Published: Thursday, 25th September, 2008 17:00
Mooney the money man
By Anthony Smith
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The power of Mooney: Reading new boy and former electrician Dave Mooney is loving life as a professional footballer.
DAVE Mooney has spoken of how life before professional football has taught him to look after his money.
The 23-year-old striker quit his electrician’s job just six months ago to become a full-time pro with Cork City.
Before that he combined his day job with playing part-time football with Shamrock Rovers and Longford Town in the League of Ireland which limited him to training in the evenings only.
That must now feel like a world away from his current surroundings at Reading and the £200,000 signing admitted: “I love going into the training ground every morning.
“It’s a great life and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I’ve done a nine to five job before. To have the chance to train every day and finish at half-past-twelve or one o’clock is a dream for me and it’s one I am cherishing.
“I don’t know whether my past makes me appreciate it more. But maybe I appreciate the finer things a bit more. Perhaps I’m wiser with my money than other people are.
“But everyone loves being a footballer. When you grow up as a kid it is what everybody wants to do, to train and play games.
“If I wasn’t getting paid to play I would be the one paying someone else to play for a Sunday league side.
“Everybody loves playing football and, obviously it’s a benefit when you are paid to do it.”
Mooney, pictured above, has had limited chances this season and he came on for just 14 minutes in the Carling Cup defeat at Stoke City on Tuesday.
And he insists Reading fans are yet to see the best of him. “It’s up to me to get the best I can out of the people and coaches around me. Until I do people won’t see the benefits of me.
“I’m settled in now. I’ve got a car and an apartment and my girlfriend is living with me now so everything is set in stone for me to do well. It’s just up to myself to do it and I intend to keep working hard.”
Mooney is yet to play in the Championship at all and Ireland’s former Golden Boot winner has few complaints about the strikers in front of him.
“I’d love to say I will make my debut against Swansea this weekend but it’s up to the manager,” he declared.
“Kevin Doyle has scored hat-tricks in his last two home games, Noel Hunt has done well and Shane Long and Leroy Lita showed how good they can be at Stoke.
“I’ve just got to wait for my chance and make sure I’m ready to take it when it comes.”
And he quipped: “I’m hoping one of them gets injured so that I get a chance.”
Mooney was among the seven substitutes at the Britannia Stadium and he stated: “I didn’t really expect to start the game. I’m still in the process of settling.
“I think we played well and on another night we might have won. Their keeper pulled off a world-class save from Scott Golbourne and if that had gone in we would have come home happy.
“But penalties can go either way and, unfortunately, we missed two and Stoke missed one.”
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