Danny Rogers wants to force his way back into the Ireland squad by catching Stephen Kenny’s eye.
The new St Pat’s goalkeeper has impressed since returning from England last month, with the Saints on a five-game winning streak going into tonight’s clash with Derry City.
Rogers was on the bench for two of Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers under Martin O’Neill in 2016, at home to Georgia and away to Moldova.
Bohemians ‘keeper James Talbot is fourth choice for Ireland at the moment, but hasn’t played for the Gypsies since injuring his shoulder on international duty in June.
And Rogers, 28, is eager to challenge Talbot by laying down a claim to his spot in the pecking order of Kenny’s squad.
“I'd love to put myself in the frame for it,” said Rogers, who won 13 caps for Ireland’s U21s between 2014 and 2016.
“I was in a couple of (senior Ireland) squads when I was young and I've always wanted to get back into them.
“I loved when I went away with the team and we went to Moldova and we had Georgia at home. It's a different level when you go away with them. It's brilliant.
“It's a big aspiration of mine to try to get back into that team.”
Rogers was born in New York to an Irish mother and American father but moved back to Ireland aged five.
He went on to play for Aberdeen (where he had various loans), Kilmarnock and, most recently, Oldham.
He has an American passport and was called into a USA Under-23 squad in 2014, but pulled out in advance with an injured shoulder.
Rogers said: “I wasn’t really getting into Ireland squads at the time. I’m Irish.
“Ireland never took an interest in me (up to then) and career-wise, it’s international football so I couldn’t really say no.
“But the next Ireland camp that came up I was called into, and have been called into every one since at underage.”
Rogers revealed he was also inundated with offers to move to the MLS but with a 16-month old baby, admits the timing isn’t right.
“I get offers to go over there every year, it’s insane,” he said. “With citizenship, they can only have a certain amount of foreign players.
“I’ve turned it down a few times. My agent isn’t too happy with me turning them down, but I don’t know if it would suit me.
“It’s a lot of travelling and you have to bring your family over there and they are on their own.
“It’s not something I’ve completely ruled out, but I have other things I want to do in my career before then.”
Ask Rogers what he finds most enjoyable about the League of Ireland and it’s interesting that he says ‘the fans’ without hesitation.
What’s a little more left field, is the reason why.
Rogers says: "Because it's Friday nights …. and they've got pyro! The fans are so much better here than over there.”
Considering the ongoing attempts to clamp down on flares, the suggestion that there ain’t no party like a pyro party will make some in the FAI wince.
But after 12 years in the UK, it’s a new enough phenomenon for the goalkeeper to experience.
“The atmospheres do be great,” he said. “Drogheda away was brilliant - the game was delayed for five minutes because there were flares going off. It was class.”
Another tasty atmosphere awaits at Richmond Park tonight when two form horses go head-to-head.
St Pat’s seek a sixth win in-a-row when they host second-placed Derry City and Rogers has played in all five of those victories since signing last month.
Returning home hadn’t been on the cards, but nor was he afraid to dip his toe in the League of Ireland for the first time in his career having spent all of it in England and Scotland up to now.
“I didn’t really know what was going on over the summer and I had a couple of offers in May that I didn’t really fancy,” he said.
“Things went quiet for a while until I got a text off one of the Gaffer’s ex-players, it said St Pat’s were looking for a goalkeeper if you’re interested.
“A couple of hours later the gaffer (Tim Clancy) phones me. I really liked the set up and the feeling around the club so it was quite an easy decision in the end.”
Rogers, who was born in New York but moved to Ireland when he was five, is from Artane but is living in Ashbourne with his girlfriend’s parents.
“You know what it’s like trying to get a house over here. It’s a nightmare. We’ve a baby and the living arrangements (in the UK) are easier.
“But it’s been fine. I’m actually really enjoying it since I’ve been back. I don’t know what I was scared of.
“It’s easier for me because I’m with her parents, but if I was to move in with my parents I would find it a nightmare!.”
On the field, life at St Pat’s is certainly more straightforward than it was at Oldham under the club’s previous Moroccan owners, before the recent change of hands.
The Latics had 12 different managers in a four-year period and experienced two relegations while there were allegations of the owner, Abdallah Lemsagam, interfering in team selection.
Rogers said: “It was mad. It’s a massive club and it’s such a shame to see what’s happened to it.
“The fanbase is unbelievable. They are getting 8/9000 fans to National League games this year. It’s insane.
“But the previous owners were way too involved. He would come to training and give you strong advice.
“I was only there for a year but I heard that the manager wasn’t making all the decisions, the owner was making certain decisions as to what players to sign.
“We had four managers that year. It was so different to every club I’ve seen run.
“We’d have 10 trialists minimum in every single week, from everywhere. I was like ‘where did you come from, you’re not a football player;.
“It was hard on everyone and the fans completely turned on the owner. The games were being disrupted and there were protests, fans running on the pitch.
“It was wild, for a long time. John Sheridan was the manager before I left. He was really good when I was there but we were too far gone by the time he came in.”
Apart from the fans in the League of Ireland, Rogers has also been impressed with the football being played in the Premier Division.
“There's no football played in lower leagues in England,” he continued. “Scotland plays more football than lower leagues in England.
“League Two is literally a battle every week and whoever wins the most headers wins the game.
"Coming over here, I haven't played in a winning team in years so controlling games and passing the ball has been great. I've loved it.
“It's weird. I'm so used to being busy and I'd come off the pitch and we'd have won and I go home and everyone would say 'well done'.
“But for the first couple of games I didn't really feel buzzing. I was like 'I didn't really do anything today' because I was just so used to making 10 saves a game.
"Now I'm starting to realise that not doing something is probably the best thing.
“I don't need to be the hero. Lads are doing their jobs and I'm only there to save them at the end of the day.”
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