Pictured: CY Senior side before the opening game of the season at home to Home Farm FC.
So we embark on another season of Leinster Senior League football and thanks to the heroics of last spring in particular, we once again find ourselves competing amongst the elite of the amateur game.
The 18 point haul earned between March and May ensured the club avoided the relegation trap door, resulting in a credible 8th placed finish in the Senior division.
As mentioned in the July edition, the club appointed former Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers striker Stephen Geoghegan to the role of first team manager with retiree Alan Murphy stepping in as his assistant.
The lads got off to a steady start in the 2015/16 league campaign. The opening fixture saw Home Farm visit Ringsend. A Daniel Kelly goal put the Y in front, only to see his effort cancelled out moments later, but a 1-1 draw seemed to satisfy both camps on the night.
Next up, the Y travelled mid-week to Killester Utd and came away with a brilliant 2-5 victory over the much-fancied Northsiders, Dean Gannon with a brace to add to goals from Glen O’Connor, Andy Doolin and Dean Kelly.
The following week we welcomed St Mochta’s to Ringsend. Again CY dug out a 3-2 win, followed by a defeat away to UCD in Belfield. All in all, as we go to print, a strong start, and hopefully, as the younger members of the squad gain more senior experience, we can kick on further.
Our Saturday side opened their season with a thumping 8-0 win over an under-strength Peamount Utd. They take this form and a solid pre-season into their upcoming LFA Junior cup game away to Clontarf FC.
In other cup news, our Senior side received a bye into the second round of the FAI Intermediate cup but were handed a tough draw in the opening round of the Metropolitan away to holders Glebe North. Overall, a good start for the club, and it’s great to see new young talent coming through, in particular from Cambridge Boys. Recent recruits like Dean Gannon and Daniel Kelly have made a great impact, and it bodes well for the club’s future and the future of senior division football in Ringsend.
In other developments, we have introduced a new revenue stream in the form of match sponsorship. We are at a slight disadvantage to most of our fellow senior division clubs in that it’s difficult to charge an admission fee when playing on the astro. The fee charged around other grounds ranges from €2 up to €5 and covers the ever-increasing costs of staging a senior division game when you take into account referee, physio and other associated costs.
To that end, we now offer businesses the opportunity to sponsor one of our home games. In return, we will ensure you get lots of coverage and mention across our social media platforms, for which we have huge reach through both Facebook and Twitter.
If you would be interested in sponsoring, please contact any member of our committee, but hurry, as we only have a handful of matches left un-sponsored.
Finally, can we just mention that we have a few calendars remaining from our very successful 2015 calendar boys. We will be presenting the proceeds from the sales to Our Lady’s Hospice very soon and would love to flog off the remaining few. Mark Byrne is the man to contact.
By David Nolan
