Nathan Murphy Signs for City

This afternoon Newry City added more quality to their first team panel with the signing of Nathan Murphy.

In his early 20’s Nathan is already an experienced player having previously played for both his hometown club, Dundalk as well as Warrenpoint “I signed a professional contract with Dundalk when I was 16 & continued to play with them for five years, after about a year’s break from football I joined Warrenpoint when they were in the Premiership so I know what the standard of football will be like though due to my own work commitments it didn’t work out.

“Thankfully Darren gave me a call which I was very grateful for, I know a few of the boys already such as John Boyle, Mark Hughes, Kevin McArdle, Jimmy Walker & Stephen Hughes is another fantastic signing Darren has made, so I am looking forward to getting a good pre-season under my belt and help the club push on in the league.”

This signing is further testament to the fact that Newry manager Darren Mullen is not about to rest on his laurels “To add Nathan to the squad shows how attractive the club has become to quality players. He has played international youth football, made over 100 appearances for Dundalk and played premiership football for Warrenpoint so comes with a wealth of experience. We need good quality footballers who can play in several positions and different formations which Nathan can do with ease. He was probably the easiest signing we have made this summer as he just wants to play and enjoy his football which I’ve no doubt he will do.”

Cunningham & Gray latest signings at The Showgrounds

Since the club reformed one of the main things we pride ourselves on is having made a swift return to senior football with mainly local players playing for the club. In the close season Newry Manager Darren Mullen has added another two talented Newry players to his panel with the acquisitions of Ruairi Cunningham and Caolan Gray.

Ruairi Cunningham “I’m excited about the prospect of playing Championship football with the club. It’s great to see the club on an upward curve and I hope I can come in and add something to the team to keep the club pushing towards the Irish League. Also being from Newry I know a few of the squad already so hopefully I can come in and hit the ground running right from the start.”

Caolan Gray “I’m delighted to have signed for Newry and can’t wait to play at The Showgrounds this season. We already have a very strong team and I know it will be difficult but I’ll give everything I can to be a success at the club. My Dad played for Newry and I’m looking forward to following in his footsteps by pulling the Newry jersey on.”

Darren Mullen “I’m delighted to have the two lads on board. It’s vital that we have the best local talent at the club and they certainly fall into that category. Both lads played youth football at the club and will know most of the other lads so it will be easy for them to join the group. Ruari is quick, strong and is also a threat going forward along with what he offers at set pieces. Caolan scored 58 goals a few seasons ago in the Carnbane League so will provide a real threat along with our existing forwards. They both deserve a chance to play Irish league football and I’ve no doubt they are well fit for that challenge.”

Cover Photo: Caolan Gray (left) Darren Mullen & Ruairi Cunningham (right).

Manager’s Corner 01/06/2017

‘It’s during testing periods like this that you learn more about your players and also myself as a manager but I have no doubt we will all look back on this run as an experience that made us stronger.’ Those were the words I used in my last Manager’s Report back in December when we were on a poor run of form and thankfully we can look back on that period as a positive experience. It certainly didn’t feel like that at the time but what it did do was make us a better and more unified group. To be preparing for life in The Championship after only 4 years following our reformation is a credit to everyone involved both on and off the pitch. Our season in the Premier Intermediate League certainly wasn’t easy but we adapted very quickly and apart from our mid-season blip I don’t think anyone can argue that we deserved our promotion. Although we were disappointed not to win it the league table doesn’t lie and Limavady were deserving winners.

The manner of our play-off win gives us confidence entering into The Championship and made the coaching staff extremely proud of the players. They have been a terrific bunch to work with and listened to everything we had to say to them. To have 15 local lads make their Irish league debut can only be good for them personally but also for the club as a whole. It only reinforces what we are trying to do in giving the best local talent a platform to show their talent and hopefully that continues. The fact that the reserve team also won their league bodes well for the future of the club and with a new U20 development team planned it’s a great time for any young lad to be at the club.

As with any successful team players will move on at different stages. Mully and Murph have both moved on but having played a massive part in our revival they will always be welcome back at the club. What we need to continually do is add quality to the squad and that is what we have been trying to do since the season finished. Stephen Hughes and Stephen Maguire have already signed and we hope to add a few more over the next week. We don’t need a complete overhaul of the squad but those fresh faces will add competition to what is already a strong squad. The fact that all our players have re-signed shows the faith they have in what we are doing and how much they enjoy playing for the club. Work is also ongoing in preparation for preseason and we have some really good games lined up to make sure the players are tested to a level that will have them ready for the first league game. I have always made our preseason games as difficult as possible and it’s a perfect time to learn from any mistakes which undoubtedly will be made.

Finally I would like to thank our fans and sponsors for their continued support. The crowd at our home game against Armagh made it a great atmosphere and certainly helped the players lift their game. From our first game in Intermediate B they have followed us in their numbers and as a group we really appreciate that loyalty. I’m sure they will look forward to some big games next season and hopefully we can continue to give them something to smile about. We will now take a well deserved break and recharge the batteries in preparation for what will hopefully be another exciting season.

Yours in Sport,

Darren

Steven Maguire Signs at The Showgrounds

Newry City tonight added another player with Championship experience to the squad with the signing of goalkeeper Steven Maguire. A previous youth player at the club, Stephen joins Newry from neighbouring Warrenpoint Town.

Darren Mullen “I’m delighted to have Steven at the club and I’ve no doubt he will provide strong competition for the No. 1 spot. He comes with plenty of experience having played Championship football for Warrenpoint last season. We already have 2 very good keepers at the club in Kieran Gordon and Jack Heaney but with Murph leaving we needed another player of proven quality to push the lads on. His eagerness to sign for the Newry was evident and I’ve no doubt Steven will prove a welcome addition to the club.”

Steven Maguire added “I can’t wait to get started with the club, it’s a fantastic opportunity to play for a club with top class facilities and coaching. I played with Newry City FC at underage and reserve level, so I’ve already had a taste of the intense training Mickey Keenan puts the goalkeepers through. I’m excited to be back playing at Newry, I’ve played with a few different clubs in England at amateur level but most recently with Warrenpoint Town so I am well aware of the standard we will be up against but Newry will certainly be able to match it.”

Photograph Courtesy of Brendan Monaghan Photography.

NCAFC Lotto Jackpot now £7300!

The Newry City AFC Lotto numbers at our weekly draw on Monday (May 29) were 6, 11, 13 and 28.

Four punters matched three numbers – winning £10 each, but nobody matched all four numbers, which now means next week’s Jackpot is a whopping £7300!

If you would like to take part in our Lotto and be in with a chance of winning next week’s Jackpot, simply purchase a Lotto entry ticket which costs just £1! This is cheaper than the National Lottery and your chances of winning are significantly greater!

What’s more, all monies raised from the Lotto go into the development of the NCAFC Youth Academy, while also helping with the daily running costs at the club.

NCAFC Lotto tickets are available from the following outlets:

  • The Brass Monkey
  • Clanrye Electrical Supplies
  • McGuigan’s Bar
  • Ben Wilson Steel
  • Candy Box Newsagents
  • The Cue Club
  • AJ Plumbing Supplies
  • County Cleaners (Monaghan Street)
  • Jennings Park Newsagents
  • The shop in the Bus Station
  • Whitegates shop
  • Jean Crozier’s Bar
  • The Oliver Bar & Restaurant
  • Formula Karting

Alternatively Lotto tickets can be purchased from Decky McParland (07971134624) or Gary Wilson (07745112320).