Keegan Looking Forward To Wexford Challenge In Oscar Traynor Quarter-Final

CLARE welcome Wexford to Frank Healy Park this Saturday in the last eight of the Oscar Traynor Trophy and while the counties are miles apart, they are plenty familiar with each other.

Not only did Clare defeat Wexford 2-0 in the 2017 Oscar Traynor semi-final en route to winning the competition, Clare’s manager Shane Keegan was at the helm of Wexford Youths for five years.

Under Keegan, many of the current Wexford team won the League of Ireland First Division and Keegan knows the quality of the players his side will face this weekend.

“I’d say at least half of the team, if not more, would have played for me at one stage or another at Wexford Youths, where I was manager for five seasons. A lot of their stronger players; Craig Delaney, Gary McCabe, Paul Murphy and more, played for me. They are a very strong side and maybe it is a little bit of a help to us that I know them so well. I’m sure they are making the argument that they know me quite well as well, though. There will be a bit of insider knowledge going both ways.

“They’re an absolutely excellent side. The players I named earlier; pretty much all of them started regularly in the Wexford team that won the League of Ireland First Division. McCabe is as good a centre half around and Murphy is one of the best footballers in the country, for sure. It is a huge, huge test. I don’t think we could’ve gotten tougher, being honest. But at the same time, we have massive confidence in our own abilities,” Keegan pointed out.

Clare’s boss believes the Banner have plenty to be positive about as they face into the knockout stages of the competition and believes the side’s battling qualities will stand them in good stead.

“We are really looking forward to this. The fact that we managed to top the group, considering we lost our first game, was fantastic. We would have taken the arm off you for qualification after the first game, but to win the group and have the home draw really does give us an advantage.

“We train on that pitch all week so it gives us a huge boost, and it will be a bit of a spin up here for the Wexford lads too. Home advantage is huge and with a solid week’s preparation I think we could put ourselves in with a decent enough chance,” Keegan believes.

One of the biggest positives for Clare are the return of some marquee players in attack and defence, including two Junior International players and some top-quality players that were dogged by injury during the group stages.

“We have three or four faces in the dressing room that for one reason or another weren’t available until the quarter final. To have a few fellas like that involved and to create extra competition for places. Stephen Kelly, Eoin O’Brien, Derek Fahy and Kai Khetan are all available for this weekend’s game and weren’t able to play a part all along. Eoin Hayes was also out for our game against Limerick Desmond and he’s also available again which is great.

“We were a little bit light on bodies over the course of the group stages and those we had did brilliantly for us, and that won’t be forgotten – that’s for sure. At the same time though, when you can bring guys like I’ve mentioned, back into the squad, it is great to be able to do that,” Keegan said.

One point that Keegan was keen to stress was that the appetite for Oscar Traynor football has not waned in Clare, as their recent successes have shown, and that the Clare District Soccer League have done a great job in ensuring the county has the best chance at bagging another title.

“I think the appetite for Oscar Traynor in Clare comes from the top and from the management committee that are running the league. An awful lot of leagues treat this as an afterthought and are more concerned about getting their fixtures ran off and it is up to an Oscar Traynor manager to then cobble a group together for match day. Because so many teams are at the same thing, it doesn’t preclude you from going far in the competition.

“I’m from Laois but my local soccer scene is Kilkenny and they got to an All-Ireland final last year and they would tell you themselves you could count on one hand the amount of training sessions they had. That’s just the way it has gone but the fact that we can and are doing things properly down here is good. We have a few more of the Newmarket players this year and that is also great. The fact that the CDSL take it so serious means we’re as organised as any other team in the country in that sense.

“I know Denis [Hynes] years, and I got to know Donie [Garrahy] in my time as Galway United manager and they came and asked me would I be involved. I knew when it meant being involved with the likes of them, that it was going to be brilliant. I got to meet Oliver [Fitzpatrick] and we have a very good relationship too. It’s about trying to deliver a balance of top-level stuff and enjoyment,” Keegan stressed.

The Portlaoise man is very committed to football in Ireland, balancing Clare’s management, working for Dundalk FC, managing a club in Laois and squeezing plenty of broadcast and print journalism into a hectic schedule. He believes all the hard work in the footballing sphere will pay off in time.

“It probably takes up a bit too much time if you were to ask my wife. In terms of information; the modern player wants that real nitty gritty stuff. When preparing to play the opposition, I believe no stone should be left unturned. I have managed to get my hands on a video of one of the group games that Wexford played so that will be a huge help in terms of preparation.

“Look, us on the sideline have such little control once the players step out over the white line, you can do very little about it. It’s in their hands. I feel, as a manager, that I’m obligated to set them up as best as I can for the challenge ahead.

“It would be brilliant to get a bit of a crowd to the game. It’s an accessible ground too. I really don’t think people from outside Clare realise how strong football is in the county, and how fanatical people are about it,” Keegan concluded.