MARK Kinsella was one of Bradley Garmston’s boyhood heroes, for two reasons.

Firstly Kinsella, the current No. 2 at Colchester United, had a short spell at Garmston’s home club of West Brom, helping the Baggies to win promotion to the Premiership (2004).

And secondly, cultured midfielder Kinsella used to grace the international stage in the green-and-white of the Republic of Ireland, including appearances at the World Cup in 2002.

Garmston was quick to mention Kinsella, alongside U’s boss and fellow Dubliner Joe Dunne, during Thursday’s press conference following his one-month loan switch from The Hawthorns.

Left-back Garmston is in the U’s squad to face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane today.

“Mark Kinsella is a player I looked up to as a youngster,” revealed Garmston.

“Not only playing in the World Cup, for Ireland, but also playing at West Brom.

“I’ve already had a talk with him, about some of the players he came up against in his career.

“He mentioned the likes of Paul Scholes and (Patrick) Viera, so it’s fantastic to be paired with a management team with that sort of experience.

“I’m just going to learn from him (Kinsella),” added Garmston. Kinsella won 48 caps for Ireland between 1998 and 2004.

Teenager Garmston, in addition to coming up through the youth ranks at West Brom, has also been a regular in Republic of Ireland’s various age group teams.

He continued: “I’m in good company with the management team here at Colchester.

“Joe (Dunne) came to watch me play for the Republic of Ireland last week, against the Czech Republic, and he told me that I had a good game. That was good to hear.

“I’ve played for Republic of Ireland since the under-15s, and won 25 caps for them up to under-19 level. I find it’s a great experience to play against different players from different countries.

“And now I’m excited about this move to Colchester.”