It was a season of mixed emotions for Frankie Donnelly and myself. As we were only appointed late in pre-season, there was a lot to do in a short space of time, arranging training and friendly games and assessing the players in the squad. Our initial goal for the season as it started was to create a more professional look and feel within the club and to finish as far up the table as possible. I think both aims have been comfortably achieved and we have gone further than expected. Initially we struggled for a centre half and also for a goal keeper for most of the season, using a total of five different keepers in total, as well as Peter Corr on one occasion. We asked Jim Kavanagh to fill in at centre half for two games and he ended up staying all season and winning the players’ player of the year award. Unbelievable. I would like to thank him for his professionalism and honesty throughout. Jim is a true gentleman, a true club man and a role model for any young players. Sincere thanks Jim !

 

Once the team became settled , Frankie and I could see that we were not far off the standard of the top teams in the division and identified good potential and ability within the squad. We welcomed the obvious desire of the players to work hard and commit not just in matches but also in training. This year was obviously a case of players getting to know me and the way I like things done and me getting to know the players.

 

We enjoyed several good cup runs this season but at times our league position suffered as a result and we were forced to play catch up with other teams who had points on the board already. Outsiders might expect that the results which caused me the greatest disappointment this season would be the two games against Newington. Personally however it was the defeat to our neighbours Grove Utd which disappointed me the most because I really felt we had a great chance of going on and winning the Border Cup. Next season I hope to instill that sort of belief into the team. But there were great results this year as well. We defeated Championship side Glebe Rangers in the Steele and Sons and then went away in the Irish Cup and defeated Limavady, who were leading the Championship at the time. This was an awesome achievement which was not just great for the players, Frankie and myself but great for the club as a whole. When you are on such a high you are often brought back down to earth with a bump and that happened when we were well beaten by Dungannon in the next round. We had hoped to draw a big Belfast team such as Linfield or Cliftonville but had to travel to Dungannon and boy did they scalp us ! Great experience but hard to take. Anyone that knows me knows that I hate being beaten at anything whether its football , pool or just a game of cards. I want to win and I like winning and that’s something else I feel we have instilled into the team this year.

 

I would like to say well done to all players at the club who played for us this year. The players have worked very hard and, in my opinion , are probably the fittest they have ever been. A lot of the credit for that goes to coaches Ricky McCann and Jackie McManus. I am pleased with the training structure we have in place at present, a nice balance between working hard and having a bit of fun together. Thanks to Ricky and Jackie. Your expertise and professionalism and the desire to succeed you instill in the players is invaluable.

 

At one stage in the season , due to the back log of fixtures I have already mentioned, we were third from bottom and people asked me then was I  worried about relegation. The thought never entered my head as I never doubted the quality and ability within the side and ,after performances such as those at Limavady and away to Dromara when we fought back to get a draw with ten men and no subs, I was proud to manage the team onwards and steadily up the table. Later in the season we were still in the running to win the title which shows how far we progressed after getting a quality keeper in Simon Steele in place. I think we just ran out of steam and perhaps the belief that we could actually challenge for the title just wasnt there. What I do know is that the experience will benefit us and I am determined that we will kick on and push harder next season. I am quite happy with the current squad and I hope to add a few more quality players to strengthen the squad before the start of next season which again, in my opinion  with a bit more belief in addition, should allow us to seriously start challenging for silverware.

 

I am looking forward to pre-season already . I cant wait for next season to start! We hope to play pre-season games with local teams Ardglass, Carrick and Newry as well as a fixture against Glasgow Celtic’s reserve team. It is vital that we have a good pre-season so that we can hit the ground running when the league campaign starts.

 

Finally I would like all the committee for their full support in everything we have done this season. Thanks again to Jackie, Ricky, Spider, Vinty, Kevin, Noel and Bill for their help with training. Congratulations to Frankie Young and Stevie Murphy on their success with the seconds and thanks again to all the players for their effort and commitment throughout the season. I would like to publicly thank my wife Kellie for her support and for putting up with all the highs and lows over the year.

 

Last but not least I would like to pay tribute to Frankie Donnelly for all his effort, hard work and commitment. Its been top class ! In all honesty the club would be lost without you Frankie, thank you. Best wishes to everyone involved with the club. Up the Mals !

 

Gerard Lyttle

20th May 2010