Latest news with #Hickey
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland star ends 636-day exile and reveals why relationship with ex-Hearts ace can benefit Steve Clarke
The Scotland international has completed his return to senior first team football after a injury-enforced absence. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland defender Aaron Hickey has made his return to senior first team football after a 636-days absence, playing 45 minutes of Brentford's 1-1 pre-season draw with Gil Vicente in Portugal at the weekend. The former Hearts full-back has endured an injury-plagued last 20 months, with the £17million signing out of action since picking up a debilitating hamstring injury during the Bees' 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge all the way back in October 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Expected to miss just months with the problem, he was forced to undergo further surgery in order fully repair his hamstring tendon in August 2024. Ruled out of Scotland's squad for the European Championships in Germany last summer, he hasn't featured for the national team since the memorable 2-0 qualifying win over Spain at Hampden Park close to two years ago. However, the 23-year-old's injury hell now looks to be coming to a timely end, with the defender getting his first senior minutes of Brentford's pre-season at the weekend. Scotland international Aaron Hickey has handed Steve Clarke a huge boost after returning to senior action at the weekend. | SNS Group 'It's been very difficult,' Hickey told Brentford's official social media channel. 'Thankfully now I am here back playing with the boys, you can't beat it. It's one of the best feelings. I feel like just getting stuck right back into it is part of my game, like I said, I'm just looking forward to started again. It feels amazing to be back out there with the boys. I've had a good few sessions over here [Portugal], getting fit and stuff, so just looking forward to starting the season.' Set to play under a new manager this season, Hickey says he is excited to work under new Brentford head coach Keith Andrews, who was appointed at the Gtech Community Stadium earlier this month following the departure of Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I have found it really enjoyable,' said Hickey. 'The sessions have been good. The intensity is slowing getting back into it. This has helped us today, match minutes. The coaches have came in, Keith [Andrews] is doing a good job keeping the boys on their toes, and not slacking off. Continuing to do what we did.' Hickey also detailed the 'close' relationship he shares with former Hearts midfielder Neil MacFarlane, who has been promoted to the role of assistant first team coach after six seasons in charge of the London club's B team. The 47-year-old, who combines his role at Brentford with being the head coach of Scotland's under-19s, played over 70 league games at Tynecastle during the mid-2000s, and the Hickey revealed why MacFarlane will be key in getting him back to his best ahead of September's World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Belarus in early September. 'I'm close with Neil,' said Hickey. 'He's a really good coach. He's really good for me, we have good one-to-one chats. He's definitely going to help me. For me, being back playing with this squad, doing well, winning matches - that's my aim, and hopefully I score a few goals.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland star ends 'difficult' 636-day exile and lifts lid on 'close' relationship with ex-Hearts ace
The Scotland international has completed his return to senior first team football after a injury-enforced absence. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland defender Aaron Hickey has made his return to senior first team football after a 636-days absence, playing 45 minutes of Brentford's 1-1 pre-season draw with Gil Vicente in Portugal at the weekend. The former Hearts full-back has endured an injury-plagued last 20 months, with the £17million signing out of action since picking up a debilitating hamstring injury during the Bees' 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge all the way back in October 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Expected to miss just months with the problem, he was forced to undergo further surgery in order fully repair his hamstring tendon in August 2024. Ruled out of Scotland's squad for the European Championships in Germany last summer, he hasn't featured for the national team since the memorable 2-0 qualifying win over Spain at Hampden Park close to two years ago. However, the 23-year-old's injury hell now looks to be coming to a timely end, with Scotland's opening World Cup qualifying clash against Denmark arriving in just over five weeks time. Scotland international Aaron Hickey has handed Steve Clarke a huge boost after returning to senior action at the weekend. | SNS Group 'It's been very difficult,' Hickey told Brentford's official social media channel. 'Thankfully now I am here back playing with the boys, you can't beat it. It's one of the best feelings. I feel like just getting stuck right back into it is part of my game, like I said, I'm just looking forward to started again. It feels amazing to be back out there with the boys. I've had a good few sessions over here [Portugal], getting fit and stuff, so just looking forward to starting the season.' Set to play under a new manager this season, Hickey says he is excited to work under new Brentford head coach Keith Andrews, who was appointed at the Gtech Community Stadium earlier this month following the departure of Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I have found it really enjoyable,' said Hickey. 'The sessions have been good. The intensity is slowing getting back into it. This has helped us today, match minutes. The coaches have came in, Keith [Andrews] is doing a good job keeping the boys on their toes, and not slacking off. Continuing to do what we did.' Hickey also detailed the 'close' relationship he shares with former Hearts midfielder Neil MacFarlane, who has been promoted to the role of assistant first team coach after six seasons in charge of the London club's B team. The 47-year-old, who combines his role at Brentford with being the head coach of Scotland's under-19s, played over 70 league games at Tynecastle during the mid-2000s, and the Scotland defender revealed why MacFarlane will be key in getting him back to his best. 'I'm close with Neil,' said Hickey. 'He's a really good coach. He's really good for me, we have good one-to-one chats. He's definitely going to help me. For me, being back playing with this squad, doing well, winning matches - that's my aim, and hopefully I score a few goals.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland star ends 'difficult' 636-day exile and lifts lid on 'close' relationship with ex-Hearts ace
