Limerick District Premier League 2015/16 Season Preview

Here we go again! With the silly season (finally) drawing to a close and the start of the 2015/16 campaign only days away, it’s time to run the rule over the twelve participants in Limerick football’s top tier. There have been a staggering number of comings and goings over the summer months, both in terms of on-field personnel and behind the scenes – five clubs will go into the opening round of fixtures with a new manager at the helm.

Last season’s champions, Janesboro, do not number among those five, but their management team has had to cope with a small-scale exodus from the sizeable squad that went on a 20-game unbeaten run to claim the 2014/15 crown. Starting full-backs, Wayne O’Donovan and Aled Harkin, have departed for Pike Rovers and newly promoted Mungret Regional respectively, while goalkeeper Darren Glasheen will mind the net of Division 1B’s Prospect Priory this season. Midfielder Mike O’Gorman has also left Pearse Stadium, opting to go home and play for LDL new arrivals Nenagh AFC in Division 1A. Barry Sheedy, who received a number of starts up top alongside Shane Clarke last year, has also not re-signed, nor has veteran defender Pa McGarry, who has joined the ‘Dines.

All told, excluding McGarry (who made only one league start last season), that’s five first-team regulars that the ‘Boro will have to replace. Progress in that regard appears to have been slow, with management apparently preferring to identify replacements from within. Minor recruit, Jason Cross, has featured well in pre-season, and may get game-time at left-full in Harkin’s absence. However, one would assume that Craig McMarlow, who enjoyed a strong season last year, will be entrusted with the role on a more permanent basis going forward.

In terms of first-team signings, these appear to be limited to Pike’s John Tierney, who suffered a disappointing, injury-interrupted 2014/15 season by his high standards, and goalkeeper Stephen Walsh, who impressed for Corbally last season until he moved abroad in January. Tierney has surely been earmarked to replace O’Gorman, although the number of games he’ll be able to manage in the champions’ midfield remains to be seen. The apparent re-signing of John Boyle, Limerick junior football’s serial winner, in that area of the field, is obviously a huge boost to their chances of retaining the title.

On the whole, it appears that the ‘Boro have fallen victim to the kind of malaise that seems to affect English Premier League winners on an annual basis. The compulsion to make wholesale changes to a successful side isn’t as strong as it is for the unsuccessful runners-up, many of whom appear to have done much better business during the off-season to close the gap.

One such side is Carew Park, who have added bodies to what was a relatively small squad last season. Although high-calibre players such as Darren O’Sullivan and John O’Leary have departed for Wembley Rovers and Regional respectively, the club’s recruitment drive appears to have more than compensated for these losses. In midfield, the club are particularly excited about new man Ross McCarthy, a cultured playmaker type, who spent some time with Cobh in the League of Ireland. A potential partnership with Barry Dillon, or indeed ex-Aisling anchorman Adam Frahill, could prove formidable. Carew have also picked the pockets of Aisling to fill out other areas of their squad, with wide player Chimka Manjor and goalkeeper Brian Collopy also joining the southside club’s ranks (meaning that the club again have four ‘keepers signed!).

Elsewhere, David Corbett has been signed from Caherconlish to replace O’Leary at right back, while former Fairview striker Mark McGrath has returned to the club from St. Michaels to lead the line. Kieran Hanlon, who endured a disappointing campaign at Pike last year, will hope to make a bigger impression on the junior scene after signing from Limerick, while ex-Boro men, Colm Hyland and Patrick Stanislewski, will also add to the squad in attacking midfield and defence respectively.

Carew will be hoping to build on an ultimately disappointing campaign last season, when the hard work was done away from home in the first half, only to be followed by some poor results in the second half at home to fellow contenders. The gaping hole left by the now retired Mark Keane a couple of years ago still needs to be filled at the back. The club continues to search for a stopper centre-back to complement captain Mark Slattery, but feels that midfielder Tommy Culhane can continue to do a good job in there if necessary. The experienced Cyril Maher has also re-signed over the past few days, providing an extremely reliable option in that area of the field (and in midfield). As for the configuration of the team, manager Albert Slattery will have to work hard to accommodate all these new bodies, perhaps even dispensing with his favoured 4-4-2 formation to do so. This could see Carew have more of the ball in big games, meaning that they will need to rely less on their fearsome counter-attacking threat.

