Athlone Town will hope to make the play-offs again

First Division looks wide open as new season looms

By John Dingle

Having made it to the First Division play-offs by finishing fifth last season, Athlone Town will be hoping to, at least, again finish in the top half of the table in 2024.

After beating local rivals Longford Town in the opening game of last season, Athlone were never out of the top five thereafter and were only beaten in the closing stages of the second leg promotion play-off against Waterford.

The Town’s bid to make it to the Premier Division starts with a home game on Friday night when Wexford FC are the visitors (kick-off 7.45pm). James Keddy’s men pipped Athlone to fourth spot last season and are likely to provide a tough test in the First Division opener.

However, after last season’s fine showing, hopes are high that the oldest club in the league can go one better and regain a place in the top flight. Even with the loss of a number of key players, there is grounds for optimism in what appears to be a wide open division. However, much could hinge on Athlone getting a replacement for Frantz Pierrot, someone who could replicate the scoring ability of the departed striker.

Athlone have already been in competitive action with three games in the Leinster Senior Cup. The revised format in the competition saw four groups of four teams vying for eight quarter-final berths. Athlone started with victory over Maynooth Town University but then lost at home to Longford. A draw against Shamrock Rovers (who fielded an under-20 team) in the final outing proved sufficient for Athlone to pip the Hoops on goal difference and secure second spot behind non-league Maynooth.

Dario Castelo has continued as head coach and has done much of his new recruiting abroad with a number of acquisitions coming into the league for the first time. Some of last season’s panel however have opted to stay on, the first of which to put pen to paper was Dan McKenna. The first new signing from the national scene saw Dylan Hand rejoin the club after a spell with Longford.

The initial overseas addition saw Ruben Candal come to Ireland from Portugal where he has played with FC Porto, while having also been selected at underage international level. It looks like an exciting signing on paper, similar to that of Pierrot and Jamar Campion-Hinds in 2023.

Other overseas recruits include Armado Oakley, Carl Mujaguzi, Roscoe Rubinstein and Gabriel Padilla, all of whom were in the squad for the game against Shamrock Rovers. Jarlath Jones has also come back to the Midlands after a spell with Drogheda United, with much travelled striker Dean Ebbe returning to Ireland after a period in Gibraltar.

As expected, there have been a number of departures with two of last season’s stars snapped up by Premier Division outfits. Top scorer Pierrot has opted to join Kevin Doherty at Drogheda United, while Patrick Hickey was snapped up by John Caulfield for Galway United. Jack Kavanagh and Valerii Dolia have also left, having signed deals with league new boys Kerry. Josh McGlone has joined Bray Wanderers with Haji Abdikadir and Sultan Adenekan also departing.

With Galway and Waterford both having been promoted and UCD relegated alongside Cork City, the chase for the title looks more open with both of the last season’s big spenders now gone.

UCD would not be expected to be serious contenders for success as they look to consolidate. Much will depend on the form of Ronan Finn who has rejoined the students after winning league titles with Shamrock Rovers.

As the only full-time club in the division, Cork have been installed as pre-season favourites to bounce back as champions but will need to hit the ground running if they are to make an immediate return. Greg Bolger’s experience will be crucial to the cause on his return to Turner’s Cross from Sligo Rovers.

Wexford are tipped to mount a serious challenge for the title and have made a number of interesting signings. Thomas Oluwa will be familiar to Athlone supporters having previously impressed here and will prove a handful for defenders with his pace and strength.

Bray only just missed out on a place in the play-offs in 2023 and a more consistent campaign could now see them involved at the serious end of affairs. Ben Feeney opting to remain at the Carlisle Grounds is a major plus for the Seagulls.

Cobh Ramblers, under new manager Gary Hunt, will have to play their opening home games in Turner’s Cross as St Colman’s Park is under renovation. Provided they overcome this obstacle, there is no reason why they can’t once more be a threat. Dean Larkin has continued on loan from Waterford after impressing in the latter part of last season’s loan spell.

Longford Town have been busy in the transfer market as manager Stephen Henderson looks to make up for last season’s disappointment at finishing outside the play-off positions. Dean George is another former Athlone player in the Longford ranks having signed from most recent club Treaty United.

The Limerick outfit have lost some of their experienced players in the close season and may struggle as a result. A number of former Galway players have come to the Markets Field and if Enda Curran remains injury free, Treaty could surprise pundits.

Kerry FC endured a torrid first season in the senior ranks but will have learnt from the experience. Expected to be more competitive, the Munster team will look to record a first ever home league win as early as possible in the campaign. If Dolia settles quickly, Kerry could surprise the more established teams.

Finn Harps are another team that will want to forget 2023 in a hurry as their hopes of making a quick return to the Premier Division never became a serious proposition. The Donegal outfit will have learnt a lot from last season and have done well to acquire the services of Chris Lotefa on loan from Bohemians where he rose up through the underage ranks.