Southern Utd signs nine new players

Paul O'Reilly. Cropped pic. Photo: File
Paul O'Reilly
Nine new signings headline the first Southern United squad of the season.

The team has named 20 players - including two youths to train with the side - as it begins its national football premiership pre-season on Sunday.

A handful of spots remain open and coach Paul O'Reilly is optimistic about where things are heading.

After finishing bottom of the league last season, he is hoping to put together a squad which could finish further up.

''We've added a number of players, some imports, some locals and some from around New Zealand that we're hoping will be able to bridge that gap for us,'' he said.

''The big challenge is still there; we just don't have much of a budget.

''I'd like to bring some of the players that are from here back down here, but I can't afford to.

''We've gone for players that we think are hungry and looking for a chance and we've still got four or five to add.

''I'm positive about it and optimistic that we can improve on last year.''

Irishman Garbhan Coughlan joins the team from Limerick FC and reports out of Ireland suggest he could be a top addition.

A forward, he essentially replaces countryman Eric Molloy, who has moved to Team Wellington.

The other five Irishmen brought in last year have remained and look set to stay in the region long-term.

That was a big positive, O'Reilly said, adding Coughlan would help bolster the attacking threat that was lacking last year.

Also boosting that threat are Hayato Wakino, of Southland FC, alongside Omar Guardiola, of Nelson Suburbs.

Local trio Morgan Day, Jared Grove and Tom Connor also come into the fold, after being unavailable for personal reasons last year.

Guardiola's club team-mate, Kristian Gibson, would strengthen the defensive line, while youth player Alex Cox, down from Wairarapa for university, would train with the side, O'Reilly said.

The losses were not insignificant, though.

Regular first-team players Ross Howard and Harley Rodeka would be felt the most, being overseas and injured respectively, alongside Molloy.

Despite that, O'Reilly was hoping the team could continue to build on the foundation it established last year and now aim higher up the table.

A top-six finish was his target, although he admitted that would not be easy.

He said improving the travel logistics would help with that, while building squad depth was key.

Last year he felt the side's first-choice team had shown it was competitive, although it battled when players were unavailable.

However, it was important to make sure players from outside the region were quality and significantly better than the local options.

Complementing local players with quality signings was key to success, he said.

The team would begin training on Sunday and would likely have pre-season matches against Canterbury and Tasman United ahead of the October 22 season kick-off date.

Southern United first squad for 2017/18 (players to be added):

Goalkeeper: Liam Little. Defenders: Stephen Last, Conor O’Keeffe, Kristian Gibson, Tom Connor, Alex Cox*. Midfielders: Danny Ledwith, Michael Hogan, Hamish Cotter, Andrew Ridden, Jared Grove, Morgan Day, Aidan Barbour-Ryan, Jack Pirie*. Forwards: Andy Mulligan, Danny Furlong, Ben Wade, Hayato Wakino, Garbhan Coughlan, Omar Guardiola. Players still to be added.

* Youth player training with senior team.

Gains: Kristian Gibson (Nelson Suburbs), Tom Connor (Roslyn­Wakari), Alex Cox (Wairarapa/ Hawke’s Bay United), Jared Grove (Green Island), Morgan Day (Mosgiel), Aidan Barbour-Ryan (Selwyn), Hayato Wakino (Southland), Garbhan Coughlan (Limerick FC), Omar Guardiola (Nelson Suburbs).
Key losses: Ross Howard (overseas), Harley Rodeka (injured), Jude Fitzpatrick (injured), Eric Molloy (Team Wellington), Sam Cosgrove (injured), Ben O’Farrell (overseas).
    

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