Feature: Irish eyes smiling on Travers

While Mark Travers may have looked up to Petr Cech as a kid, Shane Lowry and Shay Given have both made a lasting impression on the Cherries goalkeeper in the past 12 months.

Travers met fellow Irishman Lowry when he paid a visit to a Boys in Green training camp just weeks after he had lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush in July 2019.

And his communication from Given, Ireland’s most-capped goalkeeper, came last week after Travers had made a stunning save during a training session ahead of their Nations League clash with Bulgaria.

A clip of the point-blank stop from a Shane Duffy bullet header was posted to Twitter by the FA of Ireland media team.

When all of your teammates applaud, you know that save was an absolutely worldie of the highest order. 🔥

Stop scrolling and watch.@marktravers40 omg#COYBIG | #BULIRL🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/hzvEmbmfaO

— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) September 2, 2020

Travers takes up the story for afcb.co.uk: “We were two hours ahead in Bulgaria and I woke up the following morning and wondered why I had received so many text messages.

“My family and friends had sent me the tweet and I saw it got a good reaction. I wasn’t really expecting it.

“As a goalkeeper, you make saves and concede goals in training and I was fortunate to make a decent one which the media team put on Twitter.

“My brother sent me the response from Shay Given and it was an unbelievable thing to see.

“I read his book a few years ago and he’s an Irish legend so it was great to get that sort of feedback from him.

“A little comment like that gives you more confidence and belief. He’s had more caps than any other Ireland goalkeeper and if I could do half of what he did, it would be great.”

Had Travers opted to pursue a different career path when he was a teenager, he could have been locking horns on the fairways with Major winner Lowry.

A single-figure handicapper and a member at Carton House in County Kildare, Travers played on the Golf Union of Ireland circuit and was crowned champion of Munster at under-13 level.

“Golf was a massive part of my life then,” said Travers. “I loved the game, relished the competition and represented Ireland under-14s.

“I was playing a good level of golf and wasn’t representing my country at football so I probably did lean towards wanting to be a professional golfer.

“But at under-16 level, I started to get a sniff at the Irish team and my football started to go well. In the long run, I thought football would be the better option for me.

“Even at a young age, I always dreamed of coming to England and playing in the Premier League and for my country.

“It was great to meet Shane Lowry last year. He came to one of our international camps and brought the Claret Jug. We all got to have a chat with him which was a class moment for me.

“I dreamed of winning The Open when I was younger so to see the Claret Jug live was a killer moment for me.

“If Ireland wasn’t already on the golfing map, he certainly put us on there and it was a great occasion for everybody in the country when he won at Royal Portrush.”

While 2019 was memorable for Lowry, it was also pretty special for Travers who made his Premier League and international debut.

His man-of-the-match display helped the Cherries triumph 1-0 against Champions League finalists Tottenham at Vitality Stadium in the final home game of 2018/19.

And four months later, Travers earned his spurs for his country, starting in a 3-1 victory over Bulgaria in Dublin, the first of two full caps for the native of Maynooth.

Should he get the nod from boss Jason Tindall for Cherries’ Championship curtain-raiser against Blackburn, Travers will be looking to emulate Aaron Ramsdale’s exploits of last season and make the jersey his own.

Travers, who turned 21 in May, said: “I had to be patient and wait for my chances last season. They came in the FA Cup so it was disappointing we didn’t go on a run.

“Rammers started the season really well and nailed down the position. He was on it in every game and was one of the standout players last season. Getting his move was a credit to how well he did.

“It was a difficult season for me not getting as much game time as I would have liked. Every young player wants to play every game and they would be lying if they didn’t say that.

“It’s a new season now so, hopefully, I can get stuck in and try to play regularly which has always been my aim.

“During pre-season last year, there was a lot of competition between the four goalkeepers and we didn’t know who was going to start but you couldn’t fault Rammers for anything.

“I had 45 minutes against Benfica and it was good to get a game against such high-quality opposition.

“I watched the West Ham game and the lads looked in a great position. They scored five goals and played really good football. Hopefully, that’s a snippet of what’s to come this season.

“Training has been good and different to a normal pre-season due to the quick turnaround. Everyone is raring to go and looking sharp ahead of the new season.”

Travers enjoyed some light-hearted banter with Blackburn defender Darragh Lenihan during the international break, the pair both unused subs in Ireland’s Nations League double-header against Bulgaria and Finland.

“It was my first camp with him and he’s a really nice guy,” said Travers. “We chatted about the game and, hopefully, I’ll get the chance to play against him on Saturday.

“Blackburn are a very strong side and have done well in the Championship in the past couple of years.

“We know it’ll be a very difficult game. We’re all really excited about the challenge ahead. This will be a good test and, hopefully, we can get the season off to a good start.”

Settled in Bournemouth and living with girlfriend Olivia, Travers still sees plenty of countryman Gavin Kilkenny, the pair having shared digs in Christchurch during their first year in Dorset.

Travers said: “Gav is one of my closest friends in football and it’s good to have the Irish connection. We can relate to each other have a good bond because we shared digs for a year.

“It’s great to have him here at the club. I always like to see other Irish lads doing well and I think he is going to have a good season. He’s got a great future in the game and it would be cool to play in the first team with him.

“He wants to take up golf and has asked me to take him to the driving range. I’m not sure I’m going to have time what with all the washing and cleaning I do trying to keep my place looking nice. Getting your own place makes you grow up quickly!”