2018 Season Preview - Athlone Town

Manager: Aaron Callaghan

Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium

 

Players In: Michael Fogarty (Willow Park FC), Sean O’Donnell, Nathan Murphy (Drumcondra FC), Aaron Brilly (Home Farm), Felix Bape Perez (Sheriff YC), Dan O’Donovan, Ger Smyth, Bashmil Nyakambili, Josh Hogan (Shamrock Rovers), Steven Grogan (St Patrick’s Athletic), Brian Carbally, Shane Stokes (Shamrock Rovers), Ollie Hamzet (Cabinteely), Craig Short, Barry Davies, Darren Kavanagh, Luke Kelly (Cherry Orchard), Taigh Keogh, Robbie O’Leary, Eoin Roche, JJ Offorjama, George Mukete (St Patrick’s Athletic), Tzee Mustapha, Martin Walshe

Players Out: Conor Gleeson (Galway United), Stephen Walsh (Galway United), Conor Layng (Galway United), John Morgan (Wexford FC)

 

Extratime.ie Key Man: Etanda N’Kololo

Longford Town cult hero Etanda N’Kololo is likely to play a major role in manger Aaron Callaghan’s First Team squad for 2018 at the Athlone Town.

 

Having re-joined the club after spending time away from League of Ireland with Westmeath’s St Peter’s in the Leinster Senior League, N’Kololo made his return to the second-tier of Irish football back in August but was unable to help the Town stop the rot, which eventually saw Roddy Collins’ men succumb to a last place finish.



 

In a team of very little League of Ireland experience, Etanda’s wealth of experience at this level with both Longford Town and Athlone Town cold prove to be crucial as Aaron Callaghan’s men look to rebuild after a disastrous few years at the foot of the First Division table. 

 

Extratime.ie One to Watch: Felix Bape Perez

The signing of Felix Bape Perez may seem to be a quite bizarre signing by Aaron Callaghan at the Athlone Town Stadium on the outset, but when you look at the 24-year-old’s former clubs, there may be something special about the Spanish defender.

 



Boasting stints at European Giants Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid previously, Perez has certainly been around the block and will be a welcome addition to the Athlone Town set-up having linked up with new Town boss Aaron Callaghan during the Midlander’s squad announcement at the start of February. 

 

Bape Perez does have previous experience in Irish football before after playing with Leinster Senior League side Sheriff YC before the Spaniard decided to make the move to the Midlands. However, it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the obvious step-up in standard. 

 

How They Did Last Season:

League:

It was most certainly a year to forget for Athlone Town as they once again finished at the foot of the First Division table especially after a very positive start to the season in a shock 1-0 victory over eventual league winners Waterford FC on the first day of the season.

 

Offset with many off-field issues surrounding the club, Athlone came on the receiving end of some trouncing’s with the likes of Longford Town, Waterford FC and UCD all scoring some big victories over the league’s whipping boys.

 

With the season unravelling at a pace of knots, Roddy Collins was brought in but couldn’t stop the slide as his charges eventually finished bottom of the table in the League of Ireland’s second-tier.

 

FAI Cup:

Athlone Town reached the 2nd round of the FAI Cup after swatting aside Junior side Ballincollig by five goals to nil in the First Round of the fabled cup competition.

 

However, this was to be as far as the Athlone Town adventure would go as Town were given a real hiding at Turners Cross as the eventual Cup Winners Cork City put seven goals past a very sorry looking Roddy Collins side.

 

EA Sports Cup:

Town bowed out of the EA Sports Cup after a thrilling 4-3 defeat in a Midlands El Clasico clash at home to Longford Town. Having taken a two-goal lead, the Lissywoolen outfit were unable to hold on and were undone thanks to a David O’Sullivan hat-trick for De Town.

 

Leinster Senior Cup:

Athlone Town were knocked out of the Leinster Senior Cup at the very first time of asking with a disappointing three-nil defeat away to fellow First Division rivals Cabinteely at Stradbrook. Jason Byrne, Michael Scott and Cory Galvin were the scorers for Cabo on that occasion.  

 

What to expect this season:

In possibly the biggest understatement of the year, Athlone Town will be out looking to write the wrongs of a traumatic 2017 campaign at the Athlone Town Stadium last term.

 

With match-fixing allegations surrounding the club, it truly was a year that all will surely be forgotten in a heartbeat as Aaron Callaghan will look to clean up the mess that was to be seen in last season’s campaign.

 

However, there is cause for optimism in the Midland’s with the dawn of a new era at the club on the horizon. Obviously, there has been a radical overhaul of the first team squad at the cub with all players at the club being handed amateur contracts instead of your typical part-time deals being dished out.

 

The dawn of a new era does not mean that all will be rosy as Aaron Callaghan will be looking to get a team ready to compete in what is looking like the most competitive First Division in years with all but two of the ten teams in the league being priced at less than 10/1 to come out on top and lift the First Division title.

 

It will be interesting to see how many of Athlone’s new signings can adapt to senior League of Ireland football with many of the First-Team having little to no experience plying their trades at this level of play before.

 

There will be a quiet optimism around the club that they can improve on recent showings, but it must be a priority for the club to minimise all the off-pitch distractions, and should they manage to do that a very positive 2018 could be in store for Aaron Callaghan’s men.

 

Title Odds: 100/1

First Game: Away vs Galway United (23rd of February, Kick-off at 7.45pm)