Former Glentoran striker scores five goals in 11-0 cup victory

Having progressed through the youth ranks at Glentoran to earn a senior contract, the young striker sat on the bench while Champions League music blasted around The Oval in 2009 and made his European debut the following summer in Europa League qualifying against Icelandic outfit KR Reykjavík.

Southam had dreams of an Irish League career, learning his trade alongside the likes of Gary Hamilton, and at 19 had plenty of time to turn it into reality, but then a cruciate ligament injury changed everything.

Now 33, Southam is fresh off the back of scoring five goals in Greencastle Rovers’ 11-0 BPFL Canada Trophy victory over Ballynure OB – a club that helped him find the love for football again after it went missing for some time due to the injury, and has played a similar role this season following another period away.

"I did a cruciate in the second year of my first team contract,” he said. “I never really came back from it.

"I put a bit of weight on and struggled. I came back and was meant to go on-loan a couple of times but had fell out of love with it.

"I'm only really back playing football this year and was actually playing centre-half and centre-midfield.

"I used to play as a striker during my youth and into my twenties and the manager knew that so he put me up front one game and I scored twice so he has had me up there ever since.

"I was 22 or 23 when I came back from the injury and Greencastle got me enjoying my football again, which is weird because it's like the same process now as it was back then.

"I'm a joiner so work started taking over and I couldn't commit. I was getting paid to play football but it obviously wasn't enough to pay bills so work took over and I stopped playing.

"The (Greencastle) manager got onto me and I came back for three games one year and I couldn't get into it at all. He asked me to give it another go this year and I've stuck it out and I'm glad I have because I'm really enjoying it.”

Southam took a step back up the leagues with Championship side Lisburn Distillery after his first stint with Greencastle almost a decade ago before moving onto Donegal Celtic.

He couldn’t maintain the level that had earned him a Premiership contract but still looks back on his time at Glentoran with great fondness.

"I really felt brilliant and then the injury just wrecked me,” he added. “I was 19 or 20 at the time and they were a great bunch of players - the likes of Gary Hamilton was there.

"It was a really good experience. I played the last half-hour in Iceland and was on the bench for the Champions League game against Maccabi Haifa - it was just surreal.

"I loved it at Glentoran, it was one of the best times I've had in football. It's just unfortunate I couldn't get back to that level again.

“The first year of my contract was more in the reserves but the second year I had a real go at it. I had a good pre-season and Scott Young had taken over as manager and he was really pushing me and telling me I was in with a chance, and then the injury happened and that was that.

"I put a bit of weight on, was a bit down and fed up with myself. I went from thin, lean and quick to trying to bulk up in the gym thinking it was the best thing for me and it wasn't.

"It was sad but it's one of those things - it's the way the game goes."

Now enjoying being back on the pitch – and scoring goals aplenty – Southam and Greencastle are preparing for Wednesday evening’s Junior Shield final at Blanchflower Park against Beann Mhádagháin.

“To be honest, for the past couple of years I didn't think I would get it (the love) back,” he said. “I have friends my age that have stopped playing who all played at a good level and I could see it going that way for me too, but I stuck at it.

"We're buzzing. We have a lot of young players there that could play at a higher level. Young Paul (McAdorey), Jordy (O’Kane) - Paul has been on Cliftonville's books and the Antrim Milk Cup team. They could definitely play a lot higher but just love it at their local club.

"It would be absolutely massive (to win). It's the biggest match for the club since it started and that's even going back to when I last played 12 years ago when we reached the cup final and challenged for the league on the final day. This will be the biggest game in our history."