ABSENCE makes the heart grow fonder, and Cootehill’s new manager Paul Hayes believes that his players will have a renewed appreciation for the simple matter of playing a game of football once life returns to some sort of normality.

The Celtic’s last competitive outing was a quarter-final defeat to Ballyhaise in the Intermediate Championship on September 4 of last year, and in the intervening period they haven’t had an opportunity to train together as a collective unit.

They have, however, moved to appoint a new manager, namely former player Paul Hayes, who was assistant manager the last time they were crowned Intermediate Champions, back in 2014.

That said, he has had a long history with the club and has been involved with club coaching in various capacities down the years, though he took a sabbatical in 2020.

Commenting on his new role, Hayes  said: “Over the last 40 years I’ve been involved with coaching teams in the club – not necessarily every year but close to it.

“I think I’ve been involved with every age group at the club except the u-12s, but I don’t really distinguish between the various ranks in terms of importance.

If I am taking the u-14 football team, it’s just as important to me as the seniors. Two years ago I was involved with the u-15 team and last year I wasn’t involved at all. I was asked in December if I would take on the senior job and I said I would, and I’ll be glad to get going with it.”

Cootehill were relegated from the senior championship in 2019, and they had a fairly up and down campaign in last year’s intermediate tournament. Hayes will be hoping that they will do well under his watch. He believes they will be very keen to get going after spending months isolated from each other due to the lockdown restrictions on outdoors training.

“The ambition is always to do your best for your club and to see the senior team win games; that’s what motivates me to be involved.

“I got to see some of the games last year, though some of them were behind closed doors I had the option to see recordings of them. I wouldn’t have had much insight into the previous management team’s thinking; when I stepped away I stepped away completely. I’ve been involved with the club for a long time as a player and as a mentor and always want to see them do well.”

“The funny thing about the current situation is that I think the players will in future appreciate playing the game even more than they ever did. Winning was always important and it still is, but now they will be looking forward just to having an opportunity to actually play matches.

“In the past getting to play games may have been taken for granted – matches are arranged, and you turn up and play or turn up and watch, now that that has been taken away from all of us we might all have a different perspective.”

“The club would always be optimistic, that optimism based on a constant core of committed players who dedicate themselves to the club. The Cootehill Club has a number of strong, talented, experienced players who have the capability and the vision to want to do what it takes to remain in Division 1 and to be reinstated into the Senior Championship in Cavan. That is our ambition. Yes, you lose players from one decade to the next, sometimes very quickly, very easily with the modern pressures that are on people, but there are new players coming through  in the club constantly.

“I am looking forward  to seeing how these young lads will develop as there is quite an influx into this year’s squad.

“I haven’t seen them yet in the senior setup due to restrictions, but I have been observing them at under-age matches over the years, I’m looking forward  to working with them and seeing them in action.”

Hayes has a strong backroom team led by Monaghan Harps man Michael Buckley working as coach and selector. Michael Buckley is another great addition to the setup and is working very hard to keep the players engaged during Covid restrictions.

Hayes’ father-in-law the late Phelim Coyle, played with the club and was a member of what was probably the club’s most successful team winning three senior championship titles in a row between 1953, ’54 and ’55.

Major success has eluded the club since despite the valiant efforts of many strong well-prepared teams over the years. The dream now is to emulate the achievement of that successful team.