Having recently turned 40, Stephen Lowry is well aware “I can’t play forever” with his career much closer to the end than beginning, but the Limavady United captain still retains a deep love for competition, admitting football “makes or breaks my week”.

Fortunately, this week was a good one – Lowry blew out birthday candles on Wednesday with memories of Saturday’s 3-2 come-from-behind victory against Ballymena United still fresh in his mind.

Lowry has played in the Irish League for more than half of his life, enjoying a stellar senior career which started – and will finish – at Limavady.

In the 15 years between stints, Lowry spent time with Linfield and Coleraine, establishing himself as one of the Irish League’s best midfielders while racking up hundreds of appearances.

placeholder image — Stephen Lowry with brother Philip and their families after Limavady United beat Linfield in the Irish Cup last season. (Photo by Desmond Loughery/Pacemaker Press)

Lowry’s longevity shouldn’t be taken for granted or dismissed – not many are still plying their trade in top flight football at 40, and even fewer are contributing on a weekly basis.

The Limavady skipper has started in eight of his side’s 10 Premiership matches (he missed two through suspension) and will likely feature once again at The Oval on Saturday when Paul Owens’ side face Glentoran.

Lowry is set to become only the second player aged 40 to feature in the Premiership this term after Linfield legend Jamie Mulgrew, who played the final 10 minutes of last Saturday’s 2-0 home win over Bangor – Crusaders striker Michael Mulholland (15) is the youngest.

As the years increase, naturally pace goes in the opposite direction, but Lowry still remains quicker than most between the ears.

"It's nice to be still playing at 40,” Lowry told the News Letter. “I could at least enjoy this week after we won last weekend...football makes or breaks my week.

"There's no doubt about it, I'm definitely not as mobile as I once was in terms of getting about the pitch, but upstairs, I still read the game quite well and the manager plays me and trust me, that's probably, at my age, all I need.

"If I have his backing, then I'm happy, and I suppose I don't have anything to prove to anyone.

"At this age, everyone's still out to get to you! You’ve been there and done it, but there's more challenges all the time with the quality of the opposition...that's why I'm loving it.

"I'm just loving being part of it all, loving the fact we're doing okay, and I want to continue just enjoying every minute of it now when I'm coming to the end.”

Another major motivation driving Lowry is an opportunity to play alongside brother Philip – the duo have helped set the platform for Limavady’s impressive recent run with Owens’ men winning four of their last six.

Three years younger than his sibling, Philip produced the decisive strike as they recovered from 2-0 down to beat Ballymena last weekend.

Their time at Linfield didn’t overlap with Stephen officially joining two days after Philip’s departure for Derry City, while they were on opposite sides during respective spells at Coleraine and Crusaders – Stephen famously took his brother out with a questionable tackle in 2018.

That competitive spirit still runs through Lowry’s veins, and while he’s reached a life milestone, his thoughts remain firmly in the present.

"I wouldn't be there if I didn't feel this good,” added Lowry. “I know some people could say ‘just stick around, enjoy it and not play as much’, but I definitely don’t want that.

"I'm really competitive deep down. I really try and play as much as I can, challenge myself, challenge my team-mates, and, I'm delighted to be playing a part.

"I'm enjoying playing with my brother as well, he's having a really good season.

"I don't want to tempt fate too much by saying ‘I'm going to play on for a long time’, I want to just enjoy this season, to be honest.

"That's kind of where my head's at at the minute, I don't want to think too far ahead of this season, or even think about the next three months.

"I’ll get through to January and then see from there. When you're 40, you're under no illusions as well, you know you can't play forever.”

Lowry has spent the majority of his career in the Premiership, but dropped down Northern Ireland’s pyramid in 2024 to make a Limavady return.

Having narrowly missed out on promotion in his first season, Lowry captained his local club back to the Irish League’s promised land for a first time since 2008 ahead of the current campaign.

With their Showgrounds home revamped and a special buzz in the air, Lowry is enjoying every moment at Limavady – and taking a step up in competition in his stride.

"I have played in the Premiership most of my career, had two seasons in the Championship with Limavady and obviously back up again now, which probably was unexpected,” said Lowry. “I definitely would say that there's a massive difference from the Championship.

"It's just the intensity and the speed at which the game's played, there's no hiding place, you don't get as many breathers, and any mistake, you are getting punished.

"But this is where you want to be. The atmosphere of the games have been brilliant, Limavady as a club is doing really, really well.

"It's good to see the ground packed on a weekly basis. From my perspective, it's where you want to be, and I'm glad to be here now at this stage of my career.”