NEW YEAR HONOURS

Baggley’s boys enter 2020 atop 1A

BARRY Baggley saluted the star quality Ciaran Murray brings to Rosario after the former Cliftonville striker made the difference against Sirocco on Saturday.

The forward rifled home a stunning free-kick to claim all three points in a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Roc, taking his haul to four goals in his first three games for the Roses who find themselves top of the table heading into the new year.

The Ormeau Road men have slipped up just twice in the league all season, registering 10 wins from their first 14 to open up a three-point advantage on second-placed Dunmurry Rec.

Naturally, Baggley was in no mood to tempt fate and talk promotion, but with 1A so evenly-matched this season, and all the contenders taking points off each other, he acknowledges they are in with a chance.

And his optimism has only been fuelled by the arrival of the gifted if temperamental Murray, who joined the club in

October before seeing red in his first game.

“Ciaran Murray has been a massive signing for us,” said Baggley.

“He scored the winner yesterday, a freekick from 35 yards, so he’s just a wee bit of stardust if you want to put it like that – a matchwinner for us.

“Whereas in the past, we maybe lacked that, he has come in, has played at a higher level, so coming down to us, it’s a massive acquisition for us.

“And hopefully we are going to add another one or two in January for the new year just to keep everyone on their toes.

“But the people we’ve brought in have all done really well, we’ve added a bit of experience, we signed Ryan Doherty, Ciaran Gillen from Comber has done really well, Finnbarr Brennan came in from Newington, he’s only 18.”

Baggley was hugely impressed with Darren Frame’s side on Saturday. Many expected Sirocco to challenge for the top two this season, but things just haven’t gone their way so far, and for Baggley, it just highlights the competitiveness of 1A.

“Yesterday was the perfect example,” said the Roses chief. “For me, Sirocco are one of the best teams we have played this season so their position is a false position.

“They were excellent, very, very good, and caused us all sorts of problems, so it just shows you, even when you play the teams down around the bottom, they are going to be just as tough as the Dromaras and all those at the top.”

And on being top of the tree over Christmas, Baggley added: “Yeah we’re buzzing. I never expected us to be in this position to be honest, but we’ll take it.

“You know what momentum is like in football, we just put a wee run together and won our last five.

“And the good thing about yesterday is with five or six out over the Christmas period, the boys that stepped in did really well.

“But the aim is still as it was at the start of the season, top four.

“We’re not looking too far ahead, it’s game by game, we’re treating every game on its own merit, we’ll pick a team we feel is suited to win that match.

“And the good thing is we have depth now, people are champing at the bit, the boys who came in yesterday for example, you could just tell there was that energy, they wanted to keep the jersey and if anything, that pushes us on even more.”