ROY O’DONOVAN BELIEVES helping Northampton Town to promotion from League Two can resurrect his career in English football.
The former Ireland U21 international, who was signed by Roy Keane’s Sunderland from Cork City back in 2007, has endured a difficult time of late having joined Coventry in 2010 before being farmed out on loan to Hibernian.
Aidy Boothroyd, who brought him to the Sky Blues, came calling in January and the striker jumped at the chance to get some regular game time.
Speaking to Red FM’s Big Red Bench, O’Donovan said: ”It was an opportunity for me with itchy feet to get a move in the January transfer window and Northampton is only a half hour down the road from me. It’s a good club and it has been a successful stint so far.
“The fact that I haven’t played in awhile people start to question you and think you’re probably past your best but sometimes there are a lot of reasons for these things. I felt coming to Northampton that I had a point to prove.
“They were a team in the top half of the table so there was something to strive for trying to get promoted.
With five league goals under his belt, including two in the last two games, O’Donovan would love to end the season by sending Northampton into League One. The Cobblers face Cheltenham, who finished two points above them, in the semi-final at home tonight before the return leg on Sunday.
“I’m in good goalscoring form but more importantly the team are in a good vein of form going into the play-off. It’s what you want to be involved in at this stage of the season.
Hopefully we’ll get a trip to Wembley but first of all we’ve got a tough game against Cheltenham. They’re a similar side to ourselves but hopefully we can come out on top over the two legs.
While the 27-year-old admits that he is enjoying his football once again, he knows he is still some way off his best but plans to get what he can out of the upcoming games and work hard over the summer. He adds that his future beyond the next month is up in the air.
“We’ll see come the end of the season. It all depends on results in this business. It’s a matter of just trying to play well in these games and we’ll see what happens in the summer.”
