WHEN Robbie Brady’s sensational free-kick hit the back of Chelsea’s net on Sunday there were two youth team coaches from Ireland in the Turf Moor stands who would feel a surge of pride.

Billy McCormac and Kevin Wallace had been invited across the Irish Sea by Jeff Hendrick to take in the Clarets’ clash with the Premier League leaders.

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The two have seen it all before. Brady’s brilliance was nothing new to them, just as Hendrick’s magnificent strike against Bournemouth earlier in the season simply brought back heady memories of a golden age for the iconic Dublin club St Kevin’s Boys.

It is at this club, based in the north Dublin suburb of Santry, that the story of how two childhood friends would become the two most expensive players in Burnley’s history begins.

Born just 17 days apart, Hendrick joined St Kevin’s after being spotted by McCormac playing in Dublin’s mini leagues, while Brady came through the club’s own mini league system, joining the youth team ran by McCormac as manager and Wallace as his assistant at the age of seven.

So was it clear at the start that the two friends had the talent to go to the top?

“Definitely with Jeffrey,” said McCormac. “When he came onto the pitch he stood tall, chest out. He was tall and blonde at the time and he stood out for that.

“The first time I saw him play he picked the ball up at the back and ran the length of the pitch past everyone and smashed in a shot from 15 yards.

“I think every single person on the touchline was thinking, ‘He’s got something’.

“Robert was slightly different. He was trickier, good on the ball, great left foot. He had more individual skill.”

It was at St Kevin’s that the Brady and Hendrick story began and they hit it off immediately, starting a friendship that has led to Turf Moor.

“Robbie was more outgoing and maybe more confident and Jeff was always quite quiet and just got on with it,” said Wallace.

“I’m sure he was confident inside but he didn’t really show it in the same way. Robbie was more expressive of his confidence.

“The whole team were friends and they bonded very well.

“The two lads have kept in touch all the time since they’ve been away so they’re close friends. They go away together as well.”

McCormac added: “They were great and worked very hard. Their work ethic from being eight or nine was amazing and the structures we had in place to try and improve our own club at the time, we taught them to keep the ball on the ground, control, pass and move football.

“Part of what helped their friendship as well was that they were all in the representative squads – Dublin representative squad, Ireland representative squad. So from 15, 16, 17 and 19 they were always together all the way up.”

When Burnley’s interest in Brady broke in January, Hendrick was on the phone to his close friend telling him what a great club it was.

Having played through the ranks at St Kevin’s Boys they had gone their separate ways in England, Brady to Manchester United and Hendrick at Derby. But they had continued to progress through the Republic of Ireland’s age groups and into the senior side.

Now they are reunited at Turf Moor. Hendrick became Burnley’s first ever £10millon-plus player in August, only to see his mate take his record at the club’s record buy with a £13million move in January.

“It’s unbelievable,” beamed Wallace. “It’s like when we saw them both playing for Ireland. That was so exciting seeing them lining up together against Scotland when we were at that match.”

McCormac added: “For us the thrill of this is that it’s the first time they’ve played together in a club environment since we coached them.

“We used to do similar drills, short corners and to see them both together for a short corner we were like ‘wow!’.

“We were sitting watching the TV thinking we used to do this at under-8s and under-10s.”

As with most things involving Hendrick and Brady, they are almost inseparable for Republic of Ireland caps as well, with Brady on 31 and Hendrick 29.

They were together last summer as the Men in Green reached the knockout stages of Euro 2016, which was another memorable moment for the St Kevin’s coaches.

“A few things stood out for me,” said McCormac.

“Obviously with Robbie standing up to take a penalty against France. Straight away we said he would score because from the age of eight they were taking penalties and we were teaching them.

“That’s the truth and he never missed a penalty. We were really confident about him.

“Then there’s the two of them standing over the corner together. It was great to see.”

Wallace added: “It was fantastic (to see them involved in the Euros). We were at the Scotland game in the qualifiers and when you saw the two lining up the hairs on your neck stood up. After all these years to see the two lads together playing for Ireland it was just fantastic.”

As well as producing two fine footballers and friends, St Kevin’s also moulded two players who have never forgotten their roots – as demonstrated by McCormac and Wallace’s invite on Sunday.

The club had produced stars such as Liam Brady but were in danger of being overtaken until this team came along.

“The two boys made it more prestigious,” said Wallace. “At the time we were struggling behind other schoolboy clubs, such as Home Farm.

“But Kevin’s is probably the most successful schoolboy club in Dublin on the back of that team and the two lads doing so well.”

McCormac added: “We’ve kept in touch more with Jeffrey. With Robbie there’s been bits and pieces, he invited me over to Manchester United when he was with them and with Jeffrey we went to Derby a lot.

“The two lads have been really good to us that way. They haven’t forgotten their roots and where they are from.”