'We want to be an exciting team to watch' - Ian Ryan

Ahead of the start of the League of Ireland First Division season on Friday, February 13, Athlone Town men's senior team manager Ian Ryan took time-out from pre-season training to discuss a number of topics, including his new-look squad, before the league campaign begins against Finn Harps.

In the past the First Division has had its fair share of clubs suffering tumultuous campaigns. There have been cases of clubs entering financial peril, with some even dropping out of existence, and others embarking on dismal runs of form without victory.

And sadly, despite assembling a squad, on paper at least, that looked ready to challenge for promotion ahead of the 2025 season, Athlone's efforts for the campaign were nowhere near acceptable, and feel into that category of poor showings by First Division outfits. A 22-game run without a win, from mid-May to mid-October, didn't help matters, as the Town ended the campaign in bottom place.

The season also factored in many off-field changes, with the club changing ownership, and that new broom sweeping the changes by releasing many of the club's top-earners from the wage bill, and calling on the services of Ian Ryan as manager. Since then, the club has definitely started to feel like a healthier place to be, said Ryan, who decided - along with the club - to sacrifice instant results by blooding young academy players, five of whom have been re-signed for the 2026 season.

It was the definitive baptism of fire for a new manager, having to juggle many different plates to keep Athlone competitive in the latter parts of the season. But with the end of every season comes a chance to press refresh, and Ryan has been doing so by piecing together his squad for an improved showing in the coming months.

So, despite replenishing the ranks (with ten new siginings at the time of writing), what is the ambition for 2026? On this, Ryan is to be complimented for not issuing supporters with any unrealistic false dawns. But what he is promising is a vibrant team that the fans can get behind and be proud of.

“I don't think it make sense to start making predictions. But what I will say is we now have a dedicated group of players who are being as professional as possible, and I know that they will fight for everything. We want to be an exciting team to watch and play with a good level of aggression that the supporters can relate to and be proud of,” said the former Bray Wanderers and Wexford boss.

It will be a far cry from last season, said Ryan, who was brought to the club in June, after US businessman Nick Giannotti took over the running of the club. Giannotti, ambitious in his aim to eventually propel Athlone back to the Premier Division, has completely restructured the day-to-day running of the club with the appointment of CEO Steven Gray coming in August. Brian Shelley was also brought in to oversee the club academy.Ryan described the off-field structure as highly professional, saying it will benefit the club both in the long and short-term.

“There were very difficult periods last year. And we are trying to change perceptions of the club, both within the local community and in terms of what players think when we look to bring them in. The new players we have signed, so far, have all bought into what we are trying to achieve here. They're all good lads with professional attitudes and they want to help us on our way,” he said.

To assist the younger players in the squad, Ryan has been able to attract several players with ample League of Ireland experience. The vastly experienced goalkeeper Brendan Clarke, midfielder Brian McManus and attackers Thomas Considine, Patrick Ferry and Peter Grogan are expected to make an impact, while Ryan was delighted to retain the services of Aaron Connolly and Kyle O'Connor, two players who have worn the captain's armband for the club.

“We really hope to keep Aaron fit this season. He's a brilliant player and huge influence in the club. He's had a good few years with Athlone and going forward we want to have that kind of continuity with our players. Aaron missed almost the entirety of last season with injury, so hopefully this season will be very different,” said Ryan.

The Town manager, who has asked supporters to give his new group of players a chance to show their ability, also offered encouragement to younger players in the club, saying he never has a problem calling talented academy players into his panel.

“Those young players will be constantly monitored, that's the way it's going to be done from now on. If they show they are stand-out players at Academy level, there's no reason why we can't present them with opportunities,” he said.“Lots of managers have said that sort of thing in the past, I'm aware of that. But we saw some brilliant young players contribute to the first-team in the latter half of last season, which gave us plenty of encouragement about their futures, and we really want to develop a culture at the club, long-term, whereby young players don't feel a need to join Dublin clubs, and instead can fulfill their ability with Athlone Town,” Ryan added.

Athlone will play one further pre-season friendly after the Leinster Senior Cup group stage, and with 19 players signed at time of writing, they plan to enter the competitive season with a squad of 22.

“There's a huge amount of work going on behind-the-scenes at the club,” said Ryan.

“And I firmly believe the club is finally on the right course and hopefully we will see some of the fruits of that hard work when the season starts,” he added.

Athlone's first league game is at home against Finn Harps on Friday, February 13 (7.45pm) followed by a trip to Kerry the following weekend.