‘IT feels like I am home’ – that’s how Conor Hourihane has described his return to Barnsley ten years after first signing for the club.
The Bandon man is a legend at Oakwell following his first spell with the Yorkshire club, and his return marks the next step in his journey towards coaching.
Hourihane has signed a multi-year deal with League One outfit Barnsley, as a first team coach and player before he will assume full-time first team coaching responsibilities in two years’ time.
‘That was a big attraction for me,’ he told the club’s official website.
‘I had left Derby and spoke to the new Barnsley manager, he was shuffling the pack a little bit staff-wise, and with me being into coaching these last four or five years and how much coaching I’ve done alongside playing, the idea of a hybrid role is something that really interested me.
‘On top of the fondness I have towards the club from playing here before, it all just fitted in really, really nicely. I have always wanted to come back in some capacity so I am delighted to be able to do a bit of both now.’
He added: ‘To start the next phase of my career here, at a club I have such a history with, is special to me and my family.’
Hourihane left Derby County earlier this summer following two years with the Rams, including captaining the club to promotion to the Championship last season. With his time there over, he was searching for the next step in his playing and coaching career, and Barnsley ticked all the boxes.
He is a cult hero at the club following his first spell, joining from Plymouth Argyle in 2014 and, as captain, then leading the Tykes to two trophies during the 2015/16 season – he led Barnsley to Football League Trophy success and the promotion glory in the League One play-off final. He left in January 2017 to join Aston Villa, but now feels like he’s back home.
The Bandon soccer star links up with head coach Darrell Clarke and Martin Devaney in a new-look coaching and leadership team.
‘Having Conor’s experience around the building is going to be vitally important,’ Clarke said. ‘With over 600 games under his belt at every level including the Premier League and internationally with Ireland, there is nothing that Conor has not seen in the game and this will make him a top coach and someone our young squad can look to for guidance. The fact that he is also still going to be a player I can call upon makes this deal even sweeter.’
