Northern Ireland soccer coach has St Gall’s in good shape

St Gall’s have brought a high-profile name into their set up in order to prepare them for the new season.

Gary Wallace is part of the Northern Ireland soccer team, as a member of manager Ian Baraclough’s back room staff.

Wallace is a well-respected coach, and also a former Killyclogher player who won a Tyrone championship with the club in 2016.

St Gall’s manager Paddy Murray, who is in his third term as senior manager, explained how Wallace came to be part of the St Gall’s set up as their strength and conditioning coach.

“I did a bit of research and I have some friends who worked in that set up. I had asked them would they recommend things that we could do. They said we could work on strength and conditioning a bit better. I asked if they knew anyone who had some background in our games. Very fortunately Gary is an ex Killyclogher player. He is obviously has a very high profile coach in soccer, but he is really a Gaelic player who has fallen into soccer, rather than a soccer man who is doing a bit of Gaelic.

“He has got all the skills and is very competant, he has brought that fresh fave and fresh voice. I am looking forward to having him on the pitch.

“He is a very good coach. We brought him in this year, he has created a programme for the players working in isolation. It is not ideal but we have to react to the reality of our circumstances.”

Wallace’s inclusion to the group is a means to improve the conditionig of the squad. Murray believes that the level of conditioning has increased dramatically from the days when nhe was playing, and St Gall’s have to meet that challenge.

Yet that said, one of the most remarkable things about the St Gall’s team is that they still retain a good number of seasoned players in their number. Men like Sean Kelly, Terry O’Reilly, Aodhan Gallagher and Kevin Niblock are still part of the squad despite being veterans who were there when St Gall’s were the dominant side in Antrim, and when they won the All-Ireland club title.

“Fortunately for us Sean Kelly will be around, he will be with us less week to week (because of the county). Hopefully he will be back more after the county season wraps up. And all those other senior players like Terry O’Neill and Colin Brady, I chatted to all of those fellas around Christmas time and I am delighted that they have all decided to stay on.

“They look after themselves. Those older fellas put the younger fellas under a bit of pressure. But they can learn from those fellas. It is great to have all that experience playing with the younger players.

“They have a vast amount of experience and they are important role models for the young players. It is important when minors come into a senior set up that there is the culture there. There are important role models. I was fortunate to play with these guys so I know them well.”

Murray said that one of the elder statesmen was even training on Christmas day, which give you an idea of the culture that those younger players are going to be exposed to.

Some of the younger players coming into the team. Oisin Crawford and Conall McGirr were on the county minor team last year are moving onto the senior team. Mark Cummings played senior football for St Gall’s a few years ago and has returned after working in Dublin. Jack McCrea has also been away from the squad due to injury and soccer, but he is also back.

For the moment, they are working towards the April 12 date when collective training is allowed to return according to the Stormont government guidelines.

“We have been staying in touch with the players. We have got them footballs so they can work within their bubbles and maintain some sort of skill level. It’s not perfect but once we get back to the pitch we will really see what shape they are in.”