Cooke Signs Some More Quality Players
Monaghan United Manager Mick Cooke continued his squad building efforts when he added a Goalkeeper and a winger to the burgeoning 2006 team. Tadgh Murphy will ensure that Robbie Horgan has tough competition for job of net minder while experienced winger Alan McNevin will also be pushing for first team football.
(picture courtesy Ray Egan – Athlone Town FC)
Tadgh Murphy: Tadgh signed to Monaghan United after spending last season as Athlone Town’s second ‘keeper. He made 8 starts with them and came on in 3 other games. Athlone were expecting to hold onto 22 year old Murphy for the coming season but Mick Cooke has lured him away to fight for the number 1 jersey with Robbie Horgan.
(picture courtesy of Kildare County FC website)
Alan McNevin: Twenty-six year old McNevin comes to the Mons from Kildare County FC having also played with St Patrick’s Athletic, Dublin City and being a member of the Arsenal Youth Team in 1997-1998. A winger who is equally as comfortable up front, it is hoped that McNevin will add some depth and experience to the young squad.
Talking with Mick Cooke this week he is sounding confident that this season will be a big improvement on last. “We started off great last year until we were dogged with so many injuries. With a small squad it was hard for us to put together a decent team with so many of our players out injured. This year if we can stay relatively injury free, we stand a good chance of finishing well up the table.” Mick also said “our squad are younger than last season and at our pre-season training sessions on Saturday and Sunday, they seem hungrier and more up for the job” As Mick pointed out, all the squad have played first team football for their previous clubs and despite being young “some have experienced top level football with Premier Division Clubs (Gannon, Sargent, O’Shea and Robbie Smith) and some played with top English Clubs (Cousins, Cronin, both Leeds Utd, Harte at Sunderland and McNevin at Arsenal) so we are hopeful that their enthusiasm mixed with their experience will benefit the whole team.
Pre-season training started last Saturday and the team will train 4 days a week for the coming weeks and will take on Dublin City on 4th of March at Whitehall in a pre-season friendly with more matches to be confirmed shortly. The start of the season is nearing and Mick, Jimmy Kelly and their squad are putting in the hard work now to try and ensure that Monaghan United regain their magic.
