JAKE Carroll won a League of Ireland championship medal in 2013 with St Patrick’s Athletic and then sojourned through England’s lower leagues.

Fortunately, though, sandwiched between a permanent transfer to Huddersfield Town and temporary spells with Bury, Hartlepool United and Cambridge United, the full-back spent five months on loan with Partick Thistle in 2014/15, when the Jags were still in the Premiership.

His year in Glasgow gave Carroll an appreciation of life in Scotland and the warmer approach strangers receive from the locals here than he had been accustomed to down south.

Which is why he elected to join Motherwell when his contract with Huddersfield expired in 2019, a switch he has never had cause to regret on a personal or professional level.

“I love it here, I’m settled,” said the 30-year-old. “Since I came to the UK, I’ve had two years at clubs then found another challenge or another journey.

“But this is the place I’ve felt most comfortable. I enjoy it here, I like the people around the club and the Scottish league suits me.

“This is the club I’ve enjoyed most since coming to the UK. That’s why I signed my new contract last year - because I’m happy to be here.

“Even when big stars come up to Scotland from the Premier League, they’re shocked by how quick the game is.

“It’s quite frantic but I like that. I expected the refs to be a bit more lenient, right enough - I’ve got into trouble with them too many times.

“But it’s passionate here. There’s a lot of interest in the game and I don’t think you see that when you’re in England.

“Until you’re up here, you don’t realise how big football is and what it means to the fans. I love that”

Carroll has enjoyed the connection with the supporters and the warm reception from the locals, which he didn’t experience south of the border.

“Being Irish, the people here remind me of back home they’re similar, grounded. That’s important, especially outside football.

“In England, the further south I went, the more out of my comfort zone I was in terms of the people. I came up here on loan to Thistle and loved it for six months. I knew I’d enjoy it here if I ever came back - and that’s away from football as well.

“I don’t want to generalise the south of England but everyone’s in their own bubble.
It’s little things: if you’re walking your dog on a Sunday the people walking past don’t say ‘hello’. Up here, people say ‘good morning’. It’s just manners.

“The team-mates I have at Fir Park are the most welcoming and down to earth people. Football can be a [ruthless] business - a lot of times you leave training and then everybody goes their separate ways.

“Here, lads will go to Starbucks together and stuff like that, which is something you don’t always see. Little things like that definitely helps, especially when you’re injured.

“The Scottish people are more welcoming and they have good craic and banter. I like the sense of humour - anything in the Scottish accent is funny.”

Carroll, who has been utilised at the heart of Graham Alexander’s defence recently, faces a severe examination of his credentials when league leaders Celtic come calling this afternoon and the player knows he’ll also be coming under scrutiny from friends and family across the water.

“Celtic’s massive where I come from,” said the Dubliner. “That’s why the league at home struggles a little bit because the interest isn’t there in the teams.

“Someone’s going to support Celtic and Liverpool or Celtic and United, it’s one English team and one Scottish team.

“There’s more interest from my mates when we play Celtic or Rangers, definitely: I think they only watch me when I’m playing Celtic!

“When you’re in the team and playing well, the interest is there and you see rumours of call-ups to the national team. I’ll keep that dream of playing for my country alive until I’m retired.

“If I’m not playing, I’ve got no chance. I’ve just got to try and stay in the team and see where it takes me.”