Pike Rovers, champions two seasons ago, go into the new campaign with the man who led them to that triumph back at the helm. Mick Sheil has opted not to extend his stay as Clare Oscar Traynor supremo, by returning instead to Crossagalla. He has, however, brought with him some mementos of his last job, in the shape of four first-teamers from his previous side, including midfielders Colin Smyth (Newmarket Celtic) and Paddy O’Malley (Avenue Utd.), defender Sean O’Callaghan (Ennis Town, ex-Limerick) and striker Garry Higgins (Shannon Olympic), who featured for Pike during their successful 2011-12 campaign. Sheil has also pulled off a major coup by securing the signature of Moyross captain Keith Colbert over the past couple of days, ensuring that he won’t be short of options in the middle of the park.

Although the return of Sheil should again improve Pike’s fortunes – recall the immediate improvement in their performances when he first assumed the role in 2013 – he will have his work cut out to overcome some of the key personnel losses that the club have endured during the close-season, with first teamers Pa Moloney, John Tierney, Seamus O’Carroll, James McGrath and Colm Enright departing to retirement, Janesboro, handball (!), Nenagh and retirement (again) respectively. Although the aforementioned Higgins and the returning Cian Collins have joined Jamie Kelly on the club’s list of strikers, the word is that the club is still seeking another proven goal-getter at this level to replace Moloney. Enright and O’Carroll will also be tough to replace, with the former’s experience vital in the run-in last season. Hopefully, for Hoops fans, captain Pa Mullins will be able to form a similarly robust partnership with the new boy, O’Callaghan, aided and abetted by two members of the O’Donovan clan, Wayne and Eddie, in the full-back positions. Ken Meehan also remains an option at right- and centre-back.

It’s difficult to assess Pike’s chances without knowing much about the four new recruits from Clare (although the hype is strong, particularly with regard to Smyth). However, in this reporter’s view, the return of Sheil alone, if it puts an end to the internal strife that the club was riven with last season, should mean that they will pick up more points this year. They’re the bookies’ favourites for a reason.

Arguably the summer’s best recruitment drive has taken place at Fairview Rangers, where new gaffer Paul O’Donnell, in for the deposed Ian Bennis, has completely revamped the playing personnel in a deeply impressive fashion. Mick Sheil wasn’t the only one to bring a flock with him to new pastures – O’Donnell arrived with a five-strong Geraldines contingent in tow, including Craig Madigan, Bobby Tier, Paul Danaher, Colin Scanlon and George Daffy. The good news doesn’t stop there for ‘View fans. In arguably one of the coups of the summer, Tralee Dynamos left-back and UL captain, Jonathan Hannafin, who impressed us all in the MJC semi-final against Janesboro last season, has also come into the side. One wonders why the champions weren’t looking at him. Hannafin is joined by prodigal son Colm Heffernan, who has returned from Night Owl football, and ex-Aisling number ten Eoin Roche, whose technique and set-piece delivery are sure to impress many. O’Donnell has also brought in Galway Oscar Traynor ‘keeper, Andrew Walsh, from Athenry, while the minor side have raided the broken-up Herbertstown contingent, by clinching the signatures of winger David Hannon, centre-back Fionn Murphy, and FAI U-17 Cup final man of the match, the excellent Darragh Carroll.

Although they have lost the promising and energetic young midfielder, Jamie Shinners, to Aisling Annacotty, this has been an incredible transfer window for Fairview. There are also question-marks however about the work-rate of some of their more attack-minded recruits, which could lead to poor defensive transitions and vulnerability to the counter-attack. Workhorses Craig Madigan and Colm Heffernan may have a lot of ground to cover in front of their defence – luckily for the ‘View, that task is well within the reach of both men. Although the bookies consider them outsiders for the title, at 22/1, if all these new arrivals can gel into a cohesive unit at all, they are surely worth an each-way bet and look likely to be the most improved side in terms of league placings.

One club who might have something to say about that however, is Regional United, who have also recruited very shrewdly indeed during the summer months. Management team Brian O’Callaghan and Mike Aherne are very confident about their sides chances of progression over the next nine months, and justifiably so too, with Desmond League midfield recruits Mikey and Davey Lyons adding to their options considerably. The former in particular is tipped by many to be a breakout star in his first season in the Regional side. Elsewhere, striker Ken Nealon and defender John O’Leary have also returned to the club, from relegated Corbally and Carew Park respectively. The club has also done well to hang on to key young players like the Cowpar brothers and striker Byron Fitzgerald. However, promising midfielder Darren Butler has departed to Cobh to try his hand at League of Ireland football.

