*Mark Roche & Avenue Utd tasted double success last season. Photograph: Joe Buckley
ACTION kicks off in the CDSL Maloney Hardware Premier Division this weekend with three games down for decision.
Lifford FC under a new management take on Shannon Olympic in Drumcliffe at 6pm on Saturday evening while Shannon Town Utd face off with Kilkishen Celtic at 6pm in Lynch Park.
On Sunday morning, the recently crowned League Cup champions Bridge Utd travel to Newmarket-on-Fergus where they meet Newmarket Celtic at 11am.
Two Clare ties mark the opening round of the Munster Junior Cup with Ennis Dons hosting Avenue Utd on Saturday evening while Kilrush Rangers face Tulla Utd on Sunday morning.
Avenue Utd A
Management: David Russell (Manager), Oliver Fitzpatrick (Assistant manager); Adrian Walsh (coach), Eoin Slattery
Captain: Ronan Kerin
Vice captain: Conor Mullen
Key Player: Dylan Casey
One to watch: Kaden Herlihy
Fresh blood: Jack Ryan, Jack Dunleavey, Kaden Herlihy, Sean O’Callaghan, Kuba Ruminowicz
Departures gate: Witness Odirlie (signed for Bridge United) Tomas Hehir (travelling);
Treatment table: None
“Our aim is to retain our titles in Clare and push further on in Munster and National competitions” – David Russell.
Bridge Utd
Management: Mark Culbert (manager), Eoghan McNulty (coach), Noel Collins (S&C, asst coach), John Keane, Albert Finnin, Aoife Hogan (physio)
Captain: John Mulready
Key player: Filip Mostowy
One to watch: Kyle Kirby
Fresh blood: Scott Kirkland, Filip Mostowy, Eric Carr, Mikey Guerin, Ger Myles, Witness Odirile, Eoin Ryan, Finn Murphy.
Departures Gate: Ryan Perez, Eoin Keenan.
Treatment table: None
“We have to be happy with the pre-season, any silverware is good but we won’t get carried away with it. We’ve hit our targets in recent years, we’ve been steadily climbing up the table, we were fourth for two seasons and last season we finished third which was our target. We still feel we were hard done by in last year’s semi-final with the result and the decisions that went against us but we do feel that we’ve closed the gap, we’ve been helped by the addition of Eoghan McNulty as coach. We won’t entertain any talk of a title challenge unless we’re in contention in the business end of the season up till March. We won’t be setting any targets because it is simply going to be game by game”.
Inch Crusaders
Management: Noel Barry (Manager);
Captain: Enda Finnucane
Key Player: Bradley Higgins
One to watch: Ken Higgins
Fresh blood: Cathal Nolan, John Hassett
Departure gate: Thomas Collins
Treatment table: None
“Our main goal is to retain our premier status having gained promotion to the Premier Division for the first time this season” – Noel Barry.
Kilkishen Celtic
Management: Fergus Donovan (manager), Denis Murphy and Stevie Donnellan (assistant managers), Brian Byrne (Coach)
Joint captains: Mark Pewter & Paul Touhy
Key Player: Conor Henry
One to watch: Cathal MacNamara
Fresh blood: Alex Brady, Alex Muldoon, Padraig Hickey, Cathal Lenihan, Colm McInerney
Departures Gate: Ben McLoughlin
Treatment table: Conor Henry, Paddy Fitzgerald
“Our aims for the season ahead are to once again maintain our Premier Division status. Our first year in the Premier Division went well, we competed very well in most of our league fixtures while we also went on a good cup run where we made it to the quarter final for the third successive season before losing 1-0 to Bridge United. We have a very strong squad and we hope to finish higher up the league table and once again have a good run in the cup”.
Kilrush Rangers
Management: Martin Fitzpatrick, Trevor Clancy, Richard Gajeecki
Captain: Dean Neary
Key player: Jack Cleary
One to Watch: Harry O’Gorman
Fresh blood: Harry O’Gorman, Owen Copley,
Departures Gate: Keril Antonov, Norbert Gnuicky, Patrick Clair, Thomas Clair, Karl Murphy.
