Chiedozie Ogbene left Cork City for Limerick as he was not happy with place on the bench
Ogbene revealed he would choose Nigeria over Ireland if international calls come
PREMIER DIVISION full-backs know from experience that Chiedozie Ogbene does not like to stand still.
And that does not just apply to his movements on the pitch.
It also explains why he left champions-elect Cork City for newly-promoted Limerick.
Ogbene, 20, broke into the Cork first team late last season, playing a role in the title run-in and their FAI Cup final win.
But over the close season, he made the big call to move to Markets Field.
Ogbene believed getting regular starts in Limerick was preferable to what would likely be a fringe role at Turner’s Cross.
He told SunSport: “I was different from everyone else, I was eager and didn’t want to settle for coming on, I felt I deserved to play.
“I was willing to do anything to get game time, if it is moving to Limerick, I’m willing to do that. Some players stayed, you wait but I couldn’t do it.
“You reach the age like 19, 20 and 21 and you need game time.
“I would have done a bit of research as well on how long it would take young players to break into the first team. It’s never easy.
“What young players do nowadays, while they’re playing well, they want to maintain it.
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“It’s not good to stay on the bench for the whole year or half a season. You lose momentum.
“I know it’s hard to leave your previous club but these are the changes, these are the sacrifices you have to make.
“My ambition is to get to the next level and these are the changes you need to make to get there.”
Ogbene ultimately wants to move abroad and win international honours, having moved to Cork from Lagos, Nigeria 12 years ago after his father got a nursing job.
He added: “I’m still waiting for that international call, be it Nigeria or Ireland.
"It could happen some day, I’ll just keep believing and keep working hard, hopefully it will be happen,
“Obviously my heart belongs to Nigeria. One day I’d love to wear the Golden Eagle. Nigeria would be first for me.”
Cork has been his home since 2005 — he has the accent and still lives there, commuting to Limerick for training.
He also starred for Nemo Rangers in Gaelic football.
Ogbene said: “People thought I was good at GAA, but I preferred soccer.
“They said I could play. I did enjoy it but I was hungry for soccer, I was watching top players and mimicking what they do.
“In soccer, my first club was Tramore Athletic, a local club in Douglas, I was there four years but unfortunately players left.
“I then played for College Corinthians just locally as well. From College Corinthians, I played a year, GAA took over before I played about four months with Kilreen.
“Then I went to Everton where my football kicked off. I was playing, I was scoring goals and I got known.
“That was when I went to Cork City’s Under-19s for 1½ years and then to Limerick.”
Now full-time at Markets Field, having completed a course in sports injuries and therapy at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, he is keen to take his chance with Limerick.
To date, the move has worked out as he has started 12 games under three different managers.
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He was signed by Martin Russell, who left in March. Caretaker Willie Boland stepped in before the appointment of Neil McDonald a fortnight ago.
Limerick are sixth in the Premier Division table.
Ogbene added: “When I came to the club and was doing training sessions under Martin Russell, I knew there was serious potential in the team.
“We have a great team where everyone is positive.
“People may have doubted us, saying Limerick have come up and will go back down. But I don’t think so. We’ll thrive. Results haven’t always gone our way but we’ll frighten teams.”