RORY HALE has revealed how James McClean helped him to choose Galway United over another year in England.

And all with the aim of ultimately making it big in . . . England.

5 Rory Hale left Aston Villa to join Galway United

The Belfast-born midfielder decided to walk away from Birmingham giants Aston Villa.

He had been with the Villans for three seasons, which were spent knocking on that glass ceiling between the youth and first-team set-ups.

There were chances to go to Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion and Hale spent time training with both.

But he sought advice from experienced pros at Villa as well as Ireland winger McClean when he met the Derry men at The Hawthorns.

5 James McClean told him to make sure he was playing football

And all of them said the same thing — ‘Wherever you go, make sure you are playing’.

So Hale, 19, joined the Tribesmen when they came in for him — and he intends to show the club’s fans, and any visiting scouts, just what he can do.

The ace told SunSport: “I spoke to a lot of players and they said, ‘Just get out and get first-team games’.

“Gabby Agbonlahor gave me a lot of advice, telling me to go out and get first-team games. Most of the Villa lads did.

“And James McClean. When I went on trial to West Brom, he was telling me, ‘You’re better off going for first-team football’.

“A lot of older players gave me advice which more or less made my decision for me to come home and try and rebuild my career.

“At Villa at the end, it was a bit sour. After my second year, I was close to making the breakthrough when Tim Sherwood was in charge.

“I made my debut in a pre-season game and all, I played a few pre-season games. But I never really got that chance to play in the first team.

“Then there was chopping and changing of managers. I was under five or six different managers at the club. It was always one step closer and then two steps behind.”

5 Hale, right, in Aston Villa training with Jack Grealish Credit: Getty - Contributor

With Hale considering his options — and being advised by footballers who had made it themselves — Tribesmen boss Shane Keegan was alerted to his availability. And the Galway gaffer managed to entice him to Eamonn Deacy Park.

Hale was unconcerned about their precarious position in the Premier Division, with the club hanging around the drop zone.

Instead, his own knowledge of local football on the island meant he saw it as the right move for his career.

He said: “I felt this was better than going to the Conference.

“Because I’m from up north, I follow the league and the Northern Irish league, so I know it is a good league.

“People will look down on the league and think it’s not that good but you just look at Dundalk and what they’ve achieved.

“It doesn’t get the credit it should get. There are a lot of good footballers here and I’ve only been down here maybe a month now.

“I’ve played four games and it’s been maybe better than playing three years of Under-23 league football in England.

“So it’s completely different to reserve-team football, you’ve got fans watching you. In football, that means something.”

Seánie Maguire’s recent success is an inspiration to many young guns in the league.

Like Hale, the hitman spent his teenage years in England without making the grade.

But he returned home, found his form and earned a cross-channel move to Preston from Cork City.

Maguire is proof that the League of Ireland can be a launch-pad to the UK.

And Hale said: “Not many players have done it — it’s a bit of luck as well.

“But Seánie Maguire is a prime example, if you work hard back here, an opportunity will come. That’s the main aim for me to play as many games and then try and get a move across the water again.

“I’ve only signed until the end of the season. I haven’t really looked ahead of that. Who knows what could happen?

5 Sean Maguire has shown League of Ireland players can be successful in England Credit: Getty - Contributor

“Maybe I’ll do another season in Ireland to get another 30 games under my belt and I’m hoping to continue with the Ireland national team in the Under-21 set-up.

“Noel King can come and watch me more often here than in Under-23 football in England.”

Hale was left out of King’s Under-21 squad for next week’s clash with Azerbaijan.

Last time out, against Kosovo, he had won a first call-up.

His exclusion is down to his lack of games recently as he sorted out his move.

And King and the FAI have high hopes for the player.

Hale’s decision to swap north for south last year hugely disappointed Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, who lashed out at the FAI at the time.

But the lively ace — whose younger brother Ronan, 18, is a striker for Birmingham City and Ireland’s underage set-up — says it was an easy decision.

God Save the Queen before matches was not for him.

5 Noel King left Hale out of his Ireland U-21 squad

Rory said: “Yeah, 100 per cent, it was a no brainer. I wasn’t treated right through the younger age groups with Northern Ireland. I didn’t really play and they’d say stuff about keeping the head up for the national anthem and all — when you’ve got different beliefs, you can’t really be doing that.

“The background I have, James McClean would be the same, it’s a common thing . . . you want to play for the Republic of Ireland.

“I played up until Under-19s and had a big fallout at that age group and made the decision to switch to the Republic.

“It’s a bit dodgy when making the switch at 16 or 17, I took my parents’ advice . . . play a few games and, when I’m old enough, make my decision. I made it and haven’t regretted it.”

Hale has played four games to date as the Tribesmen have reached the last eight of the FAI Cup. Yet relegation looms.

His early impressions are that they can get out of trouble, adding: “We played Finn Harps away just after I joined. I didn’t play as my international clearance had just come through.

“But I was looking at the team and asking myself, ‘How are they in this position like they are now — second from bottom?

“The more I’ve trained with them, the more I’ve played with them, I can see there are really good players here.

“Beating St Pat’s on Friday night in the Cup, if we keep those performances, we should stay up no problem. We have more than enough quality.

“If we play like that on Friday against Bohemians, I can’t see us not getting all three points.”