*Moher Celtic’s Michael Davenport in possession. Photograph: Joe Buckley
MOHER CELTIC make their return to the Maloney Hardware Premier Division this weekend with the sole focus of survival on their minds.
Finishing second place in the First Division last season with sixteen points guaranteed Moher automatic promotion to the top flight. Newmarket Celtic B won the First Division for the third year running but current rules prevent a club from having two teams in the Premier Division.
Moher don’t expect to be ripping up the top flight but are determined to hold their own, manager Shane Keane explained. “I think we’ll be okay in the Premier Division but we’re not going to break into the top six, it will be between ourselves and Shannon Hibs to try stay up, we’re going to try get ahead of them. Then there’s the six established clubs that if we could nick points off when we’re at home then that would put us in bonus territory but we’re trying to survive”.
Taking the chances when they arise will be key to how Moher fare, Lahinch native Shane maintained. “We know from the League Cup games that we’ve gone from playing in the First Division where we looked to play progressive football but from our games against Bridge Utd and Tulla Utd we know already that we won’t have much of the ball in our games against the top four and Ennis Dons so we have to adjust make the most of the ball when we do have it, we’re going to have to adjust to different types of games”.
For the first time in four years following Sporting Ennistymons’ relegation in 2022, North Clare will have representation in the Premier Division. Keane a former goalkeeper with the club is hopeful it will allow Moher to grow. “I hope it would, we were in the Premier Division before and before Sporting were. It is nine years since we were there last and we had a couple of yo-yo years before that. We have pride in ourselves and we’ve always had that in North Clare. We would be hopeful our profile would grow in the area from being in Premier and we’d be able to attract more players, we’re looking to stay there and if we do that then we will attract more players to the club”.
Gaelic football commitments with Ennistymon and Liscannor poses “a balancing act” for the squad and management. “It can’t be helped, we’re all involved in GAA clubs ourselves, it is a balancing act in itself, we’re stronger in later games than at the start of the season,” Shane noted.
It is “all individual cases” as opposed to no party line on when their GAA players will be available for action. Among those still involved are the Liscannor cohort of Darren Nagle, Tom Hanrahan, Francesco Bonito, Joe Hanrahan and Cobhan Phillipson, St Breckans’ Eoghan Garrihy plus the Ennistymon contingent of Christy Organ, Michael Davenport, Niall Canavan and Ryan Barry.
Moher Celtic Factfile:
Management: Shane Keane (manager), Craig Flanagan, Johnny Miller, Thierry Bouton (player/coach), John Kerin (player/coach), Helen Marrinan, Johnny Daly.
Captain: Tom Hanrahan
Key Player: Tom Hanrahan
One to watch: Ruairí Crimmins
Fresh blood: Morgan Mescal, Ade Adeyemi, Deji Odugbesi, Abdul Durojaiye, Alan Szczucki, Cillian Curran, Ethan Mooney, Robert Carter, Daniel Garrihy, Darren Nagle.
Departures Gate: Harry James (signed for Newmarket Celtic), Eoin Guerin (emigrated to Australia)
Treatment table: Brian Considine (ACL), Noel Hynes, Lorcan Doolin,
Last season’s run: Secured promotion from the First Division
