Ripped shirts, confidence and undoubted ability - The Irish League loan spell that helped kickstart senior career of Larne's latest star
One week on from fulfilling his professional dream by signing for Larne, Benji Magee has already made a significant impact after providing the decisive assist in Thursday’s Conference League triumph – the latest step in a remarkable journey which included setbacks and unglamorous loan moves, but throughout it all, the young attacker never wavered in his belief that he could make the grade.
Almost three years ago to the day from landing at Inver Park as Tiernan Lynch’s latest recruit after starring at Loughgall, Magee was making a very different move, departing Ards for Premier Intermediate League strugglers PSNI in search of senior opportunities.
That initial Championship spell at Clandeboye Park lasted only a matter of weeks – or seven substitute minutes – and came off the back of leaving Glentoran and returning from time in America, but Glenn Taggart, who was in first managerial job at PSNI, could immediately see the talent possessed by teenager Magee.
"From the first training session you knew you had a real player on your hands and the thing I remember most was his desire and enthusiasm,” he recalls. “I played with ex-professionals and was managed by them, and they all have that crazy desire within them.”
Taggart had made over 500 appearances in his own distinguished playing career for Carrick Rangers, lifting multiple trophies, but that – or the fact he was now Magee’s new boss – didn’t stop the hungry forward showcasing his burning desire in training.
"When he came he was the typical 19-year-old - full of beans, full of energy and had confidence,” he said. “I remember in training after he'd played five or six games for us I was sheltering the ball and my bib was ripped off...I looked around, it was Benji, he got the ball and I put him over the line to say 'you're only here and dragging the manager's bib off!'.
“Another example is we were playing away to Moyola Park and we ended up losing 9-2 after a crazy second-half...Benji went through on goal and somebody shouts 'frig me Benji' and I didn't know what had happened, but he'd ripped his shirt in half like the Hulk! He said he got really wound up after missing a chance...the board weren't too happy and we had to get him to pay for the shirt. To be fair to him he brought his money the next Saturday and apologised for it.
"I knew he was confident in his ability but he had that real desire and fiery temper which I loved about him. When my assistant, Terrence O'Hara, and myself first watched him we thought he would do really well.”
Magee’s stint with the PSNI only lasted five months, during which time he played 16 matches and scored twice, before he returned to Ards and not long after joined Loughgall – the rest, as they say, is history.
The 22-year-old arrives at Larne on the back of netting 16 Premiership goals last term for Dean Smith’s side in a breakthrough campaign while he was also named Young Player of the Year at the NI Football Awards.
He’s undoubtedly fulfilling the potential which Taggart was confident he had back in 2021 and the current Wellington Rec chief believes his former charge will continue to thrive at the highest level.
"Benji at 22 will be a dream to coach with what he's already done in the last couple of years and then you have established professionals around him, he will be perfect for them,” he added. “Larne themselves in recent years...you think of Kofi Balmer, Craig Farquhar and Lee Bonis, they've all made moves across the water and there's no reason why Benji couldn't do the same.
"I remember when Benji was young he'd say he wanted to play at the highest level. He certainly has all the attributes and there's no better place for him than Larne.”