How Raith Rovers ace Zak Delaney sealed his first big move from Irish league to English giants West Brom in 2018
Raith Rovers defender Zak Delaney has been explaining how his huge first move to Great Britain as a 15-year-old Irish rookie came about.
Dublin-born left-back Delaney, now 24, was plying his trade for St Patrick’s Athletic’s youth side in his home city before earning a potentially lucrative switch to English Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion in summer 2018.
After serving his apprenticeship as part of the youth set-up at The Hawthorns between 2018 and 2020, the Irishman was then elevated to their senior ranks but never played for the West Brom first team during a turbulent managerial period in which their top side was bossed by six different gaffers – Alan Pardew, Darren Moore, Slaven Bilic, Sam Allardyce, Valerien Ismael and Steve Bruce.
Recalling how his big move across the water over eight years ago had come about, Delaney told the Fife Free Press: “I was playing for St Patrick's and myself and a few of the other boys aged 15 went on a few trials to a few teams in England.
"And then I got the move over to West Brom at 16, so I was happy with that.
"I think it was basically that West Brom had quite a tie-in with a boys club, St Kevin's.
"I never played with St Kevin's, but they took a few boys from there.
"A few went over to England and then there was me. A few others after my time also went over. It always just seemed to be kind of what English clubs did.
"I think when I first went over there it was Alan Pardew who signed me. But then I think by the time I came back for the pre-season he’d been sacked.
"I couldn't even tell you who the manager was after that. Big Sam was there, he was a good character, Valerien Ismael was one, Darren Moore was there, there were loads.
"Ten years ago, English teams like West Brom just looked over the water to Dublin and across Ireland, whereas now obviously, it (the English league pyramid set-up) has gone huge, hasn't it?
"It's kind of bigger and broader, and because of Brexit they can't get the Irish lads at 16 anymore, they have to wait. So they're kind of going a different route now.”
When asked if the move to England’s second tier was exciting for him at the time, Delaney added: “Yeah, it was, it was nerve-wracking.
"I remember weighing it up, because I'd been on a few trials, I'd been at West Brom, Wolves, Sunderland, Blackburn, then I got the shout that West Brom wanted to offer me something.
"I remember sitting with my mum and dad, asking: ‘What do I do? I'm only 15, I'm so young.
"And I always remember them saying: ‘You'll regret it more if you don't go than if you do when you come home, worst case scenario’. And I just thought: ‘OK, yeah’ and I went, and that was it.
"I think it helped that I am a left-footed defender, as teams are always looking for those. And I was part of a very good youth team in Ireland.
"I trained with the West Brom first team a good few times. I had a few run-ins with a few different managers, so it was a crazy experience, to be honest.”