Athlone Town to take on league newcomers

DESPITE having recently been on the brink of extinction and only just managing to maintain League of Ireland status, Athlone Town are this week preparing for the opening game of the 2009 First Division campaign. On Friday evening, new Athlone manager Brendan Place faces his first competitive outing as Town boss when he takes his side to league newcomers Mervue Utd (Terryland Park, Galway, kick-off: 7.45pm). The occasion is set to attract much interest as it represents Mervue Utd"s first ever league game after they gained promotion from the A Championship (third tier) last season. However, Athlone boss Brendan Place feels the occasion has significant meaning to his club, too. 'Mervue will be up for the occasion, it"s a really big landmark for them, but it"s also a celebratory occasion for our club. At one stage it looked as though there would be no League of Ireland football in Athlone but everybody rallied around the club and so, in my opinion, Friday is just as significant for Athlone,' Place said in the build-up to the opening round of League of Ireland fixtures. The occasion is further fuelled by the fact Mervue signed a couple of players (Nigel Keady and David O"Dowd) from Athlone. Mervue right-back Dave O"Brien is also a former Athlone youth team player. After last weekend"s friendly against Shamrock Rovers, Athlone signed two trialists, Ballinasloe native and former Limerick player Brian Cleary, and also goalkeeper Alex O"Reilly, a former West Ham trainee who has had spells with Northhampton, Accrington Stanley and Dagenham & Redbridge. However, O"Reilly is probably as well known for Alex for playing the character Alex O"Mare in the popular Dream team series on Sky 1. At time of print, it was unclear whether O"Reilly would receive international clearance ahead of the season opener. Thomas McGauley is also expected to pen a deal before Friday"s league opener. However, Place has been somewhat frustrated in his attempts to entice more experienced players to the club. It"s believed Place approached several recognised players - including Paul Caffrey, Andrei Georgescu and Paul Smyth - in the past week, but all three have opted to take a break from League of Ireland for the foreseeable future, with former Bray striker Georgescu joining Belgrove in the Leinster Senior League. But speaking on Monday evening, Place refused to rule out the possibility of adding further to his squad before Friday"s game. He also said he"s 'delighted' with the players at his disposal at present and is confident of a good performance in the league opener. In a bid to add further numbers to his squad, youngsters Kevin Dunne, Robbie Egan, Cathal Joyce and Hafeez Sholola were signed after last Sunday"s 3-0 friendly defeat to Shamrock Rovers. 'Those lads are really for the future but could be needed at various points of the season,' said Place, who has already spoke glowingly about defender Kevin Dunne"s promise in recent weeks. Up to 15 players - including experienced campaigners like Eric Lavine, Nigel Keady, Ciaran Kelly and Ian Rossiter - left Athlone after last season and, so far, Place has only signed a handful of new players that are expected to challenge for starting roles. 'I"m pleased with the signings. I won"t sign players out of desperation, they have to be right for the club, and I have to see them play before signing. We need to be a bit patient in terms of signing players but I"m delighted with the group we have. There"s still a possibility of adding a few more signings before Friday,' said Place. Place also said the players" efforts during pre-season have been excellent. He said: 'Mervue are a bit of an unknown quantity to me. I suppose the game is a bit like a cup tie for Mervue. But we have to stay controlled and not allow ourselves get caught up in the hype. I"m looking for a very good performance that will give us something to build on in the coming weeks.' Mervue manager Johnny Glynn, who famously captained and scored the winning goal for Galway Utd in the 1991 FAI Cup final against Shamrock Rovers, said: 'The club (Mervue) was founded in 1960 and we made a big step-up to the A Championship last season, but this is an even bigger leap. We are trying to prepare as best as possible but are one of only two First Division clubs who won"t be paying players this season. Our ambition is to stay in the division.' Mervue are definitely without the injured Ollie Keogh and defender Damien O"Rourke, while former Athlone defender Nigel Keady is doubtful with a shin injury.