By Jonathan Brown
LOCAL sides Annalong, Ballyvea and Dunnaman are back in league action on Saturday as the junior divisions of the Mid-Ulster League return.
MUFL Division One
Annalong FC
Players in: Stephen Newell (Dunnaman), Dylan Patterson (Valley Rangers), Curtis Hunter (Valley Rangers), David McMurray
Players out: Johnny McCormick (Valley Rangers FC)
Opening game: Lurgan Celtic (A)
Annalong will kick off their season away to Lurgan Celtic and the Hillmount Park outfit will be hoping to improve on their sixth-place finish in last season’s MUFL Division One campaign.
Former Dunnaman manager Barrie McCartan is going into his first full season in charge of the club, having taken over from Timmy Burden in March.
McCartan’s men have produced some solid pre-season results, including a 5-0 win over Moneyslane Reserves, a 6-3 win over Rathfriland Rangers Reserves and a 2-0 win over Groomsport FC on Saturday.
The manager is happy with his side’s pre-season work and believes some of the club’s summer signings could prove to be a “fantastic addition”.
“We started (pre-season) three weeks before the July holidays and everything is going well,” he said.
“We’ve got four new signings in and things are looking good.
“I think they’re all a fantastic addition to the club in terms of what they can bring to the table.
“They’ll be a major help for us this year,” he said.
McCartan, who led Dunnaman to MUFL Magee Cup glory in 2023, certainly didn’t mince his words when it came to Annalong’s ambitions this year.
“I want top three and promotion to intermediate football, where Annalong should be.
“The lads have put the effort in over pre-season and the footballing ability is there, it always has been in Annalong.
“They just need that confidence to know that the footballing ability is there, that they shouldn’t be afraid of anybody and they just need to go out and do it on a Saturday.”
A run in one of the Mid-Ulster League knockout cups is also on McCartan’s agenda, but he made it clear that promotion to Intermediate B is his priority.
“I would love a good cup run and promotion, that would obviously be ideal in your first season.
“But my main objective is focusing on the league.”
In the full report there are interviews with Ballyvea’s David Heaney and Dunnaman’s Ryan McMillan who assess their chances ahead of the start of the new league campaign.
