Three years on from his Hampden glory against Rangers Darren O’Dea believes that his career is finally taking off.
Since smashing an extra-time header past Allan McGregor to help Celtic to the 2009 League Cup the Dubliner has spent time on loan at Reading, Ipswich and Leeds United.
Neil Warnock’s arrival at the Yorkshire club has pushed Leeds back into the spotlight with the loan Celt starting every match under the former QPR boss.
Despite flitting from club to club O’Dea has become a firm favourite of Giovanni Trapattoni and is a certainty to be in the Irish squad for the European Championships.
With 32 appearances for the Championship side this season the defender is gaining the experience he craved at Celtic.
“I think my career has only really started this season,” he told the Evening Herald. “I won things at Celtic and played in the Champions League but it’s only this season that I’ve played on a weekly basis and from that I have managed to get my best form.
“When I broke into the Celtic team I showed that I could play at any level SPL or Champions League. I just never got a chance to show I could do that every week. It’s easy to do it in one-off games, it’s hard to do it on a regular basis.
“Just look at Dunney (Aston Villa’s Richard Dunne), he’s been playing every week in the Premier League for something like 13 or 14 years, and it’s only when you do that that you can claim to be a top, top player, so that’s what I am aiming for.
“It’s not rocket science, I was never really a regular at Celtic so it was hard to get my confidence up but between my first game at Leeds and now I have come on so much, and I feel I can keep improving.
“I know I have the potential, the coaches and the people at Celtic knew I had the potential but I just had to show it on a weekly basis. The more I play, the better I will get.
“Over the last three or four years a lot of coaches have told me that I could be a very, very good player but I just never got enough games.
“I went to Reading on loan and I didn’t play, it didn’t work out. I went to Ipswich on loan but played at left-back which didn’t really suit me. And when I was at Celtic I just didn’t play enough.
“This is the first time in my career that I have played week in week out in my natural position and it’s no surprise to me that I am getting the benefits and playing well. I feel stronger and more confident than I ever did.”
O’Dea will be out of contract with Celtic at the end of the season and free to sign for anyone.
CLICK HERE for Campbell Ogilvie: I was a member of EBT scheme
CLICK HERE for Blue Knights leader prepared to walk away
Follow Video Celts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
Good luck to him. I always thought he was one of our better defenders and couldn’t understand why nobody ever persisted with him. The one time he got a decent run of games was under Lennon, as caretaker, alongside Josh Thompson. Always a bit of a mystery to me why he was dropped. He didn’t make half as many mistakes as Loovens and co.
He has been improving every week with Leeds – and I’m sure he has a lot more to give.
Yes, he was weak to start and didn’t get the rub of the green from fans or manager – but now with Warnock he’s obviously been treated better, given a chance and he’s getting to the stage where he CAN’T be left out!
I’d love to see us sign him in the summer!
Best of luck to the lad but having seen him play from 17 I think his obvious lack of pace will see him fall short of the top level. With more games comes experience and good positioning though so who knows. Hope it all works out well for him at Leeds and they might get back into the top flight.
Darren o’dea smashed the buns. Once a tim always a tim hail hail darren all the best