Don Cowan: “I’m faster and stronger than I ever was.”

Earlier this week it was announced that Don Cowan would return to the club to partner the likes of David O’Sullivan, Gary Shaw and Peter Hynes up front for the 2014 season. Cowan last played with the club during the 2011 campaign, departing for Stevenage as the clubs top scorer at the time and following two and a half years of ups and down in England and Scotland the Don as he is affectionately known as by “De Town” fans has set his heart on firing Longford Town back into the Premier Division. Upon his return to LTFC, Don sat down with our reporter Kieran Burke (@burko77_) for a quick fire interview: 

Q1: Don, welcome back to Longford Town! How does it feel to be back at a club where you are adored by the fans? Will that support make it easier for you to settle back into the league following spells abroad?

A1: I’m delighted to be back at Longford Town! It should be easy enough to settle in with Tony (Tony Cousins – Longford Town manager) still being here, I'm really looking forward to playing in the league this year.

Q2: It’s just over two years since you left the club for Stevenage in England but it’s certainly a very different Longford Town with the team hot hot favorites to not only claim promotion this season but win the division. How do you think you will deal with that new pressure personally?

 A2: I'm really looking forward to hopefully getting promotion this year. Our squad is jumping from strength to strength with all the new signing that Tony’s made. The team has been building over the years and this year I feel its Longford Town’s year.

Q3: It’s been a very exciting week for Longford Town fans with the triple signings of you, Kevin O’Connor and of course Stephen Rice. As a new player arriving at the club, just how excited are you for the 2014 season and did knowing players like Stephen Rice  would be playing alongside you make up your mind when it came to signing back for the club?

A3: I'm looking forward to playing with these very experienced players and of course playing alongside them boys is really going to help me as well.

Q4: Despite not even having trained together yet let alone play, the striking duo of Don Cowan and David O’Sullivan has been christened “Double D” by “De Town” faithful. Have you seen David play before and do you feel that potential partnership will live up to the sky high expectations?

A4: I haven't seen David play yet but I have heard a lot of good things about him, and last year he scored a lot of goals. Hopefully we can gel together this season and score a lot of goals and help the team to promotion.

Q5: Looking back at your spell away from the club now, you of course signed for Stevenage from Longford in 2011 but after a promising start to your “Borough” career you soon suffered a horrendous spell of extremely serious injuries. That must have been one of the lowest points of your career?

A5: Yes it was a low point, but I don't really want to talk about that I just want to look forward now and kick start my career again, on wards and upwards!

Q6: Despite your injury nightmare with Stevenage your four goals in one half against Barnet in a Herts Senior Cup match and a substitute FA Cup appearance at home to Tottenham Hotspur must have been two of the highlights of your career so far? Do you feel a good spell back home in Ireland could bring around another shot of full-time football in England or Scotland?

A6: I don’t know I just have to go with the flow now. I really enjoyed my time over there and anything could happen in the future, but for now I just want to get back to the top of my game and just enjoy my football.

Q7: Last week you were in Finland with the PFAI team and put in a man of the match performance during the first game of the competition, setting up a goal in the process. Do you feel that trip to Finland has given you an extra confidence boost ahead of the new season and perhaps answered any cynics views that you might have lost a yard of pace since your leg break in England? You certainly showed the Finland team’s full-back that wasn’t the case!

A7:  I still have all my attributes and more now in fact! I really enjoyed the trip it was a new test.  I'm stronger and faster than I ever was.

 Q8: Peter Hynes, David O’Sullivan and Gary Shaw are just three of the names you will be competing with week in week out for a starting berth in this star studded Longford team. Are you relishing the challenge in training with your new team mates and is that competition for places what will ultimately see LTFC over the line this season?

 A8: It will be a good challenge and we will all keep each other on our toes.  It is good to have competition in the team.

Q9: The league season doesn’t kick off until March 7th but Town’s first competitive game comes in just a few weeks’ time with little known Shamrock Rovers (Wexford) the opposition in Enniscorthy in the 4th round of the Leinster Senior Cup. Do you feel with the strength of this season’s squad that silverware is a real possibility in a cup competition as well as the league?

A9: Of course silverware is a real possibility this year, with the squad and the players we have this year anything is possible.

LTFC.ie wish to thank Don for taking time out to answer our questions and we wish him luck upon his return to the team…..Dazzling Don is back!