Derry City's Stephen Mallon switches international allegiance to Northern Ireland

The 21 year-old West Belfast man, on loan from Sheffield United, has represented both the north and south at various underage levels but believes the IFA offer him a ‘clearer pathway’ to the senior international set-up.

Most recently he’s been part of ex-Ireland U21 boss, Stephen Kenny’s squad but has informed the Dubliner and Northern Ireland boss, Ian Baraclough of his decision to declare for the north - a move, he claims, he didn’t take lightly!

Mallon, who netted his third goal of the season for Derry in Drogheda last Saturday, was initially omitted from Ireland U21 manager Jim Crawford’s 25 man squad ahead of crunch qualifiers in October and November.

He then received a phone call on Sunday morning inviting him to report to the Irish training camp this week but Mallon then made the shock revelation he wanted to play for N. Ireland.

The Poleglass native bucks the trend of players from the north switching to the south, following Oxford’s Mark Sykes bombshell to switch to Republic of Ireland last week, despite coming through the IFA ranks.

It’s a decision Mallon has been mulling over for the past 12 months and a move he insists is based totally on ‘football reasons’ and was ultimately a ‘family decision’.

“I got a phone call today (Sunday) to say I am in the Ireland U21 squad but I’ve actually chosen to go to the north,” revealed Mallon.

“It’s been going on for a long time. I haven’t just come up with it and made the decision within a week or whatever. It’s been thought out over a year. I’ve had chats with Stephen Kenny, Ian Baraclough and I spoke to Michael O’Neill about it when he was manager. I had a conversation with Stephen Kenny today and let him know I’ve made my decision. He said he was disappointed but wished me well.

“He knew it was a hard decision for me. It took me over a year to make and it wasn’t something which came lightly. It’s been a family decision. It’s more of a decision made with my head rather than my heart. I’ve grown up always wanting to play for Ireland but I feel switching to Northern Ireland is a good footballing move for me. That’s what I want to go ahead with. I’ve spoken to both Stephen Kenny and Ian Baraclough about it.”

Mallon was part of the Northern Ireland U15s before opting to transfer to the Republic’s underage set-up. And having experienced playing for both associations, he believes declaring for the north is the best move for his promising career,

“At this moment in time in my career, I just feel Northern Ireland would be better for me. The pathway is clearer.

“I know I still have to be on top of my game and perform every week to get into the Northern Ireland side but I feel there’s a clearer pathway for me there.”

There’s a strong contingent of Derry City players representing N. Ireland U21s at present with Nathan Gartside, Eoin Toal and Jake Dunwoody selected for the Euro 2021 qualifiers against Malta and Denmark next month.

Mallon is also close friends with ex-Derry City striker, David Parkhouse and Glentoran’s Chris Gallagher and says he’s relishing the chance to team up with them again.

“Obviously I’ve got other mates in the U21 team as well, the likes of ‘Parky’ and ‘Cookie’ Gallagher - two of my best mates. That’s not a massive factor in my decision because I have close mates in the Ireland set-up as well. It was mainly a footballing decision.

“It’s not about religion or anything like that, this is a football decision. I grew up supporting Ireland and watching Ireland games and wanted to play for them but I feel Northern Ireland is a better option for me.

“There are not many U21 games left so it was best to make a decision and get myself settled into the squad and push on. The plan is to progress and get my first senior cap but I need to be on top of my game at Derry. It’s not easier with Northern Ireland. I have to give 100 per cent because a senior cap would be a massive achievement.”