Ex-Irish League star believes Larne ace Benji Magee can act as inspiration for other young players to follow their dreams

Magee progressed through the ranks at Glentoran before spending time in America and returned to the Irish League in 2021 with Ards, but that initial Championship move didn’t work out and the talented attacker spent five months in Northern Ireland’s third-tier at PSNI.

Despite the setbacks, ex-Carrick Rangers midfielder Taggart says Magee never wavered in his belief that he’d one day make the grade and he certainly proved his ability in the Premiership last season with Loughgall, scoring 22 times across competitions.

That form has helped Magee earn a move to reigning Irish League champions Larne and the 22-year-old came off the bench on Thursday evening to make his Inver Reds debut in their UEFA Conference League play-off against Lincoln Red Imps in Portugal.

With a plethora of young stars plying their trade within the Irish League pyramid and below, Taggart hopes Magee’s meteoric rise can be a source of motivation for others that they too could succeed.

"He's a great example for any young player that maybe didn't make the grade because football can change so quickly,” he said. “Benji left the Glens, went to Ards, left them for a struggling PSNI team and probably thought 'maybe that's me', but he had desire and trusted his own ability.

"He went to Loughgall and has made a career for himself. It's amazing for young players that maybe have been dropped by clubs that you can get back on track. He has done it in a really good way and found his home in Loughgall. You always knew he had the ability and he has now got a dream move.

"He played something like a total of 56 minutes for Ards' first team and he played 16 times for us, so he had about 17 matches in the space of nearly two years.

"You throw in Covid too and he probably missed two or three years of development so it shows how hard work and talent, plus someone like Dean Smith nurturing that, that there's no reason anyone at that age can't succeed. There are some fantastic players in the Championship, PIL and through the amateur leagues."

Magee could follow in the footsteps of Lee Bonis, who moved to Larne and impressed for two-and-a-half years before getting his move across the water to Dutch outfit ADO Den Haag.

Cliftonville ace Ronan Hale has also departed the Irish League this summer, securing a switch to Scottish Premiership side Ross County, and Taggart believes the Irish League is now providing life-changing opportunities.

"This is what the Irish League is doing now: it's giving players the chance to earn a good living here and fulfil their dream of playing professional football, or for the likes of Lee Bonis and Shayne Lavery, maybe you get that move again at 24 or 25 which would never have happened back in the day,” he added. “The beauty of it is these teams are getting the money to put full-time models in place and offering players an opportunity.

"Nobody really went back across the water having been there before back in the day, but full-time football here allows players to dedicate themselves to improving here or stepping across the water.”