New boss Gartland sets the bar high with Duleek
THE NEFL pre-season is well under way and Duleek will head into their Premier Division campaign under new management.
Following the resignation of Pete Brennan, who stepped down after keeping the Tollstone side in the top flight for the last three years, Danny Gartland was appointed as the new boss.
Gartland brings a wealth of both managerial and playing experience to Duleek and he takes the role with the expectation of not just keeping Duleek in the top flight but pushing towards a top-half finish.
Gartland led Newfoundwell to the Tully Bookmakers Cup back in 2014, making them the first team from Drogheda to win the competition, and they eventually achieved the Holy Grail two years ago when they were crowned Premier Division champions.
Speaking after his appointment, Gartland praised the job done by Brennan during the last three years and now he wants to build on that and push Duleek back up the table, but he is cognisant that it won’t be an immediate change.
‘I want to change the mentality in the club, I want lads to want to play football and it shouldn’t be a chore for them to come up to training and I want them to push each other in training,’ he began.
Gartland brought Colin Rafferty in with him as a coach and he said of the former Boyne Harps coach: ‘I had been trying to get him a few times, so I’m delighted to get him in now, he’s got lots of experience and he’s a great coach.’
When asked about what he wants to achieve with the club, Gartland pointed to the fact Duleek have never won the Premier Division title.
‘They came close in 2014, but
Duleek have never won the NEFL Premier Division, so that has to be the goal, but it’s not going to happen straightaway, it has to be a project.
‘I’m not going in there to challenge Boyne Harps or Trim Celtic straightaway. Even Alan Murphy at Trim Celtic - it took him until his second year to turn them around.
‘You can’t go in and wave a magic wand. If we finish fifth or sixth or even sneak into the top four, which will be hard, and have a good cup run, that’ll be a good season.’
Gartland added that while such goals will be difficult to achieve, that has to be the aim and there’s no point in taking a job like Duleek if you’re not going to set your sights high.
Gartland has been working hard to get players in over the past few weeks and was boosted early on by the signing of 20-year-old keeper Niall McDonnell, formerly of Chord Celtic and Drogheda Town, and he will offer a good base for Gartland to build his team around.
The club continue to train on Tuesdays and Thursdays and new players are welcome to attend as they build towards the start of the new season in early March.
ARDEE Celtic’s potential Dundalk Under-19 League title decider against Glenmuir, due to take place on Saturday last, was postponed and has been refixed for this Wednesday evening at Townparks.
Meanwhile, the league’s Challenge Cup competition begins this coming weekend as St Dominic’s host Ardee at the Friary on Saturday, while Sunday’s ties include Termonfeckin v Glenmuir. Both matches kick off at 2pm.
Ireland’s call SUMMER Lawless of Ballymakenny College has been named in the provisional 18-strong Under-15 Girls Republic of Ireland Schools squad for two upcoming friendly matches.
The games against Northern Ireland on February 29th and England on March 7th, both in Dublin, are a key part of the Republic of Ireland’s preparations for the annual Bob Docherty Cup tournament in mid-April.
U-16 honours ARDEE Celtic are holding a presentation evening this week to mark the achievement of their Under-16s who recently won the North Leinster SFAI Skechers Regional Cup.
Medals will be presented to members of the successful squad on Friday between 7.30 and 9pm in Hunterstown.
NORTH DUBLIN SCHOOLBOY LEAGUE FIXTURES
Lotto winners NUMBERS drawn in last week’s Duleek AFC/SBG FC lotto were 7, 17, 23, 27 and the six €20 prizes went to K Brodigan, K Lowthe, Bobby Condron, Colm Kennedy, Fran Coleman and A&R Tuohy.