Ahead of Ramblers upcoming season, Alan O’Flynn gave his views on pre-season and the players’ hopes for 2014
You’ve re-signed for another season at St Colman’s Park. Are you looking forward to the year ahead?
Yes I’m delighted to have signed back! Everyone here is hoping to build on last year!
How have the squad been preparing for the new season?
Preparation has been very good so far. We’ve had quite a few tough sessions but hopefully they will pay off during the season!
What are the players’ hopes for the season?
We will be looking to finish as high as possible this year and improve on everything we did last year. It was only our first season back and was always going to be difficult so hopefully we can push on from that.
People have said that this Rams squad is very young and will find it tough competing with experienced sides like Longford and Waterford. What do you think of this?
Yes, we are a very young squad but there isn’t a huge difference from last year’s squad and all the players have a year of experience under their belt now so I think we will cope well.
What do you think of the u19s recent run in the Enda McGuill Cup?
It’s been excellent and I’m delighted for them. I was at the semi final against Cork City and they were brilliant. Hopefully they can go on and win it against Shelbourne! It would be great for the club.
Are there many differences between the club now and this time last year?
There isn’t much difference this year but now we know what to expect and what level of performance is expected week in week out.
The Munster Senior Cup tie with Douglas Hall is coming up soon. Are the players looking forward to this competition?
Yes we are looking forward to it! It’s a competition we will definitely be looking to go far in!
Do you think the squad can cope with the loss of players like Brian Fitzgerald and Kynan Rocks?
Obviously the 2 lads are great players. I wish them the best of luck with their new clubs but I reckon we will have the strength and depth to cope with them leaving.
Who do you think will be the sides to beat in the First Division this season?
I reckon Galway will be very good this year! The likes of Longford and Waterford will be consistent again and Shelbourne will also be tough but I think Galway are the team to beat!
Finally, where do you see Ramblers finishing at the end of the campaign?
We will be going out to win every game and aiming to finish as high as possible. We would also like to go further in the cups than last year, that would be a bonus!
by Thomas Stafford
