New management team confirmed as Imokilly plan senior football return

With a view to returning Imokilly football to the pitch for the 2026 season, the division has confirmed the appointment of Imokilly joint senior football managers as Aghada’s John O’Connor and Castlemartyr’s Martin Enright are set to lead the project.

There is familiarity – the pair have worked together previously with Cork underage squads – while joining them in the backroom team are James Cronin (Midleton), Pat McHugh (Glenville), Seanie Bowes (Castlemartyr), Aidan Daridus (Youghal) and Paul O’Driscoll (Youghal), all who have been named as selectors. Both Daridus and O’Driscoll having previously worked alongside O’Connor and Enright.

McHugh has been with Glenville and Imokilly before while Kerry native Cronin – from Dr Crokes and now with Midleton – adds more experience, along with Bowes, who was part of the Imokilly Cork SFC winning teams in 1984 and 1986.

Eoin Deasy (Aghada) will oversee medical matters, with Lauren McAllister (Aghada) appointed as physiotherapist, while Dan Linehan (Glenville) will take charge of statistics and video analysis.

O’Connor arrives having guided Aghada to the East Cork U21 A Football Championship title in 2024, while also contributing to Cork underage set-ups in recent seasons. Enright, meanwhile, was part of the Imokilly backroom team during the 2022 campaign, working as strength and conditioning coach.

Crucially, the appetite to re-establish the senior side has not been an issue.

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“There're between 60 and 70 lads who are eager to come and try out for the team and see if they can make it into Imokilly football for the year,” O’Connor begins. “There’s loads of enthusiasm for it, and there're a big number in this, so we're not chasing fellas.

“The fact that players are putting their hand up and saying they want this, is a good sign for football in the area.” 

Getting the senior team going again is something that O’Connor has been eyeing up for a while.

“It's been a case of the few of us who were there involved, myself, Martin and Aidan in particular, would have been talking about this for a long time. We've been involved with the under-age squads from East U14s up to the U16s.

“We've seen the talent that's there and we were on about putting something in place for them for when they come out of minor,” he says. “We were talking to the board about getting in a minor team.

“There's an U18 regional competition planned for the summer, but the minors need to see a senior team to have something to aim for. Richie Cahill was the liaison between ourselves and the board.

“At the moment everything is going well, and hopefully it continues that way.” 

For year one, the target is straightforward.

“Get out of the unseeded section and get into the seeded round with Carbery, Duhallow and Muskerry, and see how we shape up against them,” O’Connor remarks. “We won't put any limits on what we're aiming for.

“We need to get a team organised, get them on the pitch and win the first day and see where it takes us after that.

“We are hoping to try and keep this going throughout the year if we can, maybe one night a month.

“What we're planning on doing is get it going for the year and when we're knocked out of the championship eventually – it could be quick, it could be slow – but if we go one night a month for any player who wants to play for Imokilly, we want to create something that will last.

We want to turn Imokilly football into a club mentality.