Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CHRIS SHERRARD DUNS CHANGE IS PART OF A GRAND PLAN
Gourley takes new role as Bowers steps in By
DUNDELA have a new manager – and a plan which they hope will restore them to the glory days of old.
Stephen Gourley has been elevated into an over-arching Director of Football role at Wilgar Park.
His brief is to not only ensure progression at senior level but to provide a clear pathway for the growing number of young Duns players in their youth ranks.
Russell Bowers (circled) has taken over as manager of the first-team with them poised in the pack for a push at promotion.
The decorated East Belfast outfit – who won the Irish Cup in the 50s as well as 11 B Division titles and 10 Steel and Sons Cup – sit third in the standings just three points behind top spot, with a game in hand.
The new-look off-field set-up was in place for the first time at the weekend away at Portstewart.
And Gourley (inset) insists the changes are intended to have the club upwardly mobile once more.
He said: “Dundela has always been a progressive club and that’s the case now more than ever before.
“My role will be to oversee all of the football side of things – all of that will come to me and I’ll report back to the committee.
“It’s exciting to try and get the club back to where it should be.
“All the years I played for Dundela we only had the one team but now we’ve great strength in depth.
“A lot of the under-20s have been given opportunities with the first team and the link-up we have with Dungoyne has been brilliant.
“If players are good enough they get their chance to show it with Dundela.
“Dungoyne has produced so many quality players and we’ve done the same – so many have gone on from Dundela and are playing in the Irish league.
“At the end of the day, I am a Dundela man through and through and want this club to be successful again and this is an exciting time.”
The Duns remain third in the Premier Intermediate League after they picked up a 2-2 draw on their trip to the seaside on Saturday.
Hosts Portstewart continued their upturn in results by twice coming from behind at home after goals from Ben Murdock and Owain Beggs for the visitors.
And Gourley said his immediate disappointment at the scoreline was tempered by a mood of pragmatism on the long drive home.
“I’m a hard taskmaster,” he admitted, “so I saw it as two points dropped, especially being ahead with just a few minutes to go.
“We should have shut up shop and took the win but it’s a learning process.
“Portstewart are a very good side though and they probably didn’t deserve to lose so a point was fair enough on the balance.
“The fact we were disappointed with a draw away at Portstewart shows how far we’ve come.”
Dundela are still trying to hunt down leaders Lisburn Distillery after they took their current run to five wins from their last six in all competitions.
They ground it out away at Sport and Leisure Swifts – but it was anything but pretty.
After a first half which produced few chances and no goals, Distillery took the lead in bizarre circumstances when a Swifts player put the ball into his own net.
And they doubled that lead in similar circumstances with Paul Young lobbing home the finish.
But when Sport and Leisure got a goal back it was set up for a grandstand finish.
But the visitors held firm for their seventh league win of the campaign.
Next-best Queen’s University are now the top scorers in the division after they thrashed Annagh United at The Dub.
Matt Hughes netted a fine hattrick while further goals from Ryan Mccready, Ciaran O’hare, Ronan Young and Adam Robinson sealed a comprehensive 7-2 win.
Also on the up and up are Tobermore United, who produced an impressive second-half display to win at Banbridge Town.
Adrian Whiteside’s men won 3-0 for their third weekend on the spin.
And once again, Neil Lamont was one of the sparks for that with another goal – added to by Andrew Laughlin and Conor Kearns from the spot.