GARBETT SET FOR RETURN TO IRELAND

Norman Garbett says he is coming back to Ireland to help Dundalk become a Premier Division side once again, with the club delighted to announce that the New Zealand winger has remotely signed a new deal that will see him land back in Oriel Park on January 9th.

The 20-year-old, who represented his country in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup last year, arrived on trial in Dundalk in the summer and quickly impressed. He made a total of eight appearances, all from the bench, hugely catching the eye on his debut against Shamrock Rovers in Dublin.

He suffered a hamstring injury just five minutes after coming on against Rovers in Dundalk’s final home game of the season, with a prognosis of 12 weeks on the sidelines, news which left him feeling down. Happier now, by the time he returns here, he will be close to resuming training.

With the Lilywhites relegated to the First Division, few expected Garbett to remain. However, for him, there was never any doubt, with the enthusiastic young winger hurt by how the light went out on Dundalk’s long top-flight stay on October 18th.

“Obviously, I was disappointed with what happened at the end of the season. I knew as soon as it happened, I wanted to come back,” Garbett – half French and half Kiwi – tells dundalkfc.com, speaking from his home city of Wellington, where he is enjoying summer.

“I had a few conversations with the manager, and also Liam Burns, and they were talking about a great project that is going to be happening. I talked to some of the boys on the ground that are already there.

“I just wanted to be a part of it and help Dundalk get back up to where they rightfully belong.”

The supporters, too, influenced his decision to return.

“Unreal,” he says, as he reflects on the backing the fans gave the team despite results.

“They were unreal. They stuck behind us the whole time. The biggest one that was eye opening for me was Sligo away, Eoin (Kenny) touched on it in his interview, it was unbelievable. It’s such a long trip, I don’t know how many fans were there, but they packed out the whole away end.

“It was unbelievable, the support we had. Things weren’t going our way, there were a lot of things happening off the park, but the fans stuck right with us, and that’s all you really can ask for from fans.”

“It was definitely a factor in me coming back,” he adds. “Actually, somehow, there were fans over in New Zealand. My friend saw some Irish guys and for some reason he went to go speak to them, he got into a conversation with them.

“They asked my friend if he knew a footballer called Norman Garbett. They just happened to be Dundalk fans travelling in Wellington, which was pretty crazy. My friend gave me a message and he was just like ‘it’s a pretty small world’. I was a bit shocked that that happened as well. That was just literally a couple of weeks ago.

“The supporters were definitely a factor in why I wanted to come back.”

Garbett was announced by Dundalk in late June and could not have envisioned the four months that would follow, as a financial crisis left the club on the brink of extinction in mid-September, with relegation following less than five weeks later.

For the young New Zealander, though, he speaks glowingly of Dundalk, the club’s supporters and the Irish people, and was eager to return to a country which he says makes him feel at home.

“I thoroughly enjoyed arriving at Dundalk. The boys are very welcoming. That’s one thing I really noticed,” he says.

“The first week I signed, I pretty much made some good friends on the team. I was living with two Scotsmen, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was enjoying playing football.

“Ireland is not too different to New Zealand, just the weather obviously is a bit different. The people are all very friendly. I really enjoy it. The culture is good. It has been an easy adjustment for me, to be honest, because it just reminds me of home, and the people are so friendly that there isn’t any real adjustment to be made.”

There are personal goals for Garbett longer term, including on the international stage, but his focus for 2025 is clear when asked what he is looking to achieve in the coming season.

“I just really want to help the team,” he says, “and get the club back up. I don’t want to set any goals. If I work hard, I know things will come for me, and things will come for the team.

“I just really want to try to help the team improve every week, and obviously try to win every week. That’s really just the goal.”

Garbett – who will celebrate his 21st birthday in February – becomes the 15th player to be confirmed as part of Ciarán Kilduff’s squad for what is hoped will be a title challenge, and the winger has had very positive conversations with the manager.

“He has given me a lot of confidence,” Norman says. “He wanted me to be a part of his plans. I really, really enjoyed that.

“Obviously, coming off the back of the season, I had an injury that was quite overwhelming. Mentally, I was in a little bit of a negative place coming back home. I needed to be around family, and obviously my family were great.

“I’m currently in Wellington, which is my home city, with my family. I’m enjoying it. In a few days, I’m going a little bit more up north.

“Talking to the manager, he has a lot of confidence in the team and in me. Those conversations were really good. I think he believes. I’m looking forward to coming back.”

Born in Chelsea, England to a French mother from Normandy, Garbett is living in the home country of his father.

He started out his football career at four with Kapiti Coast United, staying there for four years before moving to Western Suburbs while also playing with Olé Football Academy. In the middle of that spell, he spent a brief time at Brooklyn Northern United.

In 2022, he left Western Suburbs and, after trialling with Napoli, joined Potenza Youth.

“I left New Zealand at 18 and went over to Italy to trial at some clubs,” he explains. “My brother (Matthew) was already over there, so I was quite keen to go there.