Regional reached the final of the Lawson Cup last year, but underperformed on the day, particularly in the number ten position – a shame for the club, given how vulnerable Pike looked in front of their defence. However, any issues in that area of the field may have been resolved over the last 24 hours, with the confirmation of the signing of former Limerick and Athlone Town attacking midfielder Garbhan Coughlan – surely one of the transfers of the summer. While this transfer window represents a big breakthrough in terms of closing the gap to the heavy hitters, finding a 20-goal a season striker remains the problem for Regional, if they are going to break the mould and move up to the next level.

The same can be said for Ballynanty Rovers, where stability is the key word this season. Both management and the on-field personnel remain largely unchanged, with the squad only added to by the promotion of the brothers Brock, Liam and Robert, and Kevin Nolan from the B team. Liam, only 19 years of age, is said to be a great prospect in the centre of midfield by those in the know at the club. Further forward, the club has lost the exciting Jamie Bromell, who has moved abroad, but otherwise remains unchanged. They’ll be hoping that the minor graduates who impressed in their breakthrough season (particularly at the back) last year will continue their progress and help the club improve on last year’s strong showing. Results against other challengers ruled them out of the running last season – firepower will need to be added up top if that is not to be the case again this time around. However, in a league where every second club appears to going through massive upheaval, Balla’s steady ship may find a way to navigate itself through rocky waters better than most.

The other side of the coin to the calmness over in Shelbourne Park is the madness of the Aisling Annacotty revolving door this summer! New manager, Ray McMahon, in for Mike McCarthy, has had to cope with the loss of nine first team players and has responded by bringing in a large number of players from a wide range of sources to compensate. Aisling, like Fairview, have also benefited from the Herbertstown debacle, by picking up the Mawdsleys (striker Keith and defender Ryan), plus commanding goalkeeper Sean Fitzpatrick. Jamie Shinners, as previously mentioned, is a great acquisition in midfield, along with Tipp Town’s Paddy Fitzpatrick and Anthony O’Neill, who had a stint with Regional up until last January. Left back Cian Quinn has also been brought in from Geraldines B, along with Wembley’s goalkeeper, Evan Moloney.

In the other direction have gone Collopy, Manjor, Frahill (all Carew), Roche (Fairview), Evan O’Connor (Limerick), Alan Connors (Mungret Regional), Stephen Goggin and both starting centre-backs Damien “Wobbler” Collins and Shane Harrington. Ouch. Only one of the club’s starting back four – right back, Brian Butler – has been retained. At least O’Connor’s strike partner at the back end of last season, the talented Brian Donovan, has been kept on, as has Keegan Park. Key players in last year’s minor cup win, Jack Barry, Cian Hession and Barry Madden, will also play their part in what is bound to be a very young, transitional side this year. The club barely escaped relegation last year, primarily due to the lack of a killer instinct in front of goal. Young Keith Mawdsley certainly has the potential to resolve that problem, but with most of the team gutted behind him it may take some time for the new side to gel and produce results.

Another club who diced with relegation last season, only to pull themselves out of the mire late on, were Summerville Rovers. Managed by arguably last season’s gaffer of the year in Len Earls, they recovered from a disastrous start in which more players were signed on B forms than A, to end the season well. Earls’ great escape was achieved in, shall we say, difficult circumstances and it was therefore some surprise when his assistant Cecil Prendergast agreed to take on the role in his stead when Len stepped down at the beginning of the summer. Cecil’s stint in charge didn’t last long however, amid rumours that the job was offered again to Earls while Prendergast was on holiday in July. It’s difficult to ascertain whether this was a solo run by someone within the club or not – either way Prendergast understandably resigned, leaving the influential B team supremo, Mike Monahan, the job of picking up the pieces of a squad that allegedly had two players signed to A forms at that point. Of course, upon Monahan’s appointment, a lot of B registrations again became As, with the club now boasting a squad of 22 going into the opening round of fixtures.

