Return to Oscar Traynor Cup is boost to West Cork soccer

Turn back time: The West Cork League squad that reached the final of the 2006 Oscar Traynor Cup.

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

THE West Cork League’s decision to re-enter the Oscar Traynor Cup is a huge boost to soccer in the region, according to John Buckley.

After an absence of six years the West Cork League will compete in next season’s Oscar Traynor Cup following a decision taken at its recent AGM, which means the best local players will get the chance to showcase their skills on a bigger stage.

League registrar and Dunmanway Town joint-manager John Buckley believes this is a very positive move for West Cork soccer – but only if players give their commitment to the team.

‘This will be a team picked from the best players in West Cork, once they give their commitment and 100 per cent,’ Buckley said.

‘If the players give the commitment it would be fantastic because there are some fine players in West Cork. Looking through the divisions, from Division 2 up to the Premier Division, there are some excellent players there.

‘What it will come down to is players committing to this, committing to training and the games, and if they do that, then it’s great news for everyone involved in the West Cork League because it will help raise the standard and the profile.’

The new West Cork League committee has rubberstamped this progressive move, with Buckley adding: ‘new chairman Tim O’Donovan is 100 per cent behind getting a West Cork team back in the Oscar Traynor Cup because he knows it’s for the betterment of the players and the league.’

Keith Kennedy has been named as the manager of West Cork’s Oscar Traynor Cup team and he will be assisted by David Hall (coach).

The team will be selected from the best players in the West Cork League, irrespective of their division, as all players over 18 will be considered.

Almost a decade ago, in 2006, the West Cork League contested the final of the Oscar Traynor Cup, losing 5 – 0 to Dublin AUL – that was just the second time a team from the West Cork League had entered the competition. The 2008/09 season was the last time the league entered a team. This year’s competition will kick-off in September with the West Cork team expected to begin training next month.