Midway through a Leinster Senior League Senior Division 1A campaign which has realised nine wins from fourteen games played to date and a current second place standing, Willow Park look primed to achieve successive divisional promotions should such positive form continue into the new year.
Speaking to the Athlone Advertiser this week, joint manager, David McGuinness, expressed his satisfaction with the position in which the club lies as the calendar year reaches its conclusion, as a top of the table home fixture with Collinstown looms this Saturday night.
“We are pleased with our position in the league table at the midway point of the season, we would have definitely taken it at the start. The step in opposition quality has been noticeable, but as a squad we have also improved with notable additions made during the close season having a playing impact as the league campaign progresses,” David remarked.
A mixture of youth and experience has proved influential to on field results as the squad builds for the latter half of the season.
“The bulk of the squad comprises footballers who have been with the club since they started playing the game at underage level. Their enthusiasm, mixed with the experience of those players who achieved such notable success during the club’s CCFL tenure, is having a positive effect on our results,” David continued.
Sharing joint manager status with Declan Holohan, Willow Park are chief among the goals scored this league campaign with only Tolka Rovers netting more than DPD Park based squad to date.
“Declan has the squad playing a style of football which is pleasing on the eye and despite having the second highest goals scored tally in the division we do need to improve in the second half of the season as points have been dropped in games away from home in contests where the team have been in command for large spells,” David commented.
David believes that a similar points haul from the remaining league games should be enough to seal the club’s start of season goal, promotion.
“Promotion still is the main target for us. To achieve the four in the row would be huge for the club. The committee is doing sterling work and DPD Park was never looking as well. The new dressings have been a great addition and the club has big plans for next summer.
“It is important we continue to progress off the pitch as well as on it. Our two other senior teams (CCFL team and ladies ) are performing extremely well, while the club’s underage teams are continue to excel also,” David concluded.
