by Sarah Star »
30 Jun 2010 16:57
Forgotten man, Mooney, speaks to the Irish Herald
The Irish Herald Mooney still keen to make Royal waves
Ex-Cork hotshot draws line under frustration and vows to make splash at Reading
By Aidan Fitzmaurice
Wednesday June 30 2010
FORGOTTEN man Dave Mooney returns to pre-season training with Championship side Reading this week, desperate to finally force his way into the first team with the Royals.
Mooney was the hottest property in the League of Ireland in 2008 after scoring 34 goals in a season and a half, and Reading beat off some stiff competition to sign the Dubliner from Cork City for a reported €400,000.
Previous Cork players Kevin Doyle and Shane Long had made a big splash at the Madejski Stadium but Mooney, 25, has struggled to make an impact at Reading, where he has yet to play a league game in two years.
He spent most of last season on loan to League One side Charlton and helped them reach the promotion play-offs, where they lost in the semi-final to Swindon Town, but Mooney is now a Reading player again and will report for duty when pre-season training starts tomorrow.
"I plan to go back to Reading and see how things go. I have no idea how it will pan out for me but I feel I can play a part for Reading next season and I want to do that," says Mooney, who has made just four appearances, all in the League Cup, for Reading.
"I don't think I have ever been given a real chance at Reading, I never really got a fair crack of the whip there. I feel I am good enough to be there, now I suppose it's up to me to do well in pre-season training and show the manager that I can play a part for them.
"It's a bit hard to get my head around. I have been a Reading player for two years now but I've hardly played for them and I haven't even made my league debut yet.
"I find it hard to understand, to be honest. I had my pick of a few clubs when I was leaving Cork that time. Around 10 clubs were in for me and I had a few options but I went for Reading because I was told that I'd get a chance there, and that hasn't really happened yet. I don't know why a club would spend money on a player and not play him but that's the way it turned out.
"There is a new manager there now in Brian McDermott. He was there at the club when I signed and he was part of the management team that signed me so he knows about me. He was in touch with me last season after he got the manager's job and he wanted to bring me back to Reading from my loan spell with Charlton," adds Mooney.
"I thought about it but I decided to stay at Charlton. I was getting first team football every week there and I enjoyed that and I knew there was no guarantee I'd get games at Reading so I stayed.
"Charlton went well for me. I played a lot of games and scored a few goals for them, but I am back at Reading now and determined to do well."
The striker began his senior career with Shamrock Rovers in 2004 but moved to Longford Town midway through the 2005 season which saw Rovers relegated. He had his best season in the Town shirt in 2007, scoring 19 league goals, but those goals were not enough to prevent the club's relegation from the top flight and he moved with manager Alan Mathews to Cork City for the 2008 season. At the halfway point in the season Mooney had already scored 15 times and British clubs were queuing up to sign him, Mooney opting for Reading in the end.
Mooney was immediately handed his debut for Reading, coming on as sub for Shane Long in a 5-1 League Cup win over Luton in August and he played once more for the Royals in that competition before loan moves to Stockport and Norwich.
Last season started in the same vein. In an early-season appearance in the League Cup, Mooney scored twice in the 5-1 win over Burton Albion but he was again sent out on loan, dropping down a division to Charlton.
He scored six goals in 30 games for Charlton, including a superb strike live on TV in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Swindon, and there were reports that the Addicks were keen to take Mooney to the Valley on a long-term deal. However, Charlton have slashed their budget since their failure to win promotion and would not have the cash needed to prise Mooney away from Reading.