All the managers in Division 2.2 surely took a collective sigh of relief after runaway champion Cavan Celtic bid farewell to D2 on route to his second stint in the League of Ireland. In truth, the 14 point gap at the end of season 17 could have been even greater after an astonishing display which puts Paul Martin and his merry men back in the big time. We caught up with Martin to get his views on league domination and the future challenge the LOI will bring.

-Well what a way to put a relegation behind you, 14 points clear at the top of a very tough Division 2 group and back in the big time. How’s it feel?

Was a great feeling - the lads were so consistent last season and every player played to their full potential and it is great to know that if you are good enough you can win nearly every game. The manner of the victories was also great.

-During your last crack at the LOI you struggled to compete and finished just 1 point off the foot of the table. What went wrong?

I made plenty of mistakes. I played wings even though my central players were better - which is why Evan Byrne was so bad. My squad depth was nowhere near good enough for the LoI. There are more injuries (higher fatigue) and suspensions (playing against teams with better technique) in the LoI which came as a
shock; when we suffered an injury crisis halfway through we didn't have the players to cover. A lot of regular starters were in the early stage of their bloom, the first half of the season we struggled after selling Ronan O'Neill and by the time I got around to spending that money the injury crisis hit. When we finally got a full team and switched to Balanced attacking, we won our last two games including a comfortable 2-0 away win against the eventual champions Askeaton, Byrne scoring both goals having only scored one all season before that.

-More importantly, what will you do differently this time out?

Balanced attacking which will get the best out of all our players - Evan Byrne is already making a greater impact this season. Our depth is much greater; lots of good young players like Zermiani, Volakis, Smith, Torres, McCarthy, Higgins, O'Donovan and Noonan can provide cover. Most importantly, I have no plans to sell my best player to Le Sharks any time soon. :)

-Most of those lads would stroll into my starting 11... that's kinda depressing :) Thanks Cav!! Anyway... where were we... So... Last season 5 teams were promoted to the league of Ireland and 4 of them finished in the bottom six. Are you worried that you too could become just another statistic in the LOI next season en route to a second quick Division 2 return?

Yes, I really don't know what to expect. Hopefully my experience will count. That said we lost both games to Shamrock Hoops last season, and a cup game gainst Pirate Ninja Dinosaurs United, which shows we could struggle a bit against LoI standard teams. We won 27 of the 32 league games against other teams
which showed an unprecedented consistency against Division 2 sides, but I don't know how we will do against the better teams this time around. The step up in terms of player quality and more importantly, managerial activity, is huge.

-What teams are you looking forward to locking horns with in the LOI?

Want to get revenge against Shamrock Hoops, after their double against us, although I don't think we have improved much since last season. They will probably want revenge after we won the league. There will also be good banter playing against Na Fianna, Maloneys Cajones, Biffdons Athletic, Le Sharks and Irish
Wolfhounds! These are the teams everyone wants to play against - LoI is what it is all about.

-So who was your player of the season?

I want to say Serafino De Novellis - he was harshly voted Lemon of the Season in Season 16 even though he was signed as a prospect; but 10 goals and 11 assists and best average rating in 2.2 (best U22 average rating in Division 2) is a turnaround not seen since the golden days of Shay Duffy. That said, I can't really lookpast José Ramón Contreras - 32 goals in 36 competitive games; 30 in 34 league games; is astonishing in the old match engine and he has been a good replacement for O'Neill, although he counts as a foreigner and is a lot older.

-As we have seen, you have a B team crammed full of talent. Will any of the young lads be making the step up in time for the start of the new season?

The big question is what to do with Daragh Smith - exceptionally talented but finishing is poor. I am looking to experiment in some friendlies against LoI- standard sides with a 4-3-1-2 formation which would mean dropping McGroarke and putting Smith alongside Contreras. If he does well he could make the step up.

I can't really justify putting him ahead of Contreras who is an incredible finisher so change of formation would be required. Another possibility is wait till his base TI brings his finishing up to 15, or more likely, sell him, which would be a shame because we need as many 19-rated Irish players as we can get.

Cosme Torres and Markos Volakis are two foreigners who could make the step up this season.

-And who are your stars of the future?

Midfielders Pippo Zermiani and Konšantín Hajdúch are both going to be incredible (maybe 100k plus), but both are late bloomers who are yet to bloom. Zlatko Telkiyski is a good full back who has just started blooming but injury problems could get in the way of a regular first team place.

From an Irish perspective, Luke McKee will be a regular in a couple of seasons, while Jack McDonagh and Adam Bergin both have the potential to make it.

-Any areas of your squad you feel needs improvement?

On the right side, James Wilson and José Terán still have a season's bloom left. And I have the players coming through in other positions. Looking to save up for a young prospect who can combine High ASI and good finishing to establish the frontman spot as his own! Hoping to pull or buy one more 18+ potential
Irish defender (McKee is the only one we have) which will help a lot in the long-term as a lot of the foreigner slots will go to midfield or attack.

-Will you be splashing out during the NT sales?

Haha, obviously not! I've only managed to pick up two players in the NT Sales in my history in the game - never seem to have money. That said, this season is a big year with lots of youngsters finishing their bloom and then being sold so perhaps next season will be different.

- Be brave, Season 18... how will you do??

Honestly, I have no idea, especially with the new match engine; but if I get the tactics right I genuinely think we can be a surprise and challenge for a top 6 spot! Or could just as easy be bottom 6. The one thing that has disappointed me is we have always done rubbish in the cup - the 7th round is our record -
we always either have tough draws in the early stages or we are on the wrong side of an upset. Considering we have a team that I believe can beat anyone on our day in the league, its always being disappointing, so hopefully we can have a good run this season.

-Thanks for taking the time out to answer the questions and best of luck next season.