made him popular but there’s a steely mindset behind it and he says he has enjoyed working with Philly McMahon, the Dublin GAA star that has been brought in this season to help out as a ‘performance coach’.
“He just talks about life and stuff,” said Buckley, remaining light on detail in tune with his manager’s guarded answer on McMahon’s influence. “Without knowing it he is picking into what your thought process, your belief systems, and he tries to help you that way without getting you to think too deeply about it.
“It is a performance mindset. He is very detailed. I don’t think many other clubs would be doing it so it has had huge impact on us.”
Belief will be needed to live up to Keith Long’s assertion that his side can impose their style on proceedings against an attacking opponent.
Bohs manager Long noted that PAOK boss Razvan Lucescu likes his team to ‘make the pitch as big and wide as they possibly can’ so the Aviva should suit them.
That said, Bohemians’ Scottish wide pair Liam Burt and Ali Coote have thrived at the venue with the former’s ball-carrying abilities a massive asset.
PAOK finished second in the Greek Super League in the season just gone and they hammered PSV Eindhoven in a Europa League group stage match last term so on a good day they are very good. That said, two Greek teams were knocked out in the second round so the possibility of pre-season rustiness dominated PAOK’s media briefing.
“It will be a huge fight because we know we play a team with a good mentality,” said Lucescu last night.
Buckley will make sure of that.