Following the winter break and Chinese New Year, our first match of the season will be against On Tap Badgers on February 25 in the revamped OTPL. With the decision taken to split the league into two divisions, a qualifying round will be played first, with every team playing each other once to determine which teams will play in each division.
We will be looking to improve on our impressive season last year and aim for a spot in the top division. This will be a challenge, but one we're relishing as each game in the qualifying round will have huge significance. Confidence is high too, given that we ended 2017 with three consecutive, comprehensive victories, and having managed to improve our squad with some shrewd signings since then.
The club worked hard during the off season and secured the signings of four well-experienced and quality OTPL players. The defensive pair of Paul Warren and Craig Lish and attacking duo Kenny Sexton and returning Shane player, Matt Wraxall will give us more depth at the back whilst adding some much needed firepower going forward. We’ve also brought in a few other promising players who we feel will play a part at some point during the season ahead.
These new players gave a glimpse of their promise as we managed to finish runners-up in the OTPL preseason tournament, defeated only narrowly in the final by a strong Daan side. Considering the awful conditions and pitch, and the fact that we had many first team players out, it was a great showing from the lads as we demonstrated our strength in defense and some great attacking moves.
2018 will be Shane’s 20th anniversary, and to mark the occasion we return to the classic club colors of yellow and black with sleek new kits. A big event for the anniversary is planned later in the year as we celebrate the club’s history and tradition, whilst also focusing on the positive recent performances and plan for the future.
In other news, we’ve started a weekly kick-about/training session with our good friends, On Tap Badgers, and hope this will help to improve players’ match fitness and sharpness.
All in all, things are looking on the up, but we must maintain our concentration, work ethic, and ever-present team spirit. We hope you’ll be following us closely this year as we plan to provide more updates and be more active on all social platforms. Here’s to another successful year for The Mighty Shane Football Club!