Beechhill United Season 16 Preview

It has taken De Gaffer five tough campaigns but season 15 was the year Beechhill United’s persistence finally paid off. However, lady luck did play a huge part in Beech’s ascent to Division 3 Group 1. With several clubs banned due to a mass doping scandal in D4, Beechhill were officially moved into second spot in the league, taking home a nice shiny silver trophy as their reward but more importantly, promotion to D3! Many fans believed the club were destined for another seasons of disappointment when top class keeper Sriram Martínez was sold to Brazilian side Mancor and wonder kid Tom McGann signed for Irish side Leeverpool. Surely if promotion to D3 was a possibility, these were the sort of players who must remain at the club. On the plus side, 320+ million was now in the bank. The fans would have to wait till promotion was practically secured before De Gaffer's spending would commence... but when it did, it went off with a bang...

Goalkeeper

Martínez’ departure left some big boots to fill and Beechhill went straight to the top to fill it. League of Ireland Champions Shamrock Hoops parted with 26 year old Gary Bagley for the princely sum of 76.2 million. It was a huge gamble to sell off Martínez but it retrospect it was a master stroke by De Gaffer. Sell a top class foreign keeper for 207 million, buy a top class Irish keeper for 76 million... genius.

Defence

An aging defence is something Beechhill will need to address over the next few seasons. The recent NT Sales were the ideal time to start the rebuilding process. Comumbian Daro Acevedo (25) signed for 102.5 million. He brings youth, experience and vast quality to the DR spot. The rest of the back four are solid but age is not on their side. So you can expect a few more signings in the near future. For now, they have a defensive unit more than capable of coping with life in D3. Young Irish DC Kian Dunne  is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Midfield  

Showing their financial clout, Beechhill splashed out a further 105.1 million signing a 2^nd NT Sales player. Lawrence Kekana, a talented 24 year old MC from South Africa has the creativity to control games from the centre of the park and his heading and finishing ability will surely get him his fair share of goals for Beechhill. Joining him in midfield is the dangerous MR Dzmitry Kazantsev. He has the talent to crumble the finest defence but at 33, is surely closing in on early retirement. On the other end of the age scale is 17 year old Shane Murray. Despite his age he is already a menace on the left wing and has attracted interest from more than one club. Beechhill may be tempted to sell but players of his potential don’t come along often so it will take a huge offer to see him leave De Dubliners.

Attack

With only 3 recognised strikers in the squad (and one of them being 35), Beech will need to bolster the attack sooner rather than later. However, in Tommy Staunton, they have a quality FC who will grab goals. Cormac McCormack is more than capable to bagging a few goals too but attack is looking like a real problem for Beech. One or two injuries could ruin their season... so a new FC must be top of his transfer wish list.

A recurring theme when looking through the Beechhill squad is age. In the short term, they have a squad very capable of challenging in Division 3, possibly even ending with a shout at a promotion spot. But in a year or two, a number of key players will be gone and that must be a huge worry for De Gaffer. Season 16 will be a massive challenge for them. The quality in D3 is a big step up for them but if they keep injuries and suspensions to a minimum, you can expect them to have a very solid season. Promotion a possability?? Well never say never.....

Prediction – 4^th Place