North East boys aim for Derry success

Two squads head for Foyle Cup Twenty years after it kicked-off, the Foyle Cup will once again take place in Derry next week with two teams from the North Eastern Counties Schoolboys League (NECSL) participating. Since it was established in 1992 the Foyle Cup has emerged as one of the most prestigious tournaments around attracting teams from Ireland, Britian and Europe. This year the NECSL will send two squads to the tournament which caters for players from u-10 to u-19 and invariably attracts a large quota of talent scouts from English and Scottish clubs. The NECSL u-12s and u-16 selections will travel to Derry on Monday next with the opening ceremoney of the tournament taking place the following day. The ceremony will include a parade through a section of Derry city. The u-12 squad is managed by Mick Davies assisted by Pat Allen and Stephen McAuley with Conor Murphy the goalkeeping coach. The u-12s kick-off their competition on Wednesday 18th July when they take on the Inishowen Youth League. That evening the u-16s tackle Antrim side Crewe Utd. The last group game for the u-12s is on the Thursday against Donegal side Ballyraine Kilmacrennan with the u-16s facing Limavady Utd. Further participation will depend on how the teams get on in those games. Kieran Kenny is in charge of the u-16s and he is helped by Eimear Kane and Ken Ratty with Dave Moore filling in as goalkeeping coach. According to NECSL official Sandra McAuley participation in the Foyle Cup is part of the league's Emerging Talent initiative. It's all part of a drive to give young players an opportunity to develop their skills by taking on teams they would not usually have a chance to compete against. This year the NECSL will be sending five teams to competitions: two to the Foyle Cup, two to the Galway Cup tournament in August and one has already competed in the SFAI Kennedy Cup in June. "Historically we would have just taken our u-15 squad to the Foyle Cup, which because of an re-alignment in age groups is now our u-16s," she explained. "We're actually taking five squads away this year, we've already been to the Kennedy Cup, two go to the Foyle Cup and two to the Galway Cup at the end of August." Up to 36 NECSL players will travel to the Foyle Cup in what is a considerable logistical challenge for those involved in taking the teams up north. "We're looking forward to going to the tournament now, we're nearly there," added McAuley referring to the months of prepartion on the playing and the administrative fronts. "The parents have been great in helping us out and the clubs have been great, so it all falls into place. There is a good support network there that is important." McAuley pointed out how in the past NECSL teams went to the Kennedy Cup with little experience of competing against teams from other leagues. "In former days the first competiiton the league participated in was the Kennedy Cup, but the squad that went to the competition had little or no experience before going to it. "The squad that went to the tournament this year went to Galway last year so they had one competition under their belt before they went to the Kennedy Cup and they did extremely well this year. "Now NECSL players will have two years of competition before they get to the Kennedy Cup which is fantastic. We're giving the kids a better opportunity by gaining more experience at representative level." NECSL squads for Foyle Cup U-12 Harry Hogan, Joey Sommerville, Craig Hynes, Cian Lee, Aaron Lynch, Dominic Peppard, Oisin Devlin, Callum Pottinger, Padraig Costello, Luke Walsh Byrne (Trim Celtic), Shane McEnery (Torro), Shane Clarke (Kingscourt Harps), Seosamh Sheerin (Bailieboro), Oisin Smith, Kamil Strachura (Kells/Blackwater), Dylan Keating (Kentstown), Euan Selkirk (Park Celtic Summerhill), Sean Fennessy (Parkvilla). U-16 Sean Barry (Trim Celtic), Conor Hynes, Paul Finnegan, James Reilly, Paddy Farrelly, Fionn Reilly (Kells/Blackwater), Eoghan Breathnach, Chris O'Neill, Jack Byrne, Jerome McLoughlin, Ryan Murphy, Colm Honan (Parkvilla), Tommy Rodgers (Bailieboro), Mark Grumley (Johnstown), Daire Rowe (Newtown), David Wilson (Carrick Rovers), Luke Sheridan (Torro).