It’s difficult for me to ascertain who those 22 are, as those at the club are proving surprisingly difficult to to glean information from. However, we do know that key attackers Cleary and O’Sullivan have departed for the Garryowen Green, while starting defenders Greg Barrett and Jonathan Corbett have yet to re-sign. Veteran goalkeeper Mike Costello has transitioned to a behind the scenes role – he’ll be Monahan’s number two for the coming season. As for the rest, the cards remain firmly held to the chest until next Sunday.

Garryowen Green is another stop on this summer’s managerial merry-go-round, where new man Aidan Ryan will team up with last season’s assistant manager Mike Considine at Geraldines, who are back hosting games at the their spiritual home – all roads no longer lead to Rathuard, eh? The ‘Dines received a massive early blow this summer through the loss of the aforementioned five players to Fairview, but have recovered well through the acquisition of star striker James Cleary and wide player Darren O’Sullivan – both from Summerville Rovers. Striker Derek Hannon has also returned to the club from newly-promoted Wembley Rovers, as has Ian O’Donoghue, who has reportedly been flying in pre-season despite not featuring much last year for Corbally United. The club also continues to be heavily linked with midfielders Josse and Michael Guerin from Moyross United, with the former potentially earmarked for a role at the base of their midfield.

Ryan has a big reputation in the city and the word coming out of the Geraldines camp already is that it is well justified. Although he has been out of club management for some years now, Ryan holds a UEFA A Licence badge and his training sessions and tactical instruction are matching that status by all accounts. In addition to the above acquisitions, Ryan has also brought in English goalkeeper Mfon Nyong, with James O’Connor still in recovery from a double leg break last season. Keith Hartnett and Pa McGarry will provide some much needed experience in the dressing room, although both may take time to come up to speed from a fitness perspective, with the former not involved last year and the latter making only one start for former club Janesboro.

As for Moyross United, the sounds coming out of the club are broadly negative this summer. While the successful Power/Hogan management team remains intact, captain Keith Colbert has signed on the dotted line with Pike – a huge loss to the Moyross midfield to say the least. Rumours also continue to swirl about the Guerin midfielders, Josse and Michael, who may potentially end up at Geraldines. In terms of incomings, defender Adrian Mitchell, a local lad, has returned from Division 2A champions Hill Celtic. As far as I know, at the time of going to press, the club has held on to talents such as Adrian Power and Grant Murphy, both of whom made my team of the season last year. They can also count on one of the largest and most vocal set of supporters in the league to get behind them through what could possibly be a difficult second season in the top tier.

Last season’s 1A champs, Wembley Rovers, make their return to the top flight this year, in hopes of a better outcome than their annus horribilis in 2013/14, when the club was lucky to finish out the Premier League season. Manager John Barry rebuilt well with a mix of youth and experience last year to win the second tier title – however, he already has another rebuilding job on his hands this season, with the club losing experienced heads, Alan Barry and Jason Travis, to retirement. Goalkeeper Evan Moloney has also departed for Aisling, while striker Derek Hannon has returned to the ‘Dines. This presumably means that Kevin Barry will be partnered up top by one of two new arrivals, Darren O’Sullivan, a massive signing for the club from Carew Park. As Cleary showed for Summerville last year, a proven goalscorer can make all the difference down this end of the table. Summerville B ‘keeper, Pa Reardon, has also been taken on, to replace Moloney.

The 1A runners-up, Mungret Regional, are also back in the top tier, and will be looking to build on an exciting 2014/15, in which they also had a fantastic run in the Munster Junior Cup, eventually losing 3-1 to Waterford side Dungarvan in the last 16. Mungret have already made one fabulous signing in the transfer window, with the return of Janesboro left-back Aled Harkin – who may now intend to ply his trade in midfield or in the number ten position, behind experienced striker Keith McNicholas. His set-piece delivery will be a huge boost to a side looking to consolidate in this division.

Mungret have also picked up defender Alan Connors from Aisling Annacotty. Connors, who can play at centre- or left-back, will add experience to a relatively young side, half of which ranges between 20 and 22 years of age. One such young talent is midfielder Richie Burke, who holds an FAI U-18 winners medal from his exploits at former club Fairview. He’ll be partnered in midfield by brother Ger, who featured in the Leader 1A Team of the Season last year. Burke is one of a handful of dyed-in-the-wool Mungret lifers who will form the reliable core of the team during the 2015/16 campaign. Others in this bracket are central defenders Eugene McNamara and Brian Cotter, who have played together at the back for some time now. Goalkeeper James Roche represents a reliable pair of hands behind them – he’s another Team of the Season representative. Manager Al Finucane, son of the Limerick legend of the same name, therefore looks like he has a nice mix of youth and experience on his hands, and unlike fellow promotees Wembley, has managed to keep them all together somehow. Hard to see them going straight back down.

