Playing in the flats made Troy the footballer he is

Christopher Harrington on his joy at seeing Ireland striker join his boxing star sister Kellie as latest Irish hero from Portland Row

- David COUGHLAN

OLYMPIC GLORY Christopher celebrates in Portland Row with family after Kellie's Tokyo gold

CHRISTOPHER Harrington was making plans for Lionel when the third goal went in.

"It was a nine o'clock kickoff here on a Sunday morning. When Troy scored the winner everybody in the building heard me," he says, laughing.

The Dubliner is a coach at Cincinnati FC in the US and was working on match analysis for the club's meeting with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami this weekend.

He took a break to watch events in Hungary and let out a roar as his Portland Row neighbour got the decisive touch.

"Seeing how far we were away with two or three games ago and coming back and then with Troy getting the winner... it was just special," he says.

If there's a Venn diagram of people connected to Portland Row and Iceland, Harrington is probably alone in the middle.

He grew up on the street made famous by his sister Kellie Harrington and coached in Iceland for many years, working closely with Heimir Hallgrímsson's son Halli.

And Harrington knows the obstacles Parrott has overcome to reach the top, coming from one of the most disadvantaged parts of the country.

"I'm very proud of all the people in the area that have helped elevate it in recent years. Troy being the latest," he says.

"There's a massive misunderstanding of what the area is and the people who are in it.

"I think a lot of the talent comes from an understanding that if I don't make or it or I don't maximise what I have, I'm not gonna really have anything for the rest of my life.

"So there's a true want and desire inside individuals to try provide for their future and their family's future.

"Part of that comes from just being in an area where people want the best for you.

"And you want to repay what people have done for you.