Waterford hurler Paul Flynn today recalled his days sharing digs with Dwight Yorke during his brief stint at Aston Villa in the early 1990s
One of Waterford's most lavishly talented hurlers could have been lost to the game had homesickness not hastened the end of his time in England.
An Irish schoolboy goalkeeper in his teenage years, he kept Shay Given on the bench as he held down the No. 1 jersey.
He was at Aston Villa during his mid-teens and his spell coincided with an exciting time for the club, with Paul McGrath and Steve Staunton in the squad.
Flynn's soccer career didn't end when he returned from England. He played a season with Waterford United during 1993.
"I played eight or nine months (for Waterford United) in the '93 season as a goalkeeper. I was on 25 punts for a game and 25 punts for a clean sheet. I never collected the other 25 punts," Flynn remembered.
But before even that chequered spell, Flynn informed Saturday Sport listeners of his experiences with Aston Villa in the early 90s. As with many Irish players, his fledgling career floundered due to homesickness.
"Ron Atkinson had just taken over from Jozef Venglos. There was a lot of Irish there at the time. Paul McGrath was there. So were Staunton, Houghton, and Cascarino.
"I was 15 going on 16. I lasted about five or six months. I was homesick.
"I was staying in Coleshill. It's not too far from the Belfry golf club (I know that now, I didn't know that then). It was about fifteen miles outside Birmingham.
"There was one bus on a Wednesday into Birmingham at about half one. And I was never there for the bus. So it was just pure boredom. Dwight Yorke was in the house at the time. He was never there! He had just signed professional contracts and then moved out. So that was the end of that.
"It was a real stereotypical midlands English village. Nothing to do, four channels on the telly. Came on in October at mid-term and I played a (Dr.) Harty Cup match three days after coming home.
"I don't ever wonder what if (he'd made it). The chances of becoming a Premier League goalkeeper at 5ft 10 was very slim."
