First Division derby on the cards

Date Published: 22-Jan-2010

LOCAL rivals Salthill Devon and Mervue United are on course to cross swords in the League of Ireland this season as both clubs press ahead with their applications to play in the first Division in March.

The decision for Salthill Devon to proceed with their licence application was made at a general meeting of club members on Monday night, while Mervue United officials are meeting with the FAI next Wednesday to discuss the club’s budget before their licence is renewed for the coming season.

Devon Manager Emlyn Long told City Sport that the proposal to continue with the process of applying for first division status was welcomed across the board on Monday and given unanimous support. “There was a good turnout at the meeting and everything went well,” he said. “There were some concerns raised about the possible financial implications of promotion but there was no dissent as such, and the proposal received support right across the board.”

He said that great effort had gone into devising a viable financial model for the season ahead however, and the committee were confident of making the step up in level a success.

“This isn’t just a pie in the sky; the committee have been looking at areas like this since November,” said Long. “We’ve come in under budget for the last two years in the ‘A’ Championship and we’re an amateur club with no wage bill so we’re confident of making it work.”

Unlike Salthill Devon, who will play their home matches at Drom Soccer park, Mervue United will continue to incur the expense of renting Terryland park for their ‘home’ fixtures this season. The eastside club have applied to Galway & District League for permission to continue renting the stadium, while no immediate plans are in place to develop their own grounds at Fahy’s Field.

Club Secretary Declan McDonnell acknowledged that playing home games at Terryland park was “costly” in the short-term, but explained that it was a prudent decision in the long-term.

“There is a report from the FAI due out at the end of the season that could change the structure of the first Division and conceivably reduce the number of teams,” he said.

“We don’t want to be in a scenario at the end of the following season where we’ve spent €150,000 modifying Fahy’s Field to first Division standards and not be playing in the first Division.”

Salthill Devon are to make a number of minor alterations to Drom following an FAI report on the facilities, but Long said that “none of these are insurmountable” and they don’t expect to encounter difficulties in bringing the grounds up to FAI standards.

He said he is anticipating a baptism of fire during Devon’s inaugural season in the League of Ireland, but that there is huge hunger and excitement among the players.

“I know from talking to Johnny Glynn last year that the physical demands are huge in the first Division due to the number of games compared to junior football,” he said.

“We’re looking at 33 games in the League and participation in three cup competitions, but we’ve got a good squad here and we’ll be adding to it from the very successful u-20 team and the players are very excited about the prospect.

“We’re looking forward to clashing with Mervue again,” he added. “We met them twice in Cup competitions last year but they’re always good games, a great occasion with big rivalry on the pitch but we all shake hands afterwards.