Downey keen to usher in a period of success at Town

Banbridge Town’s new chairman Dominic Downey is hopeful his time at the helm will be one of progress both on and off the pitch.
Banbridge Town FCs new Chairman Dominic Downey and his committee.Banbridge Town FCs new Chairman Dominic Downey and his committee.
Banbridge Town FCs new Chairman Dominic Downey and his committee.

All of the signs coming out of Crystal Park over the close season have been positive and Downey is confident that Town are a club very much on the up.

“I’m relatively happy with how things are going,” he said. “A lot of very good work has gone on over the course of the last year under Stephen (Radcliffe).

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“Things were very focused on off the field issues but on the pitch, things could have gone better.

“However, Ryan (Watson) has moved to strengthen the squad with some very good signings.”

Downey knows, however, that any signs of progress on the field of play must be matched by similar strides off it to bring forth a future further up the Northern Irish football pyramid.

“We need to make sure we get a Championship License,” he said. “If we don’t put in the work required there, we could find ourselves successful on the pitch but still refused entry to the league next season.”

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The club have also worked hard for forge much publicised links to Banbridge Town Juniors and Banbridge Town Ladies. While Downey admits the three clubs are not yet together as one, he is happy with the progress being made.

He said: “I’m happy that we have a good committee in place. We have guys on board now who have strong links to the senior team but lately have been involved with the Juniors. The likes of Peter Watson coming onto the senior committee is a very positive step.
“We also have Paul Cull, the chairman of the Ladies club on the senior committee. It shows that moves are in place to pull all of the clubs operating under the Town banner together as one club.

“It’s by no means the finished article but it’s fantastic to have representatives of all three clubs in the senior committee.

“Now we all have to work together to strengthen our ties and build a strong club of seniors, juniors and ladies - one club for all.”

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After taking on the top role, Downey was also keen to point to the guidance of his predecessors.

He said: “I look to people like Andrew Cully, who has a real passion for the club and is somebody I can go to for advice. Guys like that are vital for the club. Stephen Radcliffe has been a fantastic help to me as well and someone I will go to for help.”