Clodagh Hibs Season 16 Preview

Season 8 was where it all began for Colm O’Sullivan and he brought with him a winning mentality that would propel Clodagh Hibs up through the ranks at ferocious speed. Three successive promotions (including their first and only League Championship in Season 9) saw Hibs positioned in a difficult Division 2.3. A mixed debut season in Division 2 left Hibs in 8^th position but it was a good building block. Unfortunately older players were being relied on, the foundation for those building blocks weakened and Clodagh ended Season 12 in 16^th. Relegation was all the motivation the squad needed and O’Sullivan masterminded an instant return to Division 2 the next season. It would be an agonisingly short return though, the squad unable to carry their form into D2. Clodagh had adopted an ambitious youth policy and it was starting to pay off. But the young lads were nowhere near ready.... Another mediocre season brought with it another relegation. A 6^th place finish last season showed that the up and coming stars do have potential. Could Season 16 be the year Clodagh live up to their potential and send a squad up to Division 2 that is ready to compete??

Goalkeeper

Piotr Faltynski has been an absolute rock for Clodagh. He has won more than his fair share of games for Hibs, his superb reflexes coming to the rescue countless times. At only 30 the best is yet to come from the Pole.

 Waiting in the wings for his crack at the first team is 21 year old Fionn McDonagh. He has impressed thus far for the Clodagh B team (claiming last years U21 player of the year award) and is developing at a nice pace. He is most definitely being groomed for the number 1 shirt.

Defence

The star of the Clodagh defence is undoubtedly Dylan Rafferty. The 20 year old is a product of Clodaghs Youth Development programme and has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years.

German DC Bald Scheper has formed a formidable partnership with Rafferty over the last few years and with two very solid youngsters filling in at full back (Toner and Flanagan), O’Sullivan has a back four that will only get better and better with each passing game.

Midfield  

Ray Wilkinson is clearly the linchpin in a talented Hibs midfield. At 30 he is moving into the latter stages of his career but he will no doubt go down in history as a Clodagh legend! He has been the foundation of the midfield since O’Sullivans debut season, amassing over 250 games for the club, scoring 71 goals and creating 60 more. On his day he can win you a game single handedly and I expect him to have another big season this year.  

Clodagh normally like to field a holding midfield player and the 20 year old Bulgarian Kolev has been given the nod in the early parts of this season. The talented youngster is also more than capable of slotting back into the centre of defence should the need arise and his stability compliments Wilkinson’s roaming nature further up the field.

O’Sullivans midfield also has pace and great ability down the flanks. Italian veteran “Paolo” and 19 year old Aaron Flynn give width to the Hibs attack and are a constant threat to the oppositions full backs.

Attack

Up front two 20 year olds lead the way. Byrne and O’Shaughnessy, despite their tender ages, have already scored 43 senior goals between them. With time they could go on to be a lethal strike force for many years to come.

The duo will now face stiff competition for the starting spots in the Clodagh attack. 19 year Brazilian Laerte da Silva has just joined the club for a whopping 74 million. He is far from the finished article but O’Sullivan has proved to be a shrewd shopper in the past and Laerte will no doubt prove to be a huge success. He already has great natural ability and under O’Sullivans guidance, he could go on to be a superstar.

With only 6 squad players currently over the age of 22, Colm O’Sullivan has laid a foundation that should bring solid success to Clodagh Hibs for the foreseeable future. They have an abundance of talent that will make it to Division 2 again but more importantly, will also be more than ready to compete when they get there. Division 3.8 has some seriously good sides but I fully believe that when Season 16 is said and done, the majority of those teams will be waving goodbye to O'Sullivan and Clodagh Hibs will be marching on to battle it out in Division 2.

Prediction –  Top 2 finish.