McEneff is on a mission to end Candystripes’ trophy drought
DERRY City’s season will be defined by events at The Brandywell over the next five days, starting with Sunday’s EA Sports League Cup final against Cobh Ramblers (4pm).
Kenny Shiels’ side have been struggling in the league of late, having dropped down to sixth place in the Premier Division after a shocking run of 12 defeats in the past 17 games.
But the season remains very much alive for the Candystripes with Sunday’s Cup final quickly followed by an FAI Cup quarter-final against Bohemians at home on Wednesday.
First up, however, is Sunday’s final against First Division Cobh with Derry the favourites to win their first trophy since 2012.
Derry last won the League Cup in 2011 when Eamon Zayed’s penalty saw off then First Division opponents Cork City.
Sunday’s game is also particularly important for manager Shiels, who is hoping to win his first trophy in what is his third year at The Brandywell.
Midfielder Aaron McEneff, who is yet to win a trophy with his hometown team, can’t wait for the big day.
“Everybody is really looking forward to it,” he said.
“I know that our form has been inconsistent but at the end of the day it’s a Cup final so you’re going to be excited about it.
“It’s obviously going to be a big occasion because Derry City haven’t been in the final since 2011, or any final since 2014.
“Any sort of silverware is brilliant for the club and brilliant for the fans.
“It will be a good day and hopefully we can do the business and win.”
While Cobh defeated Premier Division sides Limerick and Dundalk to get to the final, Derry have had a tough road, beating Finn Harps, Shelbourne and Sligo Rovers.
Meanwhile, councillors have voted to rename The Brandywell in Londonderry after the late Derry City captain Ryan McBride.
The 27-year-old footballer died suddenly in March last year.
Q AHow did your football career start? At the age of 10 I played for Cleary Celtic and can remember scoring a screamer on my debut. I really enjoyed it. In those days you got changed in the back of a car and if your dad had a car you were playing.
I played for Glenavon Under-18s when John McKeown was the manager and Niall Currie was on the coaching staff. I went to Newry Youth and Reserves where I won Player of the Year in 1990. Myself and my current assistant Raymond Byrne were the two centre-halves. Ray went on to Nottingham Forest and I went to university in England.
When I came back I played for Bessbrook, then Armagh City. After a bad ankle injury I moved on to Windmill Stars, a successful junior team and we won everything over about 12 years. After that I got involved in coaching kids at Newry, taking on the reserve team job and then first team.
I’ve been here about 11 years. Marty McGuigan, a Tottenham scout who was involved with the Academy, invited me along to do coaching. It was a great learning experience and I got the coaching bug. If you can look after 50 kids on your own
you’re doing well!
Q ASo you didn’t develop the coaching bug when you were playing?
No, I was so immersed in playing it didn’t cross my mind. I had a young family and there was a lot going on.
I’m sure my wife Diane — we’ve been married for 19 years — was glad when I stopped playing and didn’t see me going into management.
I played on until I was 40 and my last game was the same time as Newry were wound up. Playing for Windmill was good fun and we are still the only Newry team to win the Junior Cup in 2003. Barry Doran was a fantastic manager and I learned a lot from him.
Back in 2012, Newry City’s IFA membership was terminated following a High Court winding up order. What were those times like?
I remember being part of Pat McGibbon’s coaching staff at the time and the off-field issues were worse than we thought. We realised how serious it was and I arranged for politicians to speak to the Irish FA.
It was too late for anything to be done. There is an argument the IFA could have done more to help us but we never wanted to blame anyone. Medicine had to be taken but there was a feeling of
QAnumbness as it affected youth teams in the area. The whole club was decimated.
There weren’t a lot of people willing to fight for the club, there was a feeling of resignation that was it… there was too much debt. I thought someone had to do something and I put a lot of time and effort into that. No one else was going to do it.
The easy thing to do was walk away so what motivated you to try and save the club? I’m a Newry man and having the opportunity to manage the club at that level was a fantastic opportunity. I had brought local lads to the club and didn’t want it to be a missed opportunity to manage the club.
I spoke to Mickey Keenan, Raymond Byrne and Jervis McCaul and I said I’d be happy to continue if we can sort the offfield issues. Did I know the extent of the problems? No, but I
Q Akept going through sheer stubbornness and a will to make sure we got up and running again.
Q ADid you ever think the club would never be resurrected?
No, but there was one obstacle after another. I didn’t rub anyone up the wrong way. I knew I would need people’s help. I got politicians involved and sought to start as a different entity. I didn’t want animosity towards Newry to exist.
Once the debts were cleared we called a public meeting to assess the support and the club was packed. The Mid-Ulster people were great and in 2013 we became a new club.
But you could never have dreamed of the club now competing in the Danske Bank Premiership in 2018. How amazing is that story?
It’s probably a mixture of feelings. It was difficult to gaththen
❝ When I was hugging my brothers and sisters after promotion we were all thinking about him
Qer a team. No one was knocking on my door saying, ‘I want to play for Newry.’ We had to drive around and find players.
We ran trials and got a young team together. But to be in the Premiership in five years? No, you would have thought about a 10-year plan to reach the Premiership and we’ve done it in half the time. It’s hard work from everyone. Good footballers and good people gave us the foundation to push on. Sometimes you’d like to sit back and take it all in.
Q AIs there any important lesson you have learned from Newry’s story?
No one person should be bigger than the club. You need structures in place and a solid base so if there’s one departure it can function in the right manner.
Hopefully the more success the first team has that will keep filtering down. The club can’t go through what it has been through again. There’s no excuse.
Q ACan you sum up Mickey Keenan’s contribution to the Newry cause?
It would have been easy for Mickey or Raymie to get involved with another club. Other clubs would have wanted a good goalkeeping coach like Mickey but they are Newry men and the club is in their heart. Opposition fans want photographs with Mickey, that just tells you how