Give first refusal to Deely when a new manager is sought
IINTENDED writing this column last week in praise of London manager and Horeswood footballer Ciarán Deely, but that plan was overtaken by very sad events and priority was naturally given to paying tribute to the late John Harrington.
Still, it’s never too late to give credit where it’s due, and nobody deserves it more than the man from Ballinteskin whose achievements are admirable considering the limitations he has to contend with.
I was extremely disappointed after Wexford’s loss in Ruislip on February 10, but I still made a beeline for Ciarán because I wanted to congratulate him on a job well done.
We exchanged words briefly on the field and, as I headed back towards the sideline, he remarked to me that I must have been covering his career since he was ten years old.
That is indeed the case, and it got me thinking about the remarkable journey Deely has been on after I returned to my car and started to venture towards Fishguard.
I did leave him with a parting comment however, as I suggested that one day he might come home and take over the Wexford team.
I’d love to see that happening, sooner rather than later. And while I accept that it mightn’t be practical given that his base is in London, I certainly think that the first phone call if and when a managerial vacancy arises should be made to the man whose colourful career in coaching has seen him learning on the job both in India and with Queen’s Park Rangers F.C.
I get the feeling that he would do all in his power to take over Wexford if the job was offered to him. After all, this is a man who made it his business to travel back and forth while assisting Horeswood to the Intermediate football title last year.
Clearly, he would have to be home-based in order to fulfil what I suspect might be his dream gig, but let him rule it out himself if necessary rather than assuming that he’s too far away to take it.
By the way, I make no apology for writing about a potential next manager even though the current incumbent is still in place.
Paul McLoughlin is clearly an honourable, decent man, and he always impressed me as a fine footballer too during his own playing days in the forward line with Clane and Kildare, but he must be living on borrowed time right now as the team is at a lower ebb than I have ever seen it before.
Getting back to my coverage of Ciarán’s career, I certainly never thought for a moment that one day I would be travelling to Ruislip to watch him managing a London team to victory over Wexford.
That would have been a fanciful notion during his teenage years, and I suspect he couldn’t possibly have envisaged where his journey in sport would take him either.
One of his first big achievements I recall was when he won the man of the match award in 1999 when Horeswood beat Gusserane to collect the Juvenile football Premier championship title in New Ross.
That fine team also included Jonathan Hearn and Darren Shannon who went on to give sterling service at adult level to the club, but that opportunity sadly never arose for their two talented central defenders, the late team captain Mark Kent, and the late Kevin Keating.
Ciarán was a county Minor by 2001, and then made the Under-21 team at the first attempt in 2002. Indeed, he was their top overall scorer with 1-9 as they followed wins over Laois and Offaly with a disappointing semi-final exit after extra-time to Wicklow.
He went on to make 43 appearances for the Seniors from 2003 to 2010, and I’d love to see him adding the managerial role to his C.V. whenever that job becomes available again. The next appointment will be absolutely crucial for the future well-being of Wexford football.
FOOTNOTE: Last week was one of the toughest and saddest in the 112-year history of my club, Sarsfields. This column affords me a public platform so, donning my hat as P.R.O., may I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all those who stood shoulder to shoulder with us in our time of greatest need.
The Harrington family, and indeed our wider club membership, were deeply moved by the considerate support bestowed by the G.A.A. community. It showed the association at its very best, and rest assured that the countless kind words, the hugs and the handshakes will never be forgotten.