O’Connor urges fans to get out and support CK United in season opener

Nine years of building from the ground up will culminate in a landmark moment for CK United on Saturday when the club's first-ever senior team takes to the pitch at SETU Carlow Sports Campus against Newbridge Town in the National League, the third tier of the League of Ireland.

It promises to be a historic occasion not just for the club, but for football in the region.

At the helm is Tom O'Connor, who has overseen the task of assembling a squad from scratch ahead of the club's inaugural senior campaign. O'Connor brings extensive experience to the role, having spent 13 years coaching in League of Ireland academies and previously managing Wexford.

Ahead of the season opener, O'Connor has called on supporters to get behind the team and create a memorable atmosphere for the occasion.

"Please come out and support the lads. They're genuinely so looking forward to representing the region, the clubs they came from, and their family and friends.

Please get out and support them because they are living for that moment to walk out in front of you and do you all proud. It would be great to see you all there."

CK United head into their opening fixture with confidence after recording two wins from three pre-season outings. More importantly for O'Connor, he believes the squad has made significant progress during its first few months together.

"We're ready to play games. We'll make mistakes and there will be tests and difficult moments, but I keep going back to the character of the team.

Whatever they face, whether we have to make changes or tweak things, they're ready to take on the information and deal with whatever comes their way. I feel we're in a good place."

The manager says excitement has steadily increased within both the squad and the wider club as the opening fixture has drawn closer.

"The mood is really good. There's a good bit of excitement, not just around the group itself but around the club because we're getting very close.

When I started, this felt like a long way away. Bringing a new group of players together, building relationships, setting standards and developing how we want to play has taken time, but we're just about ready."

While encouraged by the results achieved during pre-season, O'Connor insists performances and development have been far more important than scorelines.

"Before every game I tell them the results really don't matter. It's about performance and putting what we do in training onto the pitch.

"I saw a lot of that throughout pre-season, which was pleasing. We learned a huge amount, particularly from the defeat. Players often learn more from a loss than they do from a win."

The former Wexford manager believes the process of learning and improvement will continue long after competitive action begins.

"Because we've been together such a short time, it's not going to click straight away. We'll continue learning as we go.

From a coach's point of view, we've identified areas we need to tidy up, but nothing major. Football is generally very simple. It's about keeping players healthy, fit and making sure everybody understands their roles and responsibilities."

As for expectations in CK United's debut campaign, O'Connor says competitiveness is the immediate priority.

"We want to be competitive first and foremost. We want to go into every game knowing we have a chance of winning it.

If we can do that, we'd hope to get out of the group and then go as far as we possibly can. Obviously it would be prestigious to win the competition, and that's something every club will be aiming for."

However, O'Connor believes success will be measured by more than results alone, with player development central to the club's long-term vision.

"We have six Under-20 players in the squad and success would be seeing those players still involved at the end of the season, with even more academy players coming through.

I'd like us to be sitting here at the end of the year talking about a group that has grown together, established itself at this level and attracted supporters to come and watch."

Ultimately, O'Connor hopes the club's first senior season will help cement CK United's place within the League of Ireland structure.

"I'd like people to see CK United as a senior club. No longer just an academy club, but a proper League of Ireland club with a senior team.

That's what we are now. We have a fully-fledged academy beneath us and a senior team to match it. I'd like people to see us as that by the end of the season."