Cillian Sheridan has led something of a nomadic footballing existence since leaving Scotland back in 2013.
In the past eight years, the big Irish striker has taken in six clubs across four countries and three Continents.
That’s to add to an earlier spell in Bulgaria and a brief one in England.
However, a return to the country where he began his professional career in 2007 was his desire after “bouncing around” for the last two years.
And when Dundee called, Sheridan was more than happy to sign up for a Scottish football comeback.
Having spent two weeks with the team before agreeing the two-year deal, the former Celtic man feels Dens Park is the perfect fit.
“It’s good to be back for some normality,” he said.
“Dundee gave me the chance to come in and train with the lads.
“I was looking to come back and the opportunity came up at Dundee. Everything fitted into place for me.
“The last two years or so I was just sort of bouncing around and not really settling anywhere.
“I didn’t fancy doing that again so I was pleased to get the chance to come back and re-establish myself.”
‘No hesitation’
Sheridan arrives at Dundee ahead of their return to the Premiership following their promotion last season.
And he says he sensed the feelgood factor around James McPake’s side as soon as he arrived.
“It’s a very easy dressing-room to fit in and there was no hesitation to sign once I got the offer,” he added.
“I already knew Paul McGowan from Celtic, Lee Ashcroft from Kilmarnock and Dave Mackay as well.
“I’ve also played against the gaffer and I played for Gordon Strachan at Celtic.
“I watched the second leg of the play-off final and I was very impressed.
“Then I think in my second day here they played Leyton Orient and were very good again. And in training you can see the quality here.
“Hopefully that means lots of chances for me.”
Goals
And that’s the aim for Sheridan – getting back amongst the goals.
The 6ft 5in Republic of Ireland international scored just three times in 31 games for Wisla Plock last season.
He did, however, net nine times in 25 matches for Israeli side Ironi Kiryat Shmona in 2019/20 and got 15 league goals for Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus in 2015/16.
“First of all my aim is to get into the team and, hopefully, start scoring some goals,” he said.
“I want to help the team keep up their momentum from last season. There is a good spirit in the dressing-room and the team.
“From the first day I came in it wasn’t like other places I’ve been where it takes a while to settle in and feel at home.
“It’s an easy group to come into.”
Nomadic existence
Sheridan is certainly used to adapting to new dressing-rooms, having moved from Poland to New Zealand then to Israel and back to Poland in the past three years.
“When you go abroad once, it opens doors to other places,” he said of his travels.
“Your name gets about and you meet more people in that world and more offers and opportunities come up.
“Because I did Bulgaria so young it gave me the foundation to know how to adapt to new places.
“It was never something I set out to do. It’s just the way things worked out.”
Champions League in Cyprus
Sheridan’s most successful spell came during four seasons in Cyprus after leaving Kilmarnock.
He helped APOEL to back-to-back league and cup doubles as well as the Uefa Champions League group stage in 2014/15.
He started five of the six fixtures, facing the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Thiago Silva.
He admits he felt settled during that time and the 32-year-old is now looking for similar consistency with Dundee.
On his travels, he said: “The biggest stand-out for me was in Cyprus just because it was the most successful and I was there for the longest time.
“I got to experience the most while I was there like the Champions League, bits of the Europa League and winning the league there.
“And it’s a really nice place to live.
“If the football is going good, you are allowed to enjoy the lifestyle. If it’s not you have to be a bit careful of being accused of being there for a holiday.”
Fan protests
That’s not the only reason to be ensure the team is successful with the passions of supporters occasionally overspilling.
He added: “I had a few times when fans turned up at the ground if we didn’t get the right results, I can’t even count how many!
“It’s not good because it means things weren’t going great.
“As weird as it sounds, you get used to that. The first couple of times it takes you aback but then you get used to it.
“It’s a different kind of pressure.
“I wouldn’t be able to read anything written about the team so I didn’t have that pressure but you knew if it wasn’t going right, you’d get a visit from the fans.
“They’ll let you know.”
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