‘I’ve got plenty of time to get my career back where I want it’ – in-depth with Millwall attacker Aaron Connolly
EXCLUSIVE
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk
Aaron Connolly is loving life at Millwall and determined that his performances land him a longer-term stay in SE16.
The former Brighton striker, who had been on the books of Sunderland, signed for the Lions in the middle of the month on a deal until the end of the season.
And Connolly has made an impressive start to his time with the South Londoners.
Not only did he score the opener in Saturday’s 2-1 win over QPR but also laid a glorious chance on for Ra’ees Bangura-Williams in last week’s 1-0 victory at Portsmouth which the youngster put wide from a matter of yards out.
Asked about what he puts his instant impact down to, Connolly told the South London Press: “Confidence. The manager said a quote last week about Mihailo (Ivanovic) – that you can’t give a striker confidence, but you can take it away.
“He has given me confidence. He has trusted me and put me in. I’m performing at the moment and hopefully that can keep going because the club did take a gamble, at the end of the day. I hadn’t played much football.
“It is a short-term deal but I hope to do well enough to extend that. It’s about repaying that trust. At the minute I am doing that and hopefully I can keep doing it.”
Connolly was hyped as a big prospect after making his debut for Brighton at 17 but then had loans at Middlesbrough, Venezia and Hull, joining the latter for an undisclosed fee in August 2023. The following summer he was released.
The continual changes of scenery have been hard for him.
“It’s what I’ve kind of been getting used to in the last three or four years,” said Connolly.
“It’s not great, because you get used to a club and changing room – then you are moved on again.
“I feel like I need somewhere that is a home.
“I feel maybe I have got that at Millwall. The confidence I have when I’m playing, I haven’t had that in a long time.
“We’ll have to see how it goes. It’s very early days. It’s difficult because I settled in at Sunderland, made some close friends, and the next minute you are gone.
“Hopefully I can keep performing and make that deal easy for them (Millwall).
“It’s a straight deal until the end of the season. We had a conversation that it is based off performances – we’ll see what happens.
“It’s about me performing. I’m not thinking too much about the contract right now. Now that we are pushing near the top six that is the main goal. If a new contract or contract talks come out of that then it is an added bonus.
“At Hull last year I was in the same position. Then you get offered contracts, you turn them down and you don’t play again.
“It was difficult and I don’t want to be in that position again. I explained that to the gaffer here, when it was going to be a short-term deal.
“He said that is not something I do – I don’t not play a player because of contract talks or discussions.
“I trust him. Hopefully he trusts me. I’d like to think the longer we go the more trust he has in me.”
And Connolly, who turned 25 at the end of last month, has established a connection and respect for Alex Neil, appointed Millwall head coach at the end of December.
“Tactically, in and out of possession, everyone knows what they are doing,” said the County Galway-born attacker. “He is thorough. You kind of have to buy into that or you don’t play.
“And he is an honest guy. He told me what he expected of me when I met him, before I signed.
“He says it how it is and that is what you want in a manager – you don’t want someone who is going to beat around the bush and not do that.
“That is one of the biggest traits I look for in a manager – honesty. Because I’ve had managers in the past who tell you what they think you want to
hear, when you’d rather they tell you the harsh truth that maybe you’re not going to play games or stuff like that.
“It is refreshing to have a manager like that. And we’ve got three wins on the bounce – so his tactics are obviously spot on at the minute.
“It’s been good so far – I’ve been playing games, which is what I’ve wanted to do all season. Obviously I didn’t really do that at Sunderland, which is the reason I wanted to leave there and go somewhere else.
“Millwall came in and it was an easy decision. I know the club. I know Millwall, like a lot of people do. I know what they are about. Alex Neil is the manager and he is known to get promotions and to push players.
“I spoke to a few boys at Sunderland like Alan Browne, who worked with him at Preston and was his captain, and they couldn’t say good enough things about him. Alan gave a good review, not that I needed one, because I kind of know about him anyway.
“Mike Dodds (head coach) and Michael Procter (first-team coach) at Sunderland had good things to say about him as well.”
To understand Connolly’s career course you also have to touch on the fact that in October he talked about how he has battled an addiction to alcohol.
He decided to talk about it in a video on Sunderland’s official website admitting he also rejected his parents’ attempts to help him – saying at the time he “became a tough person to be around – nobody could tell me anything”.
He added the hardest thing to admit to was that he was “living the life of a footballer without the football side of it”.
Connolly pinpoints his Premier League debut at the age of 19, scoring twice in Brighton’s 3-0 win over Tottenham as when his problems really started.
