Milligan ‘09 sees first professional start on Scottish club team
Sean Milligan ’09 played his first professional game for the Greenock Morton FC against Romania’s Unirea Urziceni.
By Chris Silberman
Published on Friday, July 24, 2009
Former Dartmouth standout goalkeeper Sean Milligan ’09 made his professional career debut Monday night for Greenock Morton FC, a Scottish club soccer team. Morton lost 3-1 against Unirea Urziceni, the Romanian Premier League champions and Champions League contenders, in a game that Milligan said he had not anticipated seeing playing time.
“It was actually really unexpected,” Milligan said in an interview with The Dartmouth. “I had only had two training sessions, but the guy who is looking after me over here told me the day before the game that the manager called and said that their regular starter had been injured during the previous match, and that they wanted to give me an opportunity.”
Although Morton lost the match, Milligan said he was happy with the outcome.
“It was just a great experience,” he said. “The best advice I got before the game was to just make sure that I enjoyed it — and I definitely did.”
Milligan said that though he was nervous at first, he soon felt more comfortable.
“Once you get your first touch or make your save you just grow with confidence and realize that you aren’t in over your head,” he added.
The fans, Milligan said, were also different from fans at Dartmouth.
“The fans here are a bit more critical to say the least, and aren’t afraid to tell you what they think,” he said. “At the same time, they create an incredible atmosphere so it was great to play in front of them.”
Milligan earned the start after joining the club only a week earlier. His first few days were spent looking at apartments and settling in.
“The other guys on the team have been great,” Milligan said. “They’ve helped me get settled and have been really supportive. The coaches have been great too.”
Milligan said although he’s not exactly sure how long he will be staying with Morton, he is determined to make the best of his situation. Depending on the club’s financial stability and goalkeeper situation, Milligan could end up staying with the team for a few months, or moving on.
“It is kind of an indefinite trial and depends on how well I play,” he said. “I am definitely going to try to give this a legitimate chance. This club seems like a terrific situation so I’m just going to try to keep training well and take advantage of any more opportunities that present themselves.”
Coming off their most recent championship season, Unirea Urziceni will face opponents in the upcoming season from the Champions League — which includes Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and every other European powerhouse club teams.
“[They] were incredible — definitely a level above anything I’ve played against before,” Milligan said. “The biggest differences [from playing professionally] are the speed of play and the physical nature of the game here. There are a lot of big guys playing and they close down the ball very quickly, so people need to play quick as a result.”
Milligan concluded his stellar Dartmouth career this past spring with an Ivy League championship, a trip to the NCAA playoffs, and first-team All-Ivy and NSCAA All-Northeast honors. He was the Dartmouth men’s soccer career leader in goals against average and tied for first in career shutouts. Milligan was also in consideration for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, given to the senior with the best character on and off the field.