Northern Ireland: 'It's great for the Irish League' - Conor McMenamin buzzing after 'surreal' call-up
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'My phone hasn't stopped' - McMenamin 'buzzing' after first NI call-up
Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough laid down a challenge to his young squad at the start of their training camp at St George's Park last week.
On a board was a list of all the international fixtures to be played this summer - four Nations League games for the senior side, two Under-21 qualifiers against Spain and Slovakia and two Under-19 friendlies against Malta.
Baraclough's challenge was simple - "which games would you rather be involved in?" To a man, he said, they wanted to play in the Nations League.
The youthful make-up of the training panel meant that a lot of them were eligible for those underage teams, but that was not the case for Glentoran winger Conor McMenamin.
At 26, the former Linfield, Warrenpoint Town and Cliftonville man had never represented Northern Ireland at any level, but had been invited to the gathering by Baraclough on the back of a stellar season for the Glens in the Irish Premiership.
McMenamin's impressive form for Cliftonville earned him a move to Glentoran in January 2021
If he was going to ensure that his first international football journey didn't end with a few end-of-season training sessions, then he had to make an impression. And he duly did. So much so that he was one of four new call-ups to the full squad announced on Friday for the upcoming Nations League quadruple-header.
"I'm delighted, I'm buzzing," he said just hours after the squad was named.
"When the manager rang me to tell me on Saturday, it was hard not to tell anyone until it was announced. I told my mum and dad and they were buzzing too.
"It was a bit surreal getting that phone call but it was brilliant also. I thought I did well last week, when I treated the training camp as a chance to impress the manager."
McMenamin has arrived in the Northern Ireland squad for a somewhat unique international camp that includes four Nations League matches in 10 days.
Greece come to Windsor Park on Thursday night before trips to Cyprus and Kosovo, with the quadruple-header finishing back at Windsor - where McMenamin began his Irish League career with Linfield - on 12 June.
And now he has earned that call-up, what would it mean to make his debut and get a first taste of international football?
"It would be a dream come true," he asserted.
"My family and everybody close to me would all be buzzing. It is something that any footballer from this country would want to do, play for your national team, and it would be an unbelievable experience if I got that chance."
If that chance does come, it will be because of two things - how he has lit up the Irish Premiership with a sparkling 23-goal season and how he took that opportunity to impress Baraclough at the training camp.
In selecting McMenamin, Baraclough is making true a statement he made to the BBC in February, when he said he would not hesitate to select an Irish League player for Northern Ireland.
Baraclough has praised the quality of the Irish Premiership this season
At the time, it was Glentoran team-mate Jay Donnelly who seemed the league's most likely candidate, but McMenamin's timing was perfect as he scored the winning goal against Linfield in front of the watching Baraclough at The Oval just a few days later.
"I never even thought about it [the possibility of playing for Northern Ireland] until halfway through this season when people started asking me about it," he explained.
"I was just playing football, enjoying it, and have just had a brilliant year. I suppose it is a reward for having such a great season.
"I think it's great for the Irish League and shows that if you are doing well then the international manager is willing to pick you. He is looking at the league and the league is improving with teams going full time so it is obviously getting a lot better."
That said, while his performances in the Irish League have earned him this international call-up, McMenamin realises the exposure could put him in the shop window for a move to England or Scotland - something Baraclough has said he believes he is ready for.
"Yes, definitely," he responded when asked if he would like a more across the water.
"It is obviously something I've thought about and, if the opportunity came along, I'd be more than happy to explore it. But I am at Glentoran now and until that opportunity comes I just have to keep my feet on the ground."