He spent a month in rehab last summer.
Asked about his brave decision to open up about it, he said: “My mum grew up with that in her family – her dad was an alcoholic. I have spoken to my mum, numerous times, about the effect it had on her.
“I’ve got a problem as well, so I thought if I can help anybody, whether that is a footballer or just a person who is struggling in general with it, then why should I not? I think a lot of people probably knew anyway at Brighton, or in and around the city, that I was probably struggling with an addiction to it.
“I felt there was no point in keeping it to myself. The messages I received afterwards backed up why I wanted to do it.
“I’d like to think I helped a lot of people, based off the messages I got then I did, especially around the Sunderland area and beyond that.
“Listen, there are still fans who if I’m warming up or playing they will have a little dig at me about it or pretend to drink imaginary pints – that’s football.
“I knew it was going to come. I’m not arsed about that. They weren’t the people I was targeting. It was people genuinely struggling with it – that if I can come out and speak about it, go and look for help, then why can’t they?
“The (AA) meetings are free – you can walk into any and look for help.”
Connolly still has time on his side. And his desire to make up some of the lost ground could also benefit Millwall.
He took just 30 seconds to score against Rangers.
“It felt a lot better after I had missed a penalty against Luton,” said Connolly.
“Maybe a few years ago I would’ve let that play on my mind for a few weeks or months if I hadn’t already got a goal under my belt.
“Thirty seconds is an ideal start, because you feel like you can relax and play your normal game. I had a few chances at Portsmouth that just went wide.
“I said to Martin (Canning), the assistant manager, after the Portsmouth game that I just need one and I can go on from there.”
It was a foul on Connolly that won the spot-kick at Kenilworth Road, so did that not soften the blow of keeper Thomas Kaminski saving it?
“No,” is the instant response. “Nothing softens the blow of missing it, even if I went past the whole team and got fouled. I still miss, at the end of the day.
“Changing my mind at the last minute was not the best idea. I never change my mind in training. I know exactly where I want to put it.
“It is my first professional penalty, I think. I took a lot in the academy at Brighton. So I have got a zero per cent record at the minute!
“It’s not going to turn me away from taking penalties in the future because I’m an attacker – I want to score goals. If I win it then I want to take it.
“I thought I saw the keeper go one way, in the corner of my eye, but obviously I didn’t see it right. People miss penalties. If we get another then I’ll definitely be stepping up to take it.”
It is a youthful attacking line-up for Millwall with Mihailo Ivanovic and Bangura-Williams, both 20, playing regularly since Neil took charge.
“I like the fact there are young players around me,” said Connolly.
“I’ve been in the position where you burst through and, if anything, I can give them some guidance on what not to do, if you do get into that position.
“Ra’ees and Mihailo have been brilliant since I’ve come in. They make my job easier because I know when I look up that they are both there – and we’ve got Luke (Cundle) now as well.”
Connolly no longer looks back and beats himself up over any mis-steps he has made in his life.
“It was my decisions which put me in the position that I got put in – it has happened now,” he said. “Maybe for the last few years I’ve been regretting and looking back too much, thinking ‘what if?’
“But now I’ve just turned 25 and there is plenty of time to turn it around and get back to that level.
“When you are focusing so much on the past, what you could and should have done better, you can’t really get on with what you’re doing now.
“I can just work harder every day now to get back to that level.
“I was 18 or 19 when I started playing at Brighton – playing number nine for a team that was battling relegation for a long time in that period.
“I probably put too much pressure on myself at that time.
“I came through in the Ireland set-up and everybody probably thought I was going to be the next Robbie Keane, it is tough to emulate his career. They have got Evan (Ferguson) now who they kind of have the same hopes on.
“It is difficult because the Irish fans are passionate. Yeah, maybe I didn’t live up to what they thought I was going to be – but it is all about now and hopefully showing what type of player I can be.
“I trialled at a lot of clubs before I went to Brighton. There were a lot of Irish boys there like Jayson Molumby, who has been at Millwall. I’m still very close with Jayson now.
“I loved every moment at Brighton. I loved the city. I loved coming in every day to the academy and then the first team.
“Brighton is kind of like my home away from home. I have nothing but good things to say about the club and people. I spent nine years there, six or seven years of that were probably the best years of my life.
“The success that is happening there is not a fluke. The chairman and owner, Tony Bloom and Paul Barber, are top people. It’s good to see what they are doing at the moment.
“Do I wish I could have been part of that long term? Yeah, probably. But that’s life.
“Now I’m at Millwall and loving it.”