“I was on trial with Napoli, that was for about two weeks. At the end of it, they didn’t want to sign me, but after that, the people who were helping me get these trials, they said Potenza has come up.

“One of the main reasons I probably went to Potenza was because of the coach, he was an ex-AC Milan player, Antonio Nocerino. If you look at what he has done in football, he has done so much, I knew I could learn a lot from him, and I did.

“He helped me along the way. He’s one of the main reasons I got selected into the Under-20 World Cup squad.”

Garbett has four caps at underage level for New Zealand, all coming at that Under-20 World Cup in May 2023, against Guatemala, Uzbekistan, hosts Argentina and USA. He scored a late winner against Guatemala in their Group A opener, before exiting to the States in the Round of 16.

Norman’s brother Matthew is a 27-times capped senior international for New Zealand, and currently plays with NAC Breda in Holland having moved there from Italian side Torino.

He scored in the All Whites’ draw with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in November last year, in Stephen Kenny’s final match in charge of Ireland.

For Norman, playing for the senior team is a dream.

“100 percent,” he states. “I’m still young so I’m aiming for the All Whites. Obviously, there is a journey to go, but my brother has pathed a pretty clear way for me. I’m not trying to follow in his footsteps but pave my own way, trying to get there myself.”

It is clear how inspiring Matthew is to his younger brother, his only sibling, with less than two years between them in age.

“He has always been a big inspiration,” Norman says, “as much as we’ve been competitive with each other. Especially in recent years, if I need any advice on anything, I just give him a ring and he’s there for me.

“He’s a massive inspiration. Seeing what he’s doing gives me motivation.”

With the help of a friend of his father Andrew, and with thanks to Graham Kelly who had just joined Jon Daly’s coaching staff in Oriel, Garbett was given the chance to impress on a trial in June, and quickly sealed a contract.

“There’s someone my Dad knew who was in New Zealand, and he was helping us out,” Norman explains.

“At the time, Jon Daly had just arrived at Dundalk, and he knew Graham, he messaged Graham, and he said there’s a boy from New Zealand, he sent over my profile, and asked would you be open to giving him a trial.

“I went into Dundalk on a week’s trial, and I think after three days I got told they wanted to sign me. That’s pretty much how it all happened. I’d like to give credit to my Dad for helping on that one.”

Garbett is still waiting for his full debut for Dundalk, having come off the bench in all eight appearances, with seven in the league and one in the FAI Cup.

His last outing ended badly for the young winger as he pulled up sharply with a hamstring injury just five minutes after entering, but he has positive news on his progress.

“It’s coming along really well,” he says, as he reveals, “I’ve been working alongside a really good physio in New Zealand, Gavin Cross, probably one of the best, he works with the Black Caps, the New Zealand cricket team.

“They’re probably one of the better cricket teams in the world and he is with them. I’m working with him at the moment full-time, every day, so it’s coming along really good. I’ve not had any setbacks. He’s very, very happy with how everything is progressing.

“When I come back to Ireland, it’ll be the 11th week since the injury. Obviously, nobody wants to have an injury of that sort, but if there was a time to do it and a time where you can just really focus and really strengthen it, it would probably be the off-season.

“I don’t think I’ll be missing any games and hopefully I’ll be hitting the ground running.

“It was a little bit frustrating last season. I wanted to play as much as I could. There were some things that were not really going my way. But I think this season, I’m pretty confident, touch wood and hopefully, things are looking better.”

Over 11,500 miles away from Oriel, Garbett has been following the club’s progress closely in the off-season.

“I keep an eye on everything,” he says. “I saw Vinnie (Leonard) and Luke (Mulligan) re-signed, two very good Academy players who I was training with when I was in Ireland.

“They’re two very good talents. Vinnie obviously represents Ireland. The team is looking very good. I can’t wait to meet all the new lads when I arrive. I’m excited to see the new team.”

There will be people excited to see Norman returning, too, not least for some pineapple lumps which he has promised to bring back to Ireland.

“Pineapple lumps are quite famous in New Zealand,” he explains. “I think they’re really only from New Zealand, I’m pretty sure, New Zealand/Australia. They’re a New Zealand delicacy. They’re great. I’m not surprised Peter (Halpin) loves them so much.

“A fan brought them over to Ireland. We had open training in August. There was a fan, his daughter lives in New Zealand, she’s from Dundalk, she flew over to see her father, she saw that I had signed, and she instantly thought ‘I should bring him some pineapple lumps’.

“She knew I’d like them. That’s how that came about. Her father gave them to me at the open training!”

Everyone at Dundalk FC looks forward to welcoming Norman and his pineapple lumps back to Oriel on January 9th!

2025 Dundalk FC Squad
Enda Minogue
Peter Cherrie
Conor O’Keeffe
Mayowa Animasahun
Vinnie Leonard
Seán Keogh
Luke Mulligan
Aodh Dervin (Vice-Captain)
Harry Groome
Daryl Horgan (Captain)
Norman Garbett
Gbemi Arubi
Dean Ebbe
Leo Gaxha
Eoin Kenny

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