The unknown Kiwi aiming to follow in Roy Keane's footsteps by going from the FAI Cup to the World Cup
Alex Greive is hoping to fire Bohs to FAI Cup glory and then New Zealand to the 2028 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Alex Greive is hoping to join a select list of superstars and forgotten heroes and use the FAI Cup as a stepping stone to the World Cup.
As many as 31 PLAYERS have played in both the League of Ireland AND the World Cup, hard as that is to believe.
But at one stage in the 1970s, the League of Ireland was a wetter and poorer version of the Saudi Pro League, an attraction for fading superstars to nab one last payday. That was how World Cup winners, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst, Gordon Banks as well as West Germany’s World Cup runner up, Uwe Seeler, ended up in Ireland.
Read more: League of Ireland side Bohemians tie popular pair to new contracts
Add in Northern Ireland’s Felix Healy, Davy Campbell and Billy Hamilton - plus Ireland’s Paul McGrath, Roy Keane, Steve Staunton, Ronnie Whelan and Damien Duff, and you get a picture of how the League has doubled up as both a stepping stone and a final stop.
Some, though, played here in their prime - such as Cameroon’s Joseph Ndo and Trinidad and Tobago’s Avery John, John featuring in the 2006 finals in Germany after spending three years with Longford, Bohs and Shels.
Now Alex Greive is the latest to harbour big dreams.
After landing in the League in July, Greive has yet to find his rhythm in front of goal but has impressed with his energy and work rate. Now the manager he is seeking to impress is New Zealand’s Darren Bazeley, who knows his adopted country are shoo-ins to be Oceania’s representatives at the 2028 World Cup.
That means Bohemians striker Greive, 25, has a realistic chance of adding to his 14 caps and appearing in football’s biggest show.
He said: “Everybody dreams of playing for their country and I’d love to get my way back into the team as I’ve probably had the best moments of my life and career in a New Zealand shirt, playing in front of friends and family.
“We can get there. Now that there’s an automatic qualifying spot from Oceania now, this is a real good opportunity to go to the next World Cup. Losing out on the last one in a play off against Costa Rica was a tough one.
"We're heavy favourites to qualify so if you can work your way in the team, there’s a good chance of playing at a World Cup.
“But it is up to me to improve my form at Bohs and start playing the best football of my career. A goal in the semi-final (against Derry City) wouldn’t hurt.”
Goals are something he has found hard to come by since his arrival. In 11 games with the Gypsies he has scored just twice - each time in the Cup.
But it is a miss that is best known for, after he fired a shot over the bar against Drogheda when he had an open goal to aim for. Worse again, had the strike gone in, it could have counted as one of the goals of his career, as it followed a mazy run from the half-way line.
Of that glaring miss, Greive said: “In the few seconds afterwards, I felt the world was caving in. I’m a striker who scores and misses chances so you’ve to move on quickly. If you get another chance and are still thinking about the previous one, you’ll miss that too.
“It was one of the worst misses of my career and it stung all week.
“I didn’t get much sleep that night. Mainly because of the result, you feel you’ve squandered the chance of getting back in the game. It hurt.
“When you miss a chance you should score 10 times out of 10, it hurts your ego more than anything. The fact is we lost the game and I could have changed that. Any chance you miss you’ll think about but I’d take any sort of goal, no matter how they come.”
In the aftermath of that mistake, the Bohs players rallied around their New Zealand colleague, Dawson Devoy defending the forward by revealing he is the hardest working pro in training.
Greive said: “I’d like to think I put the same effort in every week but I was straight back in trying to put it right.”
One sure way to make amends is by scoring tonight against Derry.
He said: “There’s a lot of excitement in the dressing-room. Being here today seeing the Aviva, the chance of getting back here would be amazing but Derry are a good side at the moment. We’re preparing to get ready for them.
“In our dressing-room the feeling is we can beat anyone, especially at Dalymount with our fans behind us. But Derry are up the top of the league for a reason so it’ll be a battle.”
Stars, journeymen and has-beens: the 31 players who have played in the League of Ireland and at the World Cup
Ireland
Roy Keane (Cobh 1989/90) USA 94
Paul McGrath (St Pat’s 1981/82) Italia 90, USA 94
David Kelly (Derry City 2002) Italia 90 and USA 94
Ronnie Whelan (Home Farm 1977-79) Italia 90, USA 94
Kevin Moran (Bohs 1974/75) Italia 90, USA 94
Steve Staunton (Dundalk 1986) Italia 90, USA 94, Japan and Korea 02
Damien Duff (Shamrock Rovers 2015) Japan and Korea 02
Northern Ireland
David Campbell (Derry City 1990/91, Shamrock Rovers 1991/92) Mexico 86
Felix Healy (Sligo Rovers 74-76; Finn Harps 77-78; Derry 1987-91) Spain 82
Billy Hamilton (Limerick 87-89; Sligo Rovers 1989) Spain 82, Mexico 86
Peter McParland (Dundalk) Sweden 1958
Canada
David Norman (UCD 1980-82) Mexico 1986
USA
Ed McIlvenny (Waterford 1953-57) Brazil 1950
West Germany
Uwe Seeler (Cork Celtic 1977/78) Sweden 1958, Chile ‘62, England ‘66, Mexico ‘70
Scotland
Alex Parker (Drumcondra 1970) Sweden ‘58
Bobby Collins (Shamrock Rovers 1973) Sweden ‘58
David Harvey (Drogheda United 1981) West Germany ‘74
Jimmy Johnstone (Shelbourne 1977) West Germany ‘74
Peter Lorimer (UCD 1983) West Germany ‘74
Steve Archibald (Home Farm 1996) Mexico ‘86
England
Bobby Charlton (Waterford United 1976) Sweden 58, Chile 62, England 66, Mexico 70
Geoff Hurst (Cork Celtic 1976) England 66, Mexico 70
Trevor Brooking (Cork City 1985) Spain 82
Terry McDermott (Cork City 1984/85) Spain 82
Ian Callahan (Cork United 1981) England 66
Gordon Banks (St Pat’s 1977) England 66, Mexico 70
Nigeria
Efan Ekoku (Dublin City 2004) USA 94
Cameroon
Joseph N’do (St Pat’s 2003-04 and 07-08; Shelbourne 04-06; Shamrock Rovers 2008; Bohs 2009, Sligo 2010-14; Limerick 2014) France 98, Japan and Korea 02
Trinidad and Tobago
Avery John (Shels 2000; Bohs 2001/02; Longford Town 02/03) Germany 06
Australia
Brad Jones (Shelbourne 2001) Russia 2018
James Meredith (Sligo Rovers 2007) Russia 2018
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