John Evans on how he ended up coaching Cill na Martra and his high hopes for 2023
Cill na Martra manager John Evans. Picture: Sportsfile
CILL na Martra manager John Evans is hoping his team will kick on in 2023.
Since winning the IFC back in 2018, the Gaeltacht side have reached the business end of the premier intermediate football championship in the first four seasons at the higher grade.
Kanturk have proved to be Cill na Martra’s nemesis, beating the team in blue and white in the 2019 quarter-final, and semi-finals in 2020 and 2022. Newmarket proved too strong for the Mid-Cork team in the 2021 semi.
Evans has over thirty years of managing teams behind him which included inter-county teams Tipperary, Roscommon and Wicklow and also operated as a coach of Meath under the then manager Séamus McEaney back in 2012.
The Killorglin native had success in his native Kerry at club level, most notably when he led his beloved Laune Rangers to All-Ireland senior club football glory in 1996.
So, it was a major coup for Cill na Martra when he came on board at the start of last season, so how did the opportunity come about?
“I actually had an offer from another club, and then there was contact made from a club in Cork called Cill na Martra. I had never been to Cill na Martra, I didn’t know a whole pile about them.
"A couple of days after the initial contact I was driving my son up to UCC and I decided to call to Cill na Martra on the way up and see what they had to say.
"I met a few of the committee members from the club and I found them really honest. I got to see the new gym for the players and walked around the pitch.
"I watched back previous games and I said to myself I can improve these boys. I went home, spoke to the family, that went well and I rang Cill na Martra to tell them I would accept the offer.
In Evans' first season at the club, they reached the semi-final of the Division 1 league, losing narrowly to St Finbarr’s in Togher, before winning the Tom Creedon Cup against Macroom to set them up nicely going into championship.
The Muskerry side suffered a shock defeat in the first group stage game against Nemo Rangers second team, before wins against neighbours Iveleary and city side St Vincent’s sent them through to the knockout stages. Aghada were defeated in the quarter-final but then suffered a heartbreaking loss to Kanturk after extra time in the last four: 1-14 to 1-13.
“It was just a case of fine margins. It was a truly incredible game of football. We had more than one opportunity to see out the game, we didn’t and that’s the way it goes. We were up two points with a couple of minutes remaining in normal time and in extra time we were up a point going into the last minute.
"We gave it absolutely everything, I couldn’t fault the lads. When the final whistle blew both sets of players threw themselves down to the ground, it was a tough defeat to take, but we just have to learn from it and kick on this season.”
Cill na Martra will be one of the favourites for the PIFC in 2023, something which isn’t new to them. They had been heavy favourites for a couple of seasons until they eventually won the IFC in 2018, and have been fancied to go the distance at Premier Intermediate level in recent years. Cill na Martra’s championship opposition this year will be Aghada, last year’s IAFC winners Kilshannig and Na Piarsaigh.
"We changed the style and structures last season, and I want to see more progress in that regard. The players are still getting used to me and I am still getting used to them. It was fine margins last season, and we are back preparing for the upcoming season, we are really looking forward to it.
“It will be a difficult championship group, Aghada did quite well against us in the quarter-final last season, Kilshannig are on a high after winning the county, and Na Piarsaigh are always a dogged side. We lost the opening game last season, and it put us on the back foot straight away. The first game against Aghada is huge.”
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