Nenagh aiming to build on top six finish

By Thomas Conway

Pitches and infrastructure across North Tipperary have improved considerably over the past decade, with new facilities popping up here, there, and everywhere. Not far away in the Limerick District League, where Nenagh AFC will compete for a seventh successive season, the quality of the playing surfaces is generally pristine.

The standard of football is also a level above, the hunt for trophies perpetually dominated by big-spending heavy-hitters like Fairview Rangers and Pike Rovers. But Cillian Fitzpatrick, the man in charge of Nenagh’s first-team squad, believes that the North Tipp club made a critically important choice several years ago, when it opted to transfer to the Limerick District League, seeking greater competition and a chance to compete alongside some of the country’s elite junior sides.

“I honestly think that it was the best decision that we’ve made in the club in a long time,” he said.

“Particularly for our ‘A’ team, it’s just great to be playing against such high-quality players, against top-level teams’ week in week out. That’s what you want, you want to be challenged, you want to be putting yourself out there to play against the best.”

Fitzpatrick doesn’t denigrate the North Tipp League. Far from it - the Ballinaclough native received his early education playing on the fields of Brickfield and Ballymackey and every other corner of the region. His coaching career has skyrocketed in recent years. Having spent several years in Seattle, living and breathing football in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, the 25-year-old is now the youngest manager in the Limerick league, by a considerable distance. The funny thing is though, he’s kind of experienced as well.

Now a UEFA A-licensed coach, this is his third season at the helm of Nenagh’s Junior ‘A’ squad. In that time the team has grown, evolved, and gained in confidence. Last year Nenagh secured a top-six finish, a significant achievement, given the sheer calibre of the opposition in Limerick’s top flight. Fitzpatrick saw room for improvement but reflects on the year with a positive slant. Ultimately, they achieved their objective, learning lessons but still actively competing.

“We probably didn’t pick up enough points in the opening half of the season, but to finish in the top six, that was our targe. Once you’re in the top six, you’re playing maybe five of the best ten teams in the country every week, which is obviously where we want to be. We did pick up a few points, we caused a lot of problems for those teams.”

‘Those teams’ which he refers to are the likes of Fairview Rangers, Pike Rovers, Ballynanty and Aisling Annacotty. All are serious competitors, behemoths of Irish domestic football with slick playing systems and a financial model which at times seems strangely limitless.

Fitzpatrick doesn’t deny the reality - there are structural disparities between the likes of Nenagh and Fairview or Pike, cultural and fiscal barriers which are painfully hard to break down. But Nenagh are trying, and if given time and space, Fitzpatrick feels they can succeed, though he acknowledges the scale of the challenge.

“The big difference between us and them is firstly squad-depth - the sheer number of players that they bring in every year,” he said.

“All these other teams are signing three, four, five players every season. But for me, the other big difference is experience. We only have about six players over the age of 24. The rest of our squad are 18 or 19 or in their early twenties. So, we are quite inexperienced at junior level, at the top level, which is where we now are.”

Youth rarely trumps experience, but what it can do is provide a crucial injection of energy, a sense of vitality which lifts a side to new heights. Nenagh now have players with that ability, teenagers like Adam Brett and Dylan Ward, both of whom have returned from respective stints with Treaty United and Athlone Town respectively.

Matthew Spain was in prolific form last season, gradually settling into his role up front and managing to navigate the steel-girder defences of Limerick's top clubs pretty well. Fitzpatrick and his players have invested in a certain type of system, and they have no intention of surrendering it, even against the top sides.

“In terms of our approach, we kind of live and die by our principles. We want to get on the ball, we want to have possession, we want to play the game on our terms. And look, it’s not always possible, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to play like that. Because at this stage, it’s the Nenagh AFC way, it’s the way we want to do things.”

Sports performance experts

The philosophy is admirable, but for it to work, Nenagh will need to marry on-the-ball creativity with constant pressing and ceaseless work-ethic. Fitzpatrick felt they emerged from last year’s pre-season as one of the fittest teams in the league. He’s confident they’re in a similar position this term, having enlisted the help of various sports performance experts including locals Jordan Lewis and Ciaran O’Reilly.

Their preparation has been meticulous - a seven-week pre-season defined by lung-bursting running and explosive Strength & Conditioning work. It should allow them to hit the ground running once the first games of the league roll around.

Beyond the first team, playing numbers are soaring. Nenagh now have three adult teams not just playing but competing at junior level. If the current trajectory continues, they should have a fourth squad ready for action next year. The Limerick league offers players greater exposure, the chance to be seen and maybe scouted by League of Ireland outfits. Even in the lower tiers, the competition is rigorous, and that alone has attracted more players to the club.

Prospects

When Fitzpatrick talks about Nenagh’s prospects, there’s a sense of measured ambition in his voice. A top-six finish is a minimum requirement, but ideally Nenagh want to move closer to the title-challengers. Some nice, long adventures into the FAI, Munster and Lawson Cups are also possible. Ultimately, 2022/23 might go down as a chapter in a longer story. It’s unlikely to produce silverware, but if Fitzpatrick’s plan materialises, the next few years just might.

“We have a lot of young players, but if we keep progressing and building and creating an identity, then in a year or two, we should be ready to start pushing for big trophies,” he said.