The Scotland international has completed his return to senior first team football after a injury-enforced absence. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland defender Aaron Hickey has made his return to senior first team football after a 636-days absence, playing 45 minutes of Brentford's 1-1 pre-season draw with Gil Vicente in Portugal at the weekend. The former Hearts full-back has endured an injury-plagued last 20-months, with the £17million signing out of action since picking up a debilitating hamstring injury during the Bees' 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge all the way back in October 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Expected to miss just months with the problem, he was forced to undergo further surgery in order fully repair his hamstring tendon in August 2024. Ruled out of Scotland's squad for the European Championships in Germany last summer, he hasn't featured for the national team since the memorable 2-0 qualifying win over Spain at Hampden Park close to two years ago. However, the 23-year-old's injury-hell is now looks to be coming to a timely end, with Scotland opening World Cup qualifying clash against Denmark arriving in just over five weeks time. Scotland international Aaron Hickey has handed Steve Clarke a huge boost after returning to senior action at the weekend. | SNS Group 'It's been very difficult,' Hickey told Brentford's official social media channel. 'Thankfully now I am here back playing with the boys, you can't beat it. It's one of the best feelings. I feel like just getting stuck right back into it is part of my game, like I said, I'm just looking forward to started again. It feels amazing to be back out there with the boys. I've had a good few sessions over here [Portugal], getting fit and stuff, so just looking forward to starting the season.' Set to play under a new manager this season, Hickey says he is excited to work under new Brentford head coach Keith Andrews, who was appointed at the Gtech Community Stadium earlier this month following the departure of Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I have found it really enjoyable,' said Hickey. 'The sessions have been good. The intensity is slowing getting back into it. This has helped us today, match minutes. The coaches have came in, Keith [Andrews] is doing a good job keeping the boys on their toes, and not slacking off. Continuing to do what we did.' Hickey also lifted the lid on the 'close' relationship he shares with former Hearts midfielder Neil MacFarlane, who has been promoted to the role of assistant first team coach after six seasons in charge of the London club's B team. The 47-year-old, who combines his role at Brentford with being the head coach of Scotland's under-19s, played over 70 league games at Tynecastle during the mid-2000s, and the Scotland defender revealed why MacFarlane will be a key in getting him back to his best. 'I'm close with Neil,' said Hickey. 'He's a really good coach. He's really good for me, we have good one-to-one chats. He's definitely going to help me. For me, being back playing with this squad, doing well, winning matches - that's my aim, and hopefully I score a few goals.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AppLovin (APP) Gets $525 Price Target Ahead of Q2 Earnings Beat, Says Analyst
AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) is one of the . On July 22, Benchmark analyst Miike Hickey reiterated a 'Buy' rating on the stock with a $525.00 price target. The rating affirmation comes ahead of the company's second-quarter earnings report. Hickey anticipates AppLovin to exceed expectations in its Q2 2025 report, which is due for release on August 6, followed by a conference call. The positive optimism toward the stock is largely due to AppLovin's high-margin Advertising segment, which continues to grow strongly. Its emerging web category is also doing very well. At the same time, Benchmark acknowledges that there may be scrutiny regarding the company's third-quarter guidance. This is largely because Unity has recently launched its AI-powered ad platform, Vector, which is sparking questions regarding competitor dynamics. Regardless of these challenges, the firm is confident in AppLovin's competitive advantages, anticipating significant growth in the second half and beyond. AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) provides a leading marketing platform powered by AI technology. While we acknowledge the potential of APP as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Defeat for Effin as Nickie Quaid lines out against Croagh Kilfinny in Limerick PIHC
Limerick PIHC: Croagh Kilfinny 1-21 Effin 0-16 There was a return to outfield action for Limerick hurling goalkeeper, Nickie Quaid, on Thursday evening. However, the three-time All-Star was on the losing side against Limerick Premier Intermediate newcomers, Croagh Kilfinny. The 36-year-old suffered a career threatening cruciate knee ligament injury playing recreational soccer last winter before returning to play in five of the six Championship games for Limerick. Fears over his future both in goals and outfield have now been eased. He played at centre-half and showed some nice touches in a game that was played at the Limerick training ground, Mick Neville Park, in Rathkeale. Despite two well taken long-range points, the five-time All-Ireland winner was left frustrated as Croagh Kilfinny galloped to the finish with late scores. Crucial to their cause was 1-12 from Man of the Match, Cian O'Carroll. He netted the only goal of the contest with a 53th minute penalty, after being fouled by Effin keeper Ryan O'Neill. Limerick panellist Patrick O'Donovan was key to the Effin cause, as they look to go better than a trio of semi-final defeats at the grade. Effin led 0-9 to 0-8 at the interval after a sedate opening half, with the sides level six times. A late point from Brian Clifford the difference. 2007 Young Hurler of the Year, Seamus Hickey, showed no signs of slowing down as he notched 0-4 including a couple of late efforts to swell out the winning margin. Hickey, O'Carroll and the energetic Adam Shanagher were key to the Croagh Kilfinny charge, who were playing a first ever game at the grade. Once O'Carroll blasted home the penalty, they were three clear, and never looked back. He soon cut over a line ball before Hickey joined him with late scores to give them a comfortable closing few minutes. This grade sees teams 13-20 in Limerick battle for a place at senior. It is the first game of the 2025 hurling championships on Shannonside, with a full round of games across all the grades next weekend. The Premier Intermediate grade continues on Friday with Granagh Ballingarry meeting Glenroe. Garryspillane versus South Liberties and Blackrock versus Bruff take place over the weekend.
