Liam Boyce knows how tough second chances are to come by in football and the Northern Irishman is in no mood to pass up the opportunity of a League Cup winner’s medal in Sunday’s final against Hibernian.
After hitting the ground running as a teenager with home-town club Cliftonville, Belfast-born Boyce was handed a dream move to full-time football when German club Werder Bremen moved to sign him in 2010.
Boyce won his first cap for his country in a 3-0 defeat by Scotland in Dublin in February 2011 but, having struggled to break into the Bundesliga outfit’s reserve team, he was released a few months later, and returned to previous club Cliftonville.
Having initially struggled to hit the heights he had reached in his first spell at Solitude, Boyce knew time was running out for him to get his professional career back on track.
He soon regained his form, however, winning the Ulter footballer of the year award in 2012-13, and helping Cliftonville win back-to-back league and cup doubles.
The 24-year-old has not looked back since he earned a move to the Staggies in 2014, with 29 goals in 65 appearances for the Dingwall club, and Boyce says failure to take his second chance in full-time football was not an option.
Boyce said: “When I went to Germany I thought I was top of the world and then, when I came back, my confidence was shot to bits. I was left wondering if I would get another chance.
“I experienced both sides of it. When I went to Germany I was only 19, playing for Northern Ireland as well. Then I came home and was playing for Cliftonville reserves for six months. I was wondering what was happening.
“When I went back home, I was the fittest I had been, but I wasn’t playing well. The next year in Europe I scored and it took off again from there.
“But when we won the league the first year, we all went out celebrating – and it just seemed to carry on. We still kept winning so we didn’t think anything was wrong with it.
“It just got worse and worse and I eventually had to realise myself if I was to have another chance when my contract came up, I needed to get my head screwed on – and I did, thankfully.
“We won the cup and the league and were in the Irish Cup, the biggest one, and still going out celebrating after the league title win with a couple of weeks to go. When it came to the final, we ended up losing in extra time.
“We could have prepared better and won a treble, so it was an opportunity missed. But I learned from it. I needed to get my head screwed on again. It sort of refocused me and I knew when I got this chance, it was my last chance. I was very lucky to get it the first time and doubt I would get it the second time. I had to take it.”
Boyce had failed to score in his previous eight games before his header in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat against Dundee United in the Scottish Cup, which took his tally for the season up to 18 goals.
The attacker is eager to get his chance to lead the line at Hampden this weekend and added: “Since I came back from the hand injury I was just getting back up to speed. It wasn’t the best of goals but I was just glad it went in. Hopefully, now I can go on a run.
“If you’re not scoring, your position is going to come under threat as a striker. That’s the main role you have. We have some good attackers on the bench, good strike partners for me. Alex Schalk has done well and big Brian Graham has scored a couple of goals as well, while David Goodwillie has come in but can’t play in the cup.
“I’m under pressure and need to keep playing well and keep my shirt.”