Glenavon star turned down 'couple of options' in pursuit of 'getting club back to where it should be'
John Mountney has revealed he turned down “a couple of options” to remain at Glenavon – and is now determined to get “the club back to where it should be” following relegation.
Mountney has enjoyed a hugely successful career, winning five League of Ireland Premier Division titles with Dundalk, who he also represented on the European stage, including twice against newly-crowned Premier League champions Arsenal in 2020.
The 33-year-old joined the Lurgan Blues in January as Michael O’Connor looked to add experience to his squad, making 11 league appearances.
Mountney is the latest player to commit his future to Glenavon ahead of their Championship campaign with the Co Armagh club saying he “will be a key part of Michael’s plans for the upcoming season”.
Having made over 400 appearances throughout his career, Mountney’s services were in demand this summer, but he has signed a new one-year contract extension at Mourneview Park and full focus is now on sealing an immediate top-flight return.
“I enjoyed the spell I had at Glenavon, although we didn't get over the line,” he said of his decision to stay. "From January, our form was actually very good but it just wasn't enough to secure Premiership status.
"In terms of how the manager was running things and how the club was being run, everything was being done right, which is big.
"The commute for me from Dundalk is only 30 minutes, which is ideal really. It was weighing up my options, I had a couple of different ones but they involved travelling further.
"The best option in terms of level was too big of a commute so I was happy with Glenavon. I've enjoyed my time here and I now want to play my part in getting the club back to where it should be.
"I definitely think (we’re capable). I'd be naive if I started talking loads about it because I came up a bit blind to the league last season and it'll be similar in the Championship, but I'm sure there's going to be good teams in the league.
"You can see even with the play-offs that it went down to the wire between Crusaders and Annagh.
"The standard is going to be good and there'll be no thinking we deserve to go back up or that we're better than other teams, we have to prove that and earn it. There's no denying that the club wants to come straight back up.”
O’Connor was nominated for Manager of the Year at the NI Football Awards after almost pulling off the greatest of escapes – the former Northern Ireland international took over on the back of 11 consecutive league defeats.
Mountney highlighted the role of O’Connor in his decision to stay and is also set to undertake some coaching work at Mourneview Park himself.
"The manager is the man who controls everything and Mick is a very enjoyable manager to play under,” he added. “I enjoyed working with him and also him as a person, as well as Doyler (Andrew Doyle) and Fergy (Mark Ferguson).
"The staff have a good relationship and balance with the players and it was definitely enjoyable going to training.
"I spoke to Mick a couple of times and it was just about trying to make it work. I'm hoping to go in and do a bit of coaching with the club too.”