Cassidy unveiled as new Derry Manager
Thursday, 16 October 2008
New Derry Manager Damien Cassidy.
FORMER Derry and Bellaghy star forward Damien Cassidy has been unveiled as the new manager for the Derry senior football team.
The 43 year old social worker was always favourite for the job after former Derry team mate Tony Scullion had to withdraw.
The announcement of Cassidy's appointment came with surprising quickness. It was a week earlier than expected. He was interviewed on the night and recommended by the interview committee to County Committee who were also meeting at Owenbeg and they immediately ratified him as manager.
It was inevitable that Damien would some day manage his county given his glowing CV as a player and up and coming manager.
He played with his club for fifteen years nearly always at corner forward. He had a deadly left foot and amazing skill on the ball. In his career with Bellaghy he won under 16 and minor county medals as well as five seniors in 1986, 1994,1996, 1998 and 1999. In 1985 as Ulster club champions he played in Croke Park with his club against Kilmacud Crokes but in almost gale force conditions they went down by three points to the Dublin champions. This is one he has many regrets missing a late penalty they would most likely have drawn the game.
He was an outstanding Colleges player and alongside the likes of Dermot McNicholl won McCrory Cup medals in 1982, 1983 and 1984.
He shone at county level starting at minor but unknown to many he was also a very good hurler.
In 1983 he was on the Derry team that shocked a star studded Cork team by 0-8 to 1-3 in horrible weather conditions at Croke Park. He then graduated to the Derry under 21 team where he won Ulster medals in 1985 and 1986.
The greatest day in his life was the All Ireland final of 1993 when Derry collected their one and only Sam Maguire Cup beating Cork by 1-14 to 2-8. He played left half forward that day and it was his intelligent cross that put Seamus Downey in for the goal.
He also won Ulster medals in 1987 and 1993 as well as a National League medal in 1992 against Tyrone in the final.
When Eamonn Coleman came back as Derry manager in 2000 he was quick to ask his former star forward Damien Cassidy to come on board as a selector. Derry won the National League that year and in 2001 came within an ace of reaching the All Ireland final.
He began to get involved in club management and in 2003 managed Tyrone club team Loughmacrory to the county title. He had success with his own club taking them to the Derry championship in 2005 and they went on to lose narrowly to St. Gall's of Antrim in the Ulster final.
He was in charge of Bellaghy when they lost the county final to Glenullin after a replay last year. He had a season as assistant manager with Cavan under Martin McElkennon and was widely tipped to get the Breffini job when McElkennon moved to Monaghan but Cavan appointed one of their own Donal Keoghan.
He is the current manager of Tyrone club Clonoe who are through to the semi final of the county championship last week end they claimed the scalp of one of the favourites Carrickmore last Saturday.
Cassidy will be his own man, he has his own ideas and nobody will change them, his first aim is to have Derry playing championship football an obvious hint at Derry's ability to win National Leagues and then fall flat in the championship.
He has selected a strong back room team with current Glenullin manager and former Antrim forward Kevin Madden from Portglenone being appointed trainer. Madden will finish the season with Glenullin and ironically he was one of the men who -plotted the downfall of Bellaghy managed by Cassidy in last year' county senior final. Kevin Madden was an outstanding forward with Antrim but has had heart surgery twice and also a knee operation. With a normal run of luck he would still be playing with Portglenone and Antrim.
Madden is a goon man manager who knows where to draw the line but he does not suffer fools gladly.
Tyrone native Martin McConnell a teacher at St. Patrick's Maghera has also been brought on board. The Clogher native is the current manager at Ballinascreen where he has taken they to the Derry second division and promotion as well as reaching the senior county semi final. Indeed they came within an ace of beating Slaughtneil in the first game but were well beaten in the second. He also managed Castledawson and coaches teams at school.
Kevin 'Big Mal' O'Neill the former Bellaghy keeper in the goalkeeping coach a role he held before with Derry management teams. A larger than life character he is a good man to have around.
The management co-ordinator will be Brendan McRory one of the men who helped to drive the Lissan club forward. He held a similar role with Eamonn Coleman in 2001 and 2002 and will be no stranger to the task.
Cassidy has said that he will use Monaghan based Sports Consultant Fergus Connolly who helped out with the Paddy Crozier management team.
The Derry County Committee have asked all appointed managers to sign a manager's charter drawn up by the Committee with guide lines from Croke Park. The Derry version has been widely praised by GAA President Nicky Brennan.
New managers always bring new expectations but Damien Cassidy is promising nothing. He will possibly hold trial games over the close season and look out for new players particularly in defence.
With some of the long serving players like Sean Martin Lockhart and Enda Muldoon yet to commit to another season Cassidy will be looking hard at defensive options. For once Derry have some good forwards and are strong at midfield but half backs have been a big problem for the past few seasons.
With squad training banned until the new year as part of a scheme to avoid player 'burn out' it will be the McKenna Cup which starts in January that will give the new management team their first real chance to assess what talent they have at their disposal.
