DARREN MURPHY is at the helm as first team manager at Cobh Ramblers in what is the 100th anniversary year for the club.

2022 will be the first full campaign for 36 year old Murphy at the helm as Ramblers boss, after being appointed on a permanent basis as first team manager last September until the end of the 2023 season.

During what is a landmark campaign for the club, Murphy is seeking to build on his initial period in charge and to hopefully progress Cobh Ramblers further on the field.

“It is a great honour for me to be the manager of Cobh Ramblers for the 100th anniversary. But it is also a great year to play for the club, belonging to the club or support the club,” Murphy tells The Echo.

“We put in a lot of work in pre-season, a lot of effort has gone in. The club is going in the right direction I think and we are attracting some good talent as well and players in the senior team and the academy.

“We started early and we were back in the gym early. I think that prehab work is really important for them and for their muscles.

“We have had some good games and attracted some good teams for pre-season. We played Dundalk, Waterford, Finn Harps and we played Bandon in the Munster Senior Cup. As preparations have gone, they have been good.” The forthcoming League Of Ireland First Division promotion race is expected to be hotly contested. Teams such as Cork City, Waterford and Galway United are among those highly fancied to be in promotion contention.

While other sides such as Wexford in particular have recruited well in the off season, meaning the task for a club like Cobh to challenge for the playoffs is a big one. They will want to at least have an improved season overall from last term.

But Ramblers are a club that tend to relish on going under the radar, making the playoffs in 2016, finishing in 2nd place in the First Division in 2017 and missing out on the promotion playoffs on goal difference in 2020.

Nonetheless, Murphy is pleased with how pre-season has gone and is hopeful his side can acquit themselves well in the 2022 First Division.

“The main thing that we are looking for is a hunger to play with Cobh Ramblers and hunger to succeed with the club.

“That is the message going out there, that we are not just here to make up the numbers and we want to be successful. We want to be a team challenging. To do that you need hungry players.

“From a club’s point of view, they want to be as successful as possible, the same with players, managers or coaches, we want to aim for the top.” Although the likes of Charlie Lyons (Galway United) , Lee Devitt (Treaty United) and Ian Turner(who has retired from League Of Ireland) have departed the St Colman’s Park side, Ramblers have added to their squad including through Beineón O'Brien-Whitmarsh, Dale Holland, Luke Desmond, Issa Kargbo and Sean McGrath joining from Cork City.

On Murphy’s backroom staff this term for the season ahead will be Cork City goalscoring legend John O’Flynn, along with FAI Cup 1998 final winning goalscorer with the Leesiders Derek Coughlan.

Also on the Ramblers first team coaching staff are well regarded Cobh coach Conor Meade and former Waterford FC first team coach Fran Rockett.

Murphy is grateful for the members that comprise his backroom and coaching team at the club.

“That to me is essential as well with all the lads, such experience and they help the guys. It is good to get another voice, but it is the quality of voice then as well and the quality of coaching.

“The amount of work and effort that goes into preparing a team to get ready for the season is just phenomenal. I really couldn’t do it without any of them.

“Then you have the club in the background doing a lot of work helping. It all just comes together and builds a good environment and a good culture. That is what you want at a football club.” Cobh kick off their season on Saturday February 19th, as they travel to take on Longford Town.

They then play host to Wexford in their first home league game of 2022, before hosting Treaty United a week later on March the 4th.