BY RYAN FERRY

Chris Cunningham gave Rathmullan Celtic a dig out last season when things weren’t going great and now he’s hoping to steady things up as manager.

The Seasiders lost manager Eamonn Sheridan just before the season started last year and they knew from early on that the campaign was going to end in relegation.

That was the way it proved and they went down without picking up a point.

They are now in the First Division, and Strabane native Cunningham has decided to step into the dugout at the Flagpole Field.

“Prior to taking the job I would have been in Rathmullan twice a week anyway.

“Myself and my wife love going down for a walk with the dog. It’s just lovely and peaceful.

“I saw the club were struggling coming up to Christmas last year. I wasn’t doing any playing or coaching at that stage. I just reached out and said I would go down and help out and I played three or four games.

“I got the enjoyment back for football. I was retired for a while but I got the buzz back.

“I’ve managed a few local teams around Strabane before and Lifford for a while but I was out of management for about 18 months.

“Enda (Sheridan) is a big help because he knows everybody. We needed changes because last year was a tough one for Rathmullan. We’ve got a few new signings and managed to persuade boys that were there that it would improve and we would get better.”

Kevin O’Donnell, Ryan McCleary and Aaron Curran have returned to Rathmullan this season, while the talented Niall ‘Golf Ball’ Carruthurs is hoping to play more and they should have a stronger squad.

“I would say I have made six or seven signings. We would class Kevin O’Donnell as a big signing because he played for Bonagee last year.

“With Lagan folding, we have brought in young Rory McCrossan.

“We have players in from the local area and Letterkenny and we have quite a few different nationalities which is good and we are very inclusive.

“Golf Ball has signed as well. Everybody knows Golf Ball and he likes to do his travelling and visit the holiday destinations.

“He’s not quite up to speed yet but I think he’s played more games this year than he did all of last year. He’s keen to be involved.

“The big word for us is consolidation and get the club back into a position that we are competitive.”