Former Manchester United youth product and Irish League striker taking the Amateur League by storm with boyhood club

Croskery, who made the move to United’s youth academy at 14 before returning to Northern Ireland with Linfield in 2016, has scored a quite astonishing 33 goals in 13 NAFL Division 2B matches for boyhood club Castlewellan Town this season, including four in last night’s 5-1 victory over Newtownbreda which helped the unbeaten side secure promotion.

The 26-year-old marked his return – 13 months after his last appearance for Portadown – by netting a hat-trick on debut and since then has surpassed three goals on six different occasions (he scored four times in four of those and seven in another).

Watching from the sidelines while recovering was giving Croskery the desire to play again and 16 years after last turning out for Castlewellan, the former Warrenpoint Town man made the decision to come home.

"It's a great feeling,” he said. “No matter what level you're playing at when you're scoring goals it always makes life a bit easier and you're happier.

"The boys were calling me Castlewellan's Erling Haaland! It's not a bad comparison.

"It has been great to come back and play with the boys that I played with growing up. I played with them when I was six until 10 and then moved to Lisburn and from there my football career took off.

"It has given me that buzz for football again. I think people underestimate how many quality players are playing at their local clubs because they don't want to be travelling or didn't get the break.

"I took a year out and being back on the pitch is so good. I was watching the boys for a year and going to every game getting itchy feet!

"I knew I had to go back. My confidence has risen and playing with the boys again - it's the happiest I've been playing football in a long time.

"The fact I've got the enjoyment back, am confident, playing with the boys I grew up with and getting promotion, which was the main aim, is absolutely class."

Croskery played in the same youth team as an emerging Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Dean Henderson, which meant he carried huge expectation on his shoulders given the profile of his former club.

"I'm a Man United fan so it was a dream when I got offered it,” he reflected. “I was offered Wolves and Leicester as well and I think Leicester were giving me more money but I didn't care. It was amazing and a great opportunity to live out a dream.

"Unfortunately it didn't work out for me but I did my best and you can't be salty about it. It was an amazing experience.

"It was tough (coming home), more because of the society thing around here because I was the one that was going to make it.

"Not many from Castlewellan get the chance to go over to clubs in England so there were big expectations.”

It’s no surprise to see Croskery succeeding at this level considering he bagged goals against Linfield and Larne in his last two Premiership matches for Portadown before departing Shamrock Park following the injury, which came at a cruel time with the young forward beginning to find his feet in Matthew Tipton’s team.

His current exploits aren’t going unnoticed by top-flight clubs who are trying to tempt him back to the highest level, but Croskery has also found success away from the pitch, building up his own fitness business using the lessons he learned while attending Limestone University in South Carolina.

Croskery’s Instagram page (rcroskeryfitness) has amassed 266,000 followers while his TikTok (ruairicroskeryfitness), where he shares entertaining clips on topics such as weight loss, is sitting just shy of 100,000.

"There have been Irish League clubs in contact - I've spoken to two or three about next season,” he added. “I run my own online coaching business which has really taken off over the last year-and-a-half and I'm very, very busy.

"I can go to training and turn up on a Saturday right beside my house without travelling long distances three or four times a week, which isn't ideal right now.

"I've been away from my fiancé for about five years of our nine year relationship so she doesn't want me travelling too far either!

"It's nice to be home with her too and we're getting married next year so all that's going on in my head is making sure I do as much business as possible and I'm enjoying that.

"I've spoken to a few clubs and told them where I'm at. You don't know what the future holds - you never know. Right now I'm happy to probably do another year at Castlewellan to push up for promotion into 1C next year.

"If I didn't have the business I would still be pushing for Irish League football.

"Football was my path and I had nothing else so the fact that I've been able to open my mind up and change path a bit to build up my business brand has been brilliant.

"It has helped me with my football too because I understand nutrition, what is needed to perform at the top level so if I ever do go back to that level I know what I need to do on and off the pitch."