'I can't believe I'm playing at this level!' Coleman still pinching himself at thought of being an Everton star
It will be when the theme from Z Cars starts and Goodison Park becomes a cauldron that Seamus Coleman will want to pinch himself again.
No other day matters more than Saturday to Everton’s right back. It was sacred during his childhood in the Donegal fishing village of Killybegs — devoted to games against kids from the adjacent housing estate.
As he lined up for ‘The Killers’ against ‘The All-Stars’, Coleman dreamed he would play football for real in later life. Now that aim has been fulfilled, it still takes some getting used to.
Toffee: Seamus Coleman (centre) has made 119 appearances for Everton since his debut in 2009
‘We would play every evening and every Saturday morning, whenever we’d get a chance,’ Coleman recalls during a visit to the children’s ward at Whiston Hospital.
‘One day it could be five against five, the next it could be 10 against 10.
‘So Saturday has always been the best day of the week.
'It is still just like magic every time I walk down the tunnel and you get hit with that cheer from the fans. It sounds silly but it’s at times like that I find it hard to believe I play in the Premier League.’
But why? Coleman, after all, has made 119 appearances for Everton since his debut against Benfica in 2009; he has been capped 20 times by the Republic of Ireland and, aged 25, is a regular starter for club and country.
‘I don’t know,’ he replies.
‘I suppose it’s because it was my dream when I was growing up and not everyone gets the chance to live their dreams. I feel so lucky to be here but I do feel like I belong.’
Inspiration: Coleman helped to spread some Christmas cheer with the children at Whiston Hospital
Caring: Coleman was joined by Leighton Baines (left) during the visit to Whiston hospital in Merseyside
The last sentence is a giveaway. Coleman may be a rare breed, as he has no interest chasing fame or fortune. He is humble and courteous, virtues that were instilled by his mother, Maire, and father, Henry.
But he is also fiercely ambitious and mirrors the direction Everton are moving in. Slick and stylish, they are an emerging force, serious candidates to finish in the top four.
Manager Roberto Martinez might regard this afternoon’s game against Fulham as being ‘dangerous’ but Everton are riding a wave after winning 1-0 at Manchester United and drawing 1-1 at Arsenal, and Coleman believes those results could be a watershed for this squad.
He said: ‘It has been a big couple of weeks. We knew it was going to be tough at Old Trafford but the manager told us if we could get positive results, it would set us up nicely.
‘There was a massive buzz among the lads after beating United. There was the added thing about playing against our old boss David Moyes but we just wanted to go and beat United and we were fully confident that we could do it.
'We then went to the Emirates wanting to win. Even when Arsenal scored, we never felt dead and buried.’
Top boss: Coleman believes the Everton team are relishing playing under Roberto Martinez (above)
Tough tackling: Coleman (right) takes the ball from Paulinho during Everton's 0-0 with Tottenham
So just what is Martinez doing different from Moyes, the man who took a chance on Coleman in February 2009 when paying £60,000 to sign him from Sligo Rovers?
He is loathed to make comparisons but is clearly a fan of the new man.
‘Each has been brilliant in his own way,’ Coleman said.
‘It’s not, “Oh Martinez is so much better than Moyes”. The current manager just wants us to get on the ball. He encourages you to get forward and has been brilliant for me.
‘He watches so much football, and shows us so many different clips. At half-time in the first match at Norwich, he told me to attack the back post, as he’d seen I’d had a chance in the first half.
'He told me to delay my run and I ended up scoring. His eye for detail is something else.’
Martinez has gone to such lengths with his studies that he believes an average of 1.94 points over the last 11 games will secure Champions League qualification.
‘There are a lot of teams who are up fighting with us but we have faith in what we can do,’ said Coleman. ‘It would be a dream to finish in the top four.’
And nobody will be working harder than the man from Killybegs to turn it in to reality.
Talent: Coleman (left) and his Everton team-mates celebrate their historic 1-0 victory over Manchester United
Once a blue: Coleman blossomed under the tutelage of Manchester United manager David Moyes (above)
Source: Daily Mail
