*Avenue Utd captain, Conor Mullen. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
LEAGUE champions Avenue Utd are bidding for a third Premier Division title in a row but they begin their quest with a new-look squad.
There’s been movement aplenty in Roslevan with players exiting and joining Avenue Utd. Management has also changed with David Russell stepping down after six seasons, Adrian Walsh has succeeded him, having spent a year as coach.
Oliver Fitzpatrick and Eoin Slattery remain part of the ticket with Fiachra Roche on board as an assistant manager while also lining out in the Hugh Kelly Cup, Barry Ryan and Gary Walsh complete the management.
In terms of playing personnel, Steven McGann’s return to Pike comes as a huge blow. Mark Roche and Jack Dunleavy are other departures from their starting eleven last season but Walla is keen to put his own stamp on matters with Avenue once again incredibly busy in snapping up players such as striker Ger Myles, Galway duo Ryan Corcoran and Gary O’Connell. They have managed to sign Colm Walsh O’Loghlen but are unlikely to see much of the Clare footballer.
Losing big names won’t hurt their cause according to the new manager. “Mark was a stalwart and he was travelling from Dublin for training, he is a huge miss in the dressing room and I’d go as far as to say it’s bigger losing him than McGann because of his family’s stature within the club and Mark’s role in the dressing room. Steven’s exit was last minute, we only found out about his departure on Friday but we went and did the business and won on Saturday in the League Cup so I don’t think there’s any issues with us there. On paper he is a quality footballer and he will be a big loss but other lads are there to step up, it hasn’t been spoken about to be honest, we went and did the business the next day so we will continue to focus on ourselves”.
With movement in and out, “it was a weird off-season,” he admitted. “The window is still open so we will keep our options open, there was one transfer that was proverbially done but was not done, it was strange. Another was done and then left, some lads baulk at coming into a big club but such is life, the ones we went out and set out to get we got. I would be a big advocate of promoting youth from within the club, there are plenty of young lads all going on to play League of Ireland because they were in our first team so it is up to the next batch of kids to come through, we have five or six of them training with us. I’m happy with what we have but the window is still open and if something will be done then we’ll do it”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Walla outlined there has been little difference in moving from coach to manager. “Managing is something I do on a daily basis. I worked with this bunch of players since last year and I’ve seen where we can go. In terms of the quality, there has been a really good buy-in so far, there’s a really good youth structure and we’re pulling in with the B team to look at as many players”.
Within the club there is a strong ambition to try and taste success outside of the county. Finding out what is the missing piece for them to do just that “is the million dollar question,” according to Adrian. “If I could answer that question we’d be winning all round us, at the minute we’ve a change of voice and seeing what we have, our goals are domestically and to see what we can do outside of the county. There’s a lot of talking about winning Munster and FAIs but you have to be very lucky to do either, we want to keep the focus on ourselves and target winning the domestic trophies. We’ll see how far we can go in Munster and the FAI but that all depends on the draw. Our end of the draw is the winners of Fern Celtic and Lifford and potentially we could be meeting Bridge Utd so it would even be a challenge to get out of Clare”.
Appetite is strong from what he has witnessed in pre-season. “There’s no doubting what the boys want to achieve, it is giving them the tools to go and achieve. The domestic is the bread and butter, we know Newmarket won’t be as poor as they were last year, they have strengthened their squad massively, the Bridge have strengthened and have kept predominantly what they have, they are in fine form. We are under no illusions. There is a huge hunger to succeed but more hunger to perform, if we do that all results will fall into place”.
Although they are chasing a fourth league title in five seasons, Avenue are doing so with a new-look squad. “It’s mad, I was only thinking about this, it’s not a rebuild but it is just adding in a few. It would be a fair statement to say I’m putting my own stamp on bit, it’s not getting rid of anybody, we have those that are with us and those that aren’t”.
He admitted it was “hugely doubtful” Colm Walsh O’Loghlen would feature for them this season despite the former Pike winger signing. “I mean a player of his calibre probably shouldn’t be playing in this country and he should be playing for someone overseas. I see why he is such an asset to Éire Óg and to Milky (Paul Madden) in the Clare set-up. I’d imagine he will be in with the Clare panel again, we haven’t had him yet and his sole focus is Éire Óg for now and that is understandable. I would be looking forward to working with a player of his calibre if he did come in”.
Importance of Ennis derbies was referenced by Walla during his time as Lifford AFC boss which included coming up against Avenue Utd in the 2023 Clare Cup final. Now there are four teams from the county town in the Premier Division which he warmly welcomes. “It’s huge in terms of what we’re doing, I do think it makes it more competitive in terms of Ennis, the games will be more competitive and the league will be too. We were down players versus Lifford and Ennis Dons in the League Cup but it was still competitive to a point. I don’t know long-term is it good for the league and stuff like that, does it dilute it a bit I’m not sure, right now it is competitive and we want to be playing competitive games. The players from the four clubs all know each other, they all socialise together so it is good”.
Avenue Utd Fact File:
Management: Adrian Walsh (manager), Oliver Fitzpatrick (joint assistant manager), Fiachra Roche (joint assistant manager), Barry Ryan (goalkeeper coach), Gary Walsh (assistant coach), Eoin Slattery (video analysis)
Captain: Conor Mullen
Key Player: Nnabuike Nneji
One to watch: Ryan Mahoney
Fresh blood: Gary O’Connell (signed from Athenry FC), Ryan Corcoran (signed from Athenry FC), Conor Finnucane (signed from Inch Crusaders), Jack Joyce (signed from University of Galway), Ger Myles (signed from Bridge Utd), Mikey Guerin (signed from Bridge Utd), Colm Walsh O’Loghlen (signed from Pike Rovers), Jason Keane Hayes, Ryan Mahoney, Fiachra Roche (signed from Lifford AFC).
Departures Gate: Mark Roche (transferred to Dublin), Steven McGann (returned to Pike Rovers), Philip Talty (signed for Ennis Dons FC), Dylan Barry (emigrated), Jack Dunleavy (joined Treaty Utd U20s), Kayden Deegan Herlihy (joined Treaty Utd U20s), Owen Hadden (joined Galway Utd U20s), Salim Olausi (gone to Galway Utd underage), Mikey Dinan (regraded), James Tierney (signed for Ennis Dons FC).
Treatment table: Elias Kunz (arm)
Last year’s run: Won the Premier Division for the third time in four seasons, defeated by Newmarket Celtic in the Clare Cup quarter-finals, exited the Munster Junior Cup in the last sixteen to Coachford AFC, beaten by North End Utd in the last sixteen of FAI Junior Cup.