Predictions

Now for the hard part! For the league title, I can’t see past Pike Rovers regaining their crown. The bookies’ favourites still need a top striker in their midst to progress in the provincial and national competitions, but the return of Sheil should be enough for them to reclaim the league title, particularly when you bear in mind that they came close last year in the teeth of behind the scenes problems and a much weaker squad. The Hoops walked it last time the Dubliner was in charge and were organisationally unrecognisable from the teams of the previous season or the season just gone.

As for champions Janesboro, I can see them running Pike very close indeed, but going backwards slightly in terms of the aggregate strength of their squad may cost them in the end. Losing both first choice full-backs may pose a greater problem than management have anticipated – the 7-1 friendly reverse to Collinstown may focus minds in that regard. Also, for me, Tierney for O’Gorman is a downgrade in 2015/16, unless the former can overcome his fitness issues and recapture the incredible form of old.

Carew Park have certainly improved their squad significantly, both in terms of size and quality, but I’m reserving judgement until I see whether or not the personnel can be moulded into a cohesive team. There have been issues with defensive transitions in the past, particularly in wide areas and with the second striker, that I could potentially see worsening this year. The old issue of the absence of an aerially dominant centre-back also remains unresolved.

As for the chasing pack, any attempt to place them will surely leave me falling flat on my face at the end of the season. Fairview have brought in a breathtaking array of talent, but similar to Carew, gelling them and getting some of the more advanced players to move with the team may prove challenging. They’re likely to improve a lot on last season but any attempts to predict what that will mean in terms of a final league position will have to wait until after the first few games. Regional and Ballynanty have good recruitment and stability on their sides respectively, but both also lack an out-and-out goalscorer to really push them on and break the hegemony of the top three. Geraldines started the summer disastrously, but have recruited shrewdly to replace departed personnel and could surprise a few who were predicting their collapse.

Moyross, through the loss of their captain, may end up going backwards slightly (especially if they lose Josse too), but can of course count on the togetherness of the local lads that have stuck around and got them to the latter stages of the FAI last season – including two that featured in my team of the season. Aisling Annacotty? That’s anyone’s guess really! Like Fairview, the numbers brought in have been staggering and it will take time to ascertain how they’re gelling. Unlike Fairview however, they’ve also lost the vast majority of their first-team from last year in the close season. As such, even if if rising star Keith Mawdsley bangs in the goals that were missing last year, it’s difficult not to fear for them. I’m fearing for Summerville too. Only one of the back four that started last season – the reliable James O’Donnell – is still with the club, who have also lost their talismanic striker James Cleary (who almost singlehandedly shot them to safety last year) and talented wide player Darren O’Sullivan to Geraldines.

As for the newly promoted sides, Wembley have a very small squad – made smaller by the departures of key players from their promotion campaign over the summer. However, the signing of the other Darren O’Sullivan (the striker) from Carew is a big one – he will get goals and lots of them. They have a talented young squad and should avoid the kind of regular hammerings that befell them two years ago. The other new side, Mungret Regional, will surprise people I feel. Similar to Moyross last year and the ‘Dines the season before, they’re a settled, talented side that could end up consolidating comfortably.

I guess this is the point where I have to pick the bottom two – and I don’t think Mungret will be in it. As things stand, I’m looking at Summerville and Wembley, with Aisling and Moyross just doing enough to keep their heads above water. Mungret to finish eighth, with Regional, Ballynanty, Fairview and Geraldines to fill the next four positions up in some order. Those four will be closer to the big three this year, with Carew just getting pipped to second spot by Janesboro – behind the new champions, Pike Rovers.

Whatever happens, I get the feeling that this could be an even more competitive season than last year’s thrilling installment. Don’t forget to bookmark the new web address and keep it here for well researched, in-depth analysis of the local game. Also, keep checking Tactics Truck for content on the professional game across the water. Finally, to everyone involved in Limerick junior soccer – enjoy it and I’ll see you around the grounds!