From the Terraces - Dublin Hammers

Liam McDonagh of the Dublin Hammers is looking forward to seeing Darren Randolph at the Euros
Dublin Hammers’ secretary Liam McDonagh is excited about seeing Hammers stopper Darren Randolph at the Euros…
 
It’s been a fantastic season supporting West Ham. It’s been a great way to end playing at the Boleyn Ground. I have a season ticket in the Bobby Moore lower so I managed to get to ten games. I was at the Manchester United game, and it was an amazing match. It was incredible to be there.
 
I have renewed my ticket for next season, so I’m extremely excited to visit the new Stadium and see how it goes. It is actually in a better place for anyone from Dublin coming over, because we can get a flight into Stansted and then a bus for £15 to go into Stratford.
 
I’ll miss Upton Park, but the move is certainly something I think the Club needed to do to progress.
 
My first ever West Ham match was the FA Cup final in 1980, and I was 18-years-old back then. I have been a Hammers fan since I was ten, however.
 
Over the years, I’ve loved watching the likes of Frank McAvennie and Julian Dicks, while this season, Michail Antonio has been superb for the side. He’s been a bit of a revelation this campaign, I’ve got to say.
 
Of course, being an Irishman, Darren Randolph is a favourite of ours, too. He’s one of our own! I’m heading out to the Euros in the middle of June, so we’ll be supporting the Republic of Ireland but in particular Darren, being a West Ham stopper.
 
To be honest, our expectations for the Euros are not huge, because we’ve got a very tough group, with Italy and Belgium as the tough opponents. Nobody is expecting anything however, and I guess that could work in our favour. We can relax and go and enjoy it.
 
I think Darren will start as the number one keeper, but he’s battling with Shay Given who is still a good keeper, too. Randolph’s a Hammer, though, so we hope he’ll be the man!
 
He’s done very well this season when called upon; he’s never let us down. In the cups, he’s always been there to stop anything that comes his way, and we at the Supporters’ Club are all looking forward to seeing him perform just as capably out in France.