These are encouraging times for Renmore AFC. On and off the field progress is being made so Saturday's promotion to the Galway FA premier division provided further encouraging evidence.
Stuart Donoghue's charges defeated Merlin Woods/Medtronic to secure a place in the top flight for the 2022/2023 campaign.
"Over the past three years we have been trying to get into the premier, we have been working hard," Donoghue says.
"In the last two seasons with Covid and the breaks it has been disappointing. We could make all of the excuses over the last couple of years, but if we went up it probably would have been too soon to be honest. I think we are stronger for it and we are looking forward to the challenge now."
Returning to the premier division will be an adventure for Donoghue's squad which has a nice blend of established and emerging footballers.
"It is the one thing we said when we took over two or three years ago we wanted to try to get as much youth into the team as possible, to build something for the future, not just the short term," Donoghue explains.
"That was the plan, you have your stalwarts there like Paddy Gannon and Keith Fitzgerald, the older lads are the spine of the team, obviously. A lot of young lads in Renmore over the years went off to Galway United and various teams.
"To get them back in, to keep them, to build on that, it is a really good group of lads. That is the plan for the next few years, to get as many of their friends in as possible, to keep the core group."
Donoghue is delighted that Renmore are showing signs of improvement. "You see the likes of Athenry, they have the same team there for three or four years, you just get stronger and stronger every year," Donoghue adds. "That is what we are trying to aspire to."
**Listen to the full interview with Renmore AFC manager Stuart Donoghue on this week's 'Cian on Sport' podcast available on Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
