Lads excelling and should do very well says Keenan

Editorial Department • Published 22 Jul 2010 16:00 0 Comments

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Milk Cup 2010

According to Fermanagh Premier manager Paul Keenan, the hard work is all done and the focus is now on the action getting underway on Monday when his side come up against Dublin side Belvedere.

Keenan has been delighted with the way preparations have gone under his backroom team of Derek Sharpe and Paul Baron.

"Preparations have gone very well this year with both the boys as well as their parents and I have to say I'm very happy with the way things went. We changed the coaching personnel this year. Leon (Carters) and Mono (Dwayne McManus) were good but we just went for something different this year and it has worked well. Derek Sharpe has brought a lot of stuff with him and Paul Baron has worked under some very good managers and he has been able to pass on some of what he has learnt to the boys," said Keenan.

The manager also reports a clean bill of health ahead of the competition with his only injury worry, Michael Gordon McBride, now recovered.

"Michael was out injured but he has worked away on his own and he has come back well. We have no other injuries so we will have a full hand," he added.

And the squad has really impressed Keenan since they started out in their preparations with the experienced Milk Cup manager revealing that this, in his opinion, is one of the best squads he has taken to the North West.

"I'm more than happy with what we have got. Technically, I would say this is the best I've brought to the Milk Cup and we're well covered in every position which is unusual for us. I'm going with three recognised strikers in Sheridan, McIlwaine and Kennedy and we've two goalkeepers of real quality. Overall, I'm very happy with the squad. Every other year, I would have had the starting 11 in my head going to the Milk Cup but I'm hard pressed to do that this year and that is the measure of the full squad. You can also see the Christophe (Moulin) influence with the Fermanagh School of Excellence bearing fruit and when the players come to us they have all the basics and it makes our job so much easier," commented Paul.

And so what of the opposition. Fermanagh take on Belvedere on Monday before Portuguese big boys Porto provide a stern test on Tuesday.

"I would say that Belvedere will be a big, strong, physical side but hopefully our boys will deal with that as it has been part of our preparations. I would hope we would cope alright with that. If we get round the Monday match I'll have no bother getting the boys up for Tuesday's game, the glamour tie against Porto. We would be looking to do well on Monday against the Dublin side. We'll be looking a good result and then set your stall out for the Tuesday game. Porto will probably be one of those teams that will let you get the ball down and that will suit us as we have some very good ball players," he stated.

Keenan would like to see his side make into the middle competition after the opening two games, and sees no reason why they can't make it into that section.

"We would be hopeful of making the middle section. I would be surprised if we don't do well having watched the bopys train and play," he said.

A good Milk Cup can also open many doors for players and Keenan believes that he has a number of players to keep an eye on next week.

"I would be very surprised if people aren't watching some of our lads because in the matches we've played I thought the boys have excelled even above my expectations," he commented.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 22 Jul 10

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