Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COLUM EYES UP CUP SUCCESS IN CAMBODIA
ONE of Northern Ireland’s youngest managers will target a place in the history books in the exotic football outpost of Cambodia this morning.
West Belfast man Colum Curtis (below), enhancing his reputation as a coach 7,000 miles from home, took charge of Visakha FC at the start of the year.
And a little over 10 months later, the 31-year-old is preparing to lead the C-league club into its first ever Hun Sen Cup final at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh.
“It is Visakha’s first ever Hun Sen Cup final so it’s a little bit of history already,” said Curtis, who lives in the Cambodian capital with his fiancee Sinead Mcgee.
“It would be massive to actually lift the trophy with Visakha and it’s a big motivation to try and achieve that in my first season with the club.”
Visakha, who finished fifth in the C-league in Curtis’ first campaign at the helm, face fellow Phnom Penh club Nagaworld in the showpiece which kicks off at 11am our time. “Nagaworld are one of the biggest clubs in Cambodia and one of the most experienced in the league - their three midfielders all play in the national team,” he said.
“Experience counts for a lot in finals but we’re playing well and looking forward to the challenge.”
Visakha progressed to the final with two dramatic penalty shootout wins over
C-league champions Boeung Ket in the quarter-finals and Prey Veng in the semis a fortnight ago.
“When we missed a penalty in the second half of normal time in the semi-final I thought the football gods had decided we wouldn’t progress but thankfully we made it,” said Curtis.
The Hun Sen Cup, Cambodia’s premier knockout competition, also provides a route into the 2021 AFC Cup which would pocket added finances for the club.
“The AFC Cup is Asian football’s version of the Europa League so qualifying is an added incentive,” said Curtis, who works alongside two other Belfast men at Visakha.
Sports physio Stephen Corner is the club’s head of medical science while Craig Livingstone, who began his coaching career at Greenisland FC, is also on the staff.
Curtis, who has worked in China, said: “Not for a moment did I think my first managerial job would be in Cambodia but it’s been a fantastic experience so
far.”