Glentoran Footballers Share Experiences of Christmas Away From Home

For footballers who spend the festive season away from their hometowns, the experience can be unusual, marked by elements such as frozen Christmas dinners, secret Santa exchanges, and the most significant match of the season. Daniel Gyollai and David Fisher are prominent members of the Irish Premiership team, Glentoran. The increasing professionalism within the Irish Premiership has coincided with a rise in the number of players joining the league from outside Northern Ireland. In addition to navigating Christmas away from their families, these athletes must also get ready for the yearly Boxing Day derby matches, which constitute the most important series of games in the Irish League. BBC Sport NI spoke with four players from Glentoran who will be observing the holiday season in Northern Ireland. Hungarian goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai has spent most of the last 10 seasons away from his home, having played for clubs such as Stoke City, Peterborough United, Maidenhead United, and currently Glentoran, throughout his career. The 27-year-old, who scored in Glentoran’s victory against Cliftonville last weekend, stated, “It’s tough but you have to get used to it pretty quickly.” He elaborated, “Especially in the UK and Northern Ireland you play through it, so not seeing family is tough and missing out on the Christmas dinner is tough, but that’s what the job requires so you quickly get used to it.” Conversely, English defender Frankie Hvid, who shares accommodation with Gyollai, will experience his initial Christmas away from England, having relocated to Belfast during the summer. The 20-year-old remarked, “This is my first time being away from home for the whole period, really.” He continued, “I’ve got some of my family coming over for Christmas so hopefully it won’t be too much of a big deal.” He added, “It’s difficult getting used to it and not being able to see family whenever I want, but I have nine coming over and it will be good to have them here.” Hvid specified, “I’ve got my mum, dad, two brothers, nan and grandad, my aunt and then two cousins so it should be a good one. We’ve booked a hotel for Christmas dinner so it should be nice.” Gyollai intends to spend Christmas with his girlfriend, noting that they will “make the most of it.” He further explained that his Christmas dinner combines his traditional Hungarian heritage with meals he has experienced in the UK during his football career. “The food is different at Christmas, so when my family come around Christmas time they sometimes bring me some Christmas dinner with them, just frozen in boxes, so I still get a little taste of it.” He continued, “I’m used to the Christmas dinner from England, but I still miss my Christmas dinner from home.” Gyollai elaborated, “It’s totally different and every family has their own little traditions. For me, it’s the lentil soup, stuffed cabbage and my grandma’s freshly baked dessert.” He concluded, “I try to dabble in a bit of each but with games coming thick and fast you have to be careful with what you eat. It’s all in moderation, pigs in blankets have to be kept to a minimum.” David Fisher, currently in his second season in the Irish Premiership, described spending Christmas away from home as “just part of the job.” Similar to Hvid, Fisher, an English-born player with a Czech Republic-born mother, had relatives visit for his initial Christmas in Belfast. He remarked, “You just think of it as your job. Last Christmas I had my dad come over, which was quite nice, but this year I told him to stay at home.” He added, “It gives me a little bit of time to focus on the games ahead.” Finley Thorndike, Fisher’s housemate in Belfast, who previously played for Aston Villa and Birmingham City, stated that Christmas in England was “a pretty normal Christmas” annually. The 22-year-old, who will be observing his first Christmas away from home, commented, “Back home it was kind of the same every time.” He continued, “Me and David are going round to one of the lads’ house for food. I actually done my Christmas last weekend.” Thorndike concluded, “I went home and my whole family came around, so I don’t feel like I am missing out as much.” Fisher, who confessed to “not really a fan” of turkey, contrasted with Thorndike, who expressed a desire to eat “as many pigs in blankets as possible,” mentioned that the club is organizing a secret Santa to foster holiday cheer. Fisher further stated regarding his housemate, “We’ve got that at the club but I’ll get Fin something too.” Frankie Hvid and Finley Thorndike are both observing their initial Christmas in Belfast. A significant tradition in the Irish League involves playing local derbies annually on December 26. For numerous Irish League supporters, this event holds comparable, or even greater, importance than Christmas Day itself. The rivalry between Glentoran and Linfield is among the most intense in the Irish Premiership, and the teams are scheduled to face each other in their upcoming festive match at the Oval. Although Linfield currently leads the league, Glentoran has secured victories in all three encounters against them this season, comprising two league matches and one cup fixture. Gyollai commented, “I’ve played in a number of derbies and I knew it was going to be a crazy atmosphere.” He continued, “I’ve been told the Boxing Day game is the biggest one. We’re yet to see that one but we’re really looking forward to it.” Although the other players have participated in derby matches previously, Fisher is the sole member of the four to have appeared in a Boxing Day derby. Fisher further stated that despite knowing it was a “massive rivalry,” he did not fully comprehend its scale until he played in one. He recounted his first game against Linfield, saying, “I knew they were big, I just didn’t think that they were this big.” He added, “I didn’t realise the size of it until I was playing and I was thinking, ‘oh my days, this is actually massive’.” Fisher concluded, “It was loud, I remember that last year. We know the fans will be here in full voice so hopefully that can help us over the line.” Both players and supporters consider securing three points against their rivals on Boxing Day to be the ultimate Christmas gift.