Marty Donnelly oozes class on a football field. He has the touch of a magician, balance of a tightrope walker and can see a pass that others are blind to.
o wonder Larne fans loved him as he helped transform the club from Championship strugglers to a force in the Danske Bank Premiership.
Following a fall-out with manager Tiernan Lynch in the summer, he left and joined champions Linfield in a high-profile swap deal with Navid Nasseri.
Ahead of tomorrow night’s mouthwatering clash between the clubs, in an exclusive interview with Sunday Life Sport, the 33-year-old reveals how he is adoring life at Windsor Park under David Healy, his respect for the ‘born winners’ in the Blues dressing room, his feelings about departing Larne, his pride in what he achieved there and why he was close to quitting football before moving to Inver Park at the start of 2018.
“When the chance came along to move to Linfield, it was the only team I wanted to join,” says playmaker Donnelly, who has won every domestic trophy in Northern Ireland football including two League titles at Cliftonville.
“For the gaffer (Healy) to come in for me at 33 was great for me and I absolutely love it at Linfield. In the first couple of days it was a bit daunting going into a new team but because I’ve known the boys for years, playing against them or seeing them out and about, I settled in really quickly. They are a great bunch of lads.
“Coming in, you have a bit of banter because I’ve played against them but, more than anything, it is respect for players like Jamie Mulgrew and Jimmy Callacher and the rest of the boys I have battled against over the years. I’ve come into a dressing room where there’s born winners and to see how all these lads work is brilliant.
“Linfield have won the League the last three years, Irish Cups and other trophies as well. When you are on the outside you always want to know how the Blues work and what way they do things and how they keep delivering year on year so to be able to see it from the inside is great.”
On manager Healy, Donnelly adds: “I think David Healy is brilliant. He can go on to bigger and better things if he wants.
“In the Irish League, this is the biggest club but if he wanted to go across the water, I believe he could. He’s really popular with the players and he’s really good with the players. He’s honest which is all you want. Since I’ve come in, he’s been fantastic with me.”
If Donnelly’s switch to Linfield was a stunning move, his decision to join Larne from Cliftonville was an even bigger sensation.
He had played 278 times for the Reds and excelled in Tommy Breslin’s successful spell as boss having moved to Solitude from derby rivals Crusaders, where he also won silverware.
The one-time Northern Ireland international would prove to be a hugely significant figure in the Kenny Bruce revolution at Larne.
“When I first signed, I think they were bottom of the Championship so it was a big decision to go there,” recalls Donnelly.
“At the time, Barry Gray came in to be manager of Cliftonville and his style of play didn’t really suit me and I knew right away I needed to go. There were a couple of teams in for me but when I spoke to Larne, they told me I would play, where I was going to play and what way they were going to play and I just decided to go for it.
“At Cliftonville I wasn’t happy and didn’t really want to play football any more. When I went to Larne, I got my head down and ended up doing really well for them.
“At the start when Kenny was talking to me, I thought, ‘This is too good to be true’. I didn’t know the fella, had never heard of him and hadn’t heard of Purplebricks. People talk about all this big money being pumped in but at the start we didn’t get that because we were only part-time.
“Then things began to change and it was incredible. When I signed, the pitch was shocking and the facilities weren’t great but with the things that Kenny did with the new pitch and the stadium and players that were signed, he changed the club and the whole town.
“At the start there were only a few fans going. Now it’s packed nearly every week and there is a great atmosphere. He has been amazing for them.”
So, was leaving tough to accept?
Donnelly says: “It was a strange one.
“Everybody knows it was a falling out between me and Tiernan but I still have a lot of friends at the club. On Monday night, I will be able to see them which will be nice and when I finish my career I hope to be able to go back to the club and see people. Things happen in football and people move on. I have great memories from my time at Larne and feel proud of what I achieved.
“Four years ago, they were bottom of the Championship and now you are looking at Larne versus Linfield as a big, big game. Hopefully we will come out on top. Larne have started well this season and so have we, though I don’t think we have clicked into high gear yet.”