Treatment table: Richard Gajeecki
Comment: “We were very pleased to stay in the Premier Division, this season it will be equally as hard, it will be divided into the top four as one group and the rest of us fighting to stay up, it will be a half and half situation but we’re still confident of taking care of ourselves .We’re looking forward to it, we’re pushing every close to our 50th anniversary and we’d really like to be in the Premier Division when the time comes around” – Robert Clancy (Chairman)
Lifford FC
Management: Michael Clair (manager), Aaron Ryan (asst manager/S&C), Nathan Phelan (coach)
Captain: Davy Keenan
Key player: Fiachra Roche
One to watch: John Farson
Fresh blood: Mark O’Connor, Jan, Lucas, Nathan Phelan, John Farson, Keril Antonov, Norbert Gnuicky, Patrick Clair, Thomas Clair, Karl Murphy.
Departures Gate: Kuba Ruminowicz, Johnson Munukum, John Maher.
Treatment table: Fiachra Roche, Mark O’Connor.
“I had done three seasons with Kilrush Rangers, I took them on in the First Division, we got promoted to the Premier Division and stayed up for two years, five or six of the squad had finished university and like a lot of places they are now leaving the country. I had done five or six seasons before with Lifford underage, they are good football people and they approached me at the end of last season when their manager stepped down with a few games to go, I thought about it for a few weeks and decided to give it a go for a season or two. It was a bit of a wrench to leave Kilrush but this is a new and exciting challenge. The hope is to finish as high up the table as possible and have a good run in the Cup campaigns. It is a project and we’re excited to take it on”. – Michael Clair
Newmarket Celtic A
Management: Eoin O’Brien (Manager), Stephen Austin, David O’Grady, Daniel Cregan;
Captain: Harvey Cullinan
Key Player: Eoin Hayes
One to watch: Che Burke
Fresh blood: Brian O’Connor, Kieran Hackett, Anthony Dubrynets, Cian McDonagh, Cathal Cullinan, Che Burke, Cian Austin
Departure gate: David O’Grady (retired), David Lennon, Darragh Leahy, Cael Gaffney, Colin Smyth
Treatment table: Conor McCarthy and Cian Foley
“Our long term goal every season is to win our domestic league and cup. We also aim to be competitive in the business end of the Munster Junior and FAI Junior cups. A new short term goal this season is to develop as many young players as possible and integrate them into our squad for the future”. – Eoin O’Brien.
Shannon Olympic
Management: David Flaherty (Manager), Jimmy Houlihan and Ray Fahy,
Captain: Ross Mulligan
Key Players: Luke Whelan.
One to watch: Ross Mulligan
Fresh blood: Dan McDarby, Damo Halpin, Mark McPhillips, Ryan McCloskey
Departures gate: Jason Regan
Treatment table: Darragh O’Neill
“Shannon Olympic want to finish as high up the table as possible, hopefully in the top four”. – David Flaherty.
Shannon Town A
Management: David Hogan (Manager); Fergal McCarthy, Evan Glynn, Adam O’Sullivan, Kai Khetan
Captain: TJ O’Dwyer
Key Player: Charlie Morrison
One to watch: Sean Aylmer
Fresh blood: Sean Aylmer, Luke Keating, Aaron Shinnors,
Departures gate: Jack Ryan (transferred), Kieran Hackett (transferred)
Treatment table: None.
“We lost some pivotal players this year in Jack Ryan who has scored over 30 goals for the team and the experienced Kieran Hackett. We have tried to introduce youth via our underage structures. We know it will be difficult but we hope to be competitive”. – David Hogan.
Tulla Utd
Management: Mike Moloney, Shane Fogarty, Owen Kilker
Captain: Dara Ryan
Key Player: Simon Kilker
Ones to watch: Glen McNamara
Fresh Blood: Callum Casey, Adam Kilker, Conor McFadden & Frankie O’Sullivan (from last years U17’s, Rian McMahon (back after a season away), Daragh Corry (back from injury).
Departure gate: Nathan Phelan & David O’Donnell
Treatment table: Jashar Aliu
“We’re hoping to be competing in the top half of the table, this is our third season in the Premier Division, the players have gained from the experience and last season we won the U17 Cup so we’ve another raft of players coming through from that. We’re still young but that is no excuse. One of our big learnings is that we need to start the season well, our new international manager has said that both winning and losing is a habit and he is right. We’re aiming to start well. This year Avenue, Bridge Utd and Newmarket will be the teams to beat but I don’t think there will be any pushovers, a good start can you put you on the right road” – Mike Moloney.
*Additional reporting by Seamus Hayes
