Athlone Town making steady improvement under Kerley
by Kevin O'Neill Updated: Wednesday, 27th July, 2011 5:30pm
THE very fact that Athlone supporters and players are disappointed to be facing into a four-week lay-off says a great deal about the Town's campaign to date.
Following a solid start to the season, when a largely youthful Athlone managed to grind out 15 precious points before the June transfer window opened, allowing Mike Kerley to flex his muscle in the transfer market and provide Athlone with much more experience and overall strength in depth, the Town's form of late - despite losing their most recent outing to Limerick - has been hugely impressive.
But let's start at the very beginning of Kerley's reign.
Up against it from the start, after the club only confirmed his appointment in mid-January (just six weeks before the season began), Kerley remained calm and composed over the lack of players signed-up at the club.
The general expectation was that Kerley would delve deeply into the list of free agents available, to plug the many holes in his squad by drafting in a raft of experienced league journeymen, but he largely resisted the temptation to do so, instead going for a more measured approach.
Reliable performers from the 2010 season, Micheál Schlingermann, Niall Scullion and Stephen Relihan, were among the first to sign for Kerley. And the acquisitions of a couple of experienced players in Tommy Barrett and Paul Danaher, both from Kerley's native Limerick, were seen as astute moves (and have since proven to be, particularly in the case of centre-back Danaher, who has been outstanding for Athlone this season). He also moved quickly to appoint local Padraig Moran as his assistant, immediately giving Moran much more input than he had in previous seasons, while former Town left-back Darren Young was also brought back to the club in a player-coach capacity.
One early setback for the Town boss was the decision of some local junior players not to join up with the club, despite holding talks with Kerley, but he didn't dwell on the disappointment, and assured supporters the club has enough talented young players to cope.
Even though the club's youth team was prospering under Mickey Collins' tutelage, many wondered whether pitching a handful of youngsters into First Division action could backfire on Kerley. However, he utilised a similar policy when managing Limerick previously, and it worked well there, so he opted to trust his instincts and finish his transfer activity.
Only five new signings turned out on the opening night of the season at pre-season promotion candidates Waterford Utd, with Kerley springing a major surprise when selecting youth team players Alan Coffey and Brian Gill in the starting line-up.
Another reason Kerley could have opted to fill his squad with experienced campaigners was the fact Athlone travelled to Waterford with a match-day squad of just 14 (including sub 'keeper Scott Gaynor), but he wasn't prepared to do so, instead insisting players wouldn't be brought to Lissywollen unless it was the right long-term decision for the club. It's believed Kerley only utilised half his allocated playing budget during the opening months of the season, adding further strength to the view that he's capable of getting the best out of what might appear, on paper, a limited group of players.
With nine of the club's successful double-winning youth team rewarded with first-team debuts by the end of May, Kerley always insisted it was about keeping their head above water in the opening few months of the season, and then building up the squad when the transfer window opened at the start of June. That was the plan - and it worked out fairly well.
Three straight wins in April (against Wexford, Finn Harps and Mervue Utd) proved priceless, and pulled Athlone well away from the bottom three in the standings. It was also the first time Athlone had won three straight league games since 2001.
The major plus from the opening round of matches was the performance of some of the younger players, with Ballinasloe native Joe Woods showing up particularly well in defence. Sixteen-year-old Ian Sweeney also netted a memorable winner against Premier Division UCD in the Leinster Senior Cup, and showed glimpses of his potential. Of Kerley's new signings, Paul Danaher immediately looked a commanding presence in defence, while forward Gary Higgins, signed from junior club Janesboro in Limerick, made an exciting start to his Athlone career, but hamstring injuries have since hampered his progress.
Transfer Window Activity
However, it was widely acknowledged that youthful enthusiasm alone wouldn't get you through an entire league season, and when the transfer window opened in June, Kerley didn't hesitate in strengthening his pack.
The Town boss raided the junior football ranks in both Limerick and Athlone, with five signing from Kerley's native Limerick, and Mark Walsh coming from Nenagh Celtic.
Declan Fallon, Noel McGee and Mark Sherlock were welcome additions from St Peter's, and only last week Damien Rushe also rejoined Athlone from the same club.
While much of Athlone's early season performances were based around staying in games, and at times trying to stifle or restrict the opposition, Athlone's game-plan and attitude has changed immeasurably since June.
The Town now have the physical presence to match most First Division teams, while Jason Hughes, Conor Kavanagh and Davy Ryan have added a more creative element. McGee and Sherlock have also provided a greater threat in the final third, with McGee destined to add to his tally of three goals when the season resumes.
The arrival of so many new players has limited the youngsters' involvement of late, but not entirely, with Eoin Monaghan continuing to shine in recent weeks, most notably when he set up both goals for McGee in a 2-1 win at Mervue Utd.
Indeed, the experience garnered by several of the club's young players should stand to them next season, when Kerley hopes to build upon the steady progress made this year.
Speaking about next season, Kerley told this reporter: "I'd be very hopeful of keeping the majority of the squad next season. With the squad we currently have, and with the young lads developing well, there's good potential there for next season and beyond."
One major battle Kerley could face at the end of the season is retaining the services of some of his Limerick contingent, who could be tempted to rejoin the junior ranks in their home city, though it's generally felt those players have enormous respect for, and commitment to, the Athlone manager.
"That's always a possibility, as these guys are giving an enormous commitment to play for Athlone, but I'd hope to keep them. I'd like to think those lads want to stay playing in the league, and hopefully that will be with Athlone," said Kerley.
Seven points from the last five games - which should be more considering the unfortunate nature of their defeat to Limerick - indicates an upward curve for Athlone, and although they play two straight away games when the league resumes on August 5, the signs are that Athlone will pick up many more points before the season ends.
One more win will equal the total number of wins Athlone achieved in last year's league (seven), and although that shouldn't be the only gauge with which to measure Athlone's progress, it's another sign that things are improving under Kerley.
Kerley's appearance to watch the ADSL team at this year's Kennedy Cup is further evidence of his commitment to improving Athlone in the long-term, and his composed and methodical approach to the game is something which has reportedly won favour with his playing squad.
Athlone, who still have a realistic chance of finishing in the top six this season, have got many managerial decisions wrong over the past decade or more, but it appears they've landed a 'good one' this time around. The committee must endeavour to keep Kerley happy at the club, and to try and meet his requirements/requests in terms of playing budgets for next season.
It's not suggested by this reporter that the club goes back to the black days of over-stretching financially, that would be criminal, as they're currently doing well to keep the ship steady, and operate (thanks largely to Kerley's managerial skill) very competitively in the First Division.
But if many observers see fit to laud Kerley's efforts on a very restricted budget, one can only wonder what he might be able to conjure up with another couple of hundred euro thrown into the ring next season.
Kerley though, is a realistic manager, and will probably not expect his budget to increase greatly, and although Athlone managers tend not to hang around too long, initial signs are good that he can keep making steady, if unspectacular, progress with Athlone over the next few seasons.
