Crosshaven are ready for a new Munster Senior League challenge

The Beamish Stout Senior Second Division will kick off next week with a new, if familiar face in the 12-team section.

After a difficult few seasons since their elevation from the Cork AUL, Buttevant have regraded and will compete in the junior grades next season.

Taking their place in the senior level’s third tier will be Crosshaven, the oldest club in Cork, having been founded in 1898 by British soldiers stationed at Ford Camden, a corner kick away from the club’s grounds.

They are also one of seven current Munster Senior League clubs to have won the league’s top honours; in 1975, following two seasons unbeaten yet still only producing that one title.

Having operated in the junior ranks in more recent years, the club has decided to return to the senior grades.

Crosshaven were promoted to the junior premier division in 2019, after which Seamus Murphy took charge and while his first two seasons were covid-interrupted, he has been with the team since their elevation to the junior grade’s top flight.

Crosshaven’s league standings haven’t been impressive since then — they finished sixth in 2022, were in the bottom two in 2023, but still stayed up, and finished fourth from bottom in 2024.

It was another close call last year, finishing just outside the relegation zone, but that didn’t tell the full story of the season.

Murphy’s side had been top for a spell and they also reached the final of the Beamish Stout Junior Super Cup, which they lost to league champions Ringmahon Rangers, leading Murphy and the club to believe that they could make the grade at senior level.

It was also felt that it was the best step forward for Crosshaven.

“Even before the start of last season, we had been talking about entering the senior grade,” Murphy explained.

“It’s important for a club to have a senior team to give your own players something to aim for.

“We had underage players who went playing with other clubs in the league, as well as at Cobh Ramblers and Cork City. When players finish playing underage, they want to play senior and we didn’t have that outlet, so we wanted to give them a place to come back to the club.”

“There is an attraction to play senior, and you lose players if you remain junior, so we had to make the move. I think it’s the right decision and the players and the committee are right behind it.

“During last season, we played friendlies against senior teams and I felt we were comfortable enough in those games.”

The make-up of Crosshaven’s squad over the past couple of seasons has been a mix of youth and experience, with heavy emphasis on youth.

“We have played games when most of the team were under 20 years of age and while we have experienced senior players in James Kind and Adam Kiely, it is very much a young side.

“We have brought in Shane Fielding, who was part of last season’s all-conquering College Corinthians youth team and who has already been on the mark for us in a couple of friendlies.

“We also have players like Lee Morley and Padraig Murphy, who won the FAI Youth Cup with Douglas Hall.

“Rob Twomey, who played in Cork underage teams, has also come in, having been studying in Galway.”

Crosshaven started the junior premier division in flying form last season, not least because of the goalscoring exploits of Lee Crinnion.

However, a lengthy suspension robbed the Camden outfit of their main goal threat and that was reflected on the table as they slipped back in the rankings.

“Losing Lee for so long was a huge bearing on where we finished. In fact, I think, despite being out for so long, he still came close to finishing top scorer.”

“He is a big player for us and he is well suited to the way we play.”

Murphy admits it’s a step-up to the senior ranks, but also insists that they are not just there to make up the numbers.

“We want to earn promotion and we want to win the league. I think, as a squad, we will be better prepared than we were last season.

“There were occasions when we had injuries, but couldn’t bring players up from our second team and we had to shoehorn fellas into different positions.

“That won’t be the case this season, as we will be able to call on players in our second team, when needed.”

Passage and Mallow United were promoted from the second division last season, with Leeside United and Lakewood Athletic coming down after just one season in the second tier. Murphy expects both to be in contention again this season.

“They will be strong in this division and Fermoy will be there also, but we are really focused on ourselves and our own targets.

“We have been preparing well with a few friendlies. We played Carrigaline juniors last week and were 3-0 ahead at half-time. We changed the team in the second half and it finished 3-0.

“We played Everton seniors last Friday and were shorthanded on the night and they were that bit stronger on the night 

“We will also play Corinthians’ junior side and, hopefully, we will have another game before the season starts.

“It’s an exciting time for the club and we are all looking forward to it.”