Know your team: Guide to the Treaty United squad of 2024

Treaty United open their season against Cobh Ramblers.

Treaty United will line out for the opening game of their League of Ireland First Division campaign at 7.45pm this evening against Cobh Ramblers

And with new Canadian owner Ciara McCormack at the helm, things will be done differently at Markets Field in 2024, as already showcased by her swift decision to change the club’s colours from red and white stripes to the famous blue of Limerick senior soccer.

That was a popular move with fans, as was the decision to pay for a bus to Waterford last season. Agreeing an official partnership with Treaty City Brewery (where Treaty fans will meet before tonight’s game) also suggests that positive moves are being made off the pitch.

On the football front, the Treaty United women’s side have already benefited considerably from McCormack’s contact book with a host of talented Canadian girls signing up for the 2024 season, but it is probably fair to say that winter transfer news has underwhelmed on the men’s team front.

Whether that underwhelm is justified however, is a question that results will soon answer.

Treaty United assemble young squad for 2024.

The young profile of this Treaty squad (an average age of 22.1 as per Transfermarkt) means that there is a scarcity of proven League of Ireland players; a factor which was always going to make the squad appear weak on paper.

Talisman Enda Curran (ST, 31) and winger Stephen Christopher (WG, 27) will be important again this season for that reason, especially following the departure of ex-captain Marc Ludden, as will new signings Alec Byrne (CM, 24) and Yoyo Mahdy (ST, 25), who join from Cobh Ramblers and Bray Wanderers respectively. The return of Callum McNamara (CM, 22) from Galway could also be significant if he can keep fit.

Other signings, Oisin O’Reilly, Evan O’Connor, Adam O’Halloran, Mark O’Halloran and David Tarmey (all Galway) and Thomas Considine (Wexford FC) are, however, on the younger side. The permanent signing of last year’s Galway under-19 captain Adam O’Halloran (RB/CM, 19) on a part-time pro deal might be the most impressive addition as he is somebody who previously skippered Ireland at under-16 level, but nippy winger Thomas Considine (WG, 21), is also well worth watching.

The Kildare native is being tipped to mirror the exciting exploits of Willie Armshaw (WG, 24) out wide on the wing after some eye-catching pre-season performances. If he does so, he will add to the long list of extremely astute additions made by manager Tommy Barrett since the founding of the football club back in 2020.

Homegrown

If some fans don’t know what to expect from this season, or indeed future seasons, then they can at least take comfort in Barrett’s knack of moulding competitive squads through his impressive knowledge of the domestic player pool.

And underlining the importance of having a functional football club in the Midwest region is the emergence of a host of Treaty United academy graduates who will only strengthen the Irish game as they grow and develop with experience.

Teenage defenders Darren Nwankwo (CB, 18) and Robbie Lynch (RB, 17) already have important experience under their belts and, for the first time, enter a League of Ireland season with a degree of expectation on their young shoulders. Both players are on the radar of English clubs, such was the impression they made in the First Division in 2023.

Hoping to replicate their first team impact are the likes of Michael Dike (GK, 17), Scott Kirkland (CB, 20) and Fionn Doherty (WG, 19) but other new faces will also find themselves with opportunities as the season progresses and injury list inevitably grows.

What to know: The re-generation of this Treaty squad marks one step towards the professionalism of the football club. Although the squad might be weaker on paper, the contracted players completed an extensive pre-season fitness plan and are now training more days a week than was the case in previous campaigns. Some players even find themselves on part-time professional deals.

That could compensate for the departures of talents such as Marc Ludden, Success Edogun and Conor Barry to a large degree; the rest of the difference must be made up by fresh faces finding their feet quickly – something which isn’t always easy in a physical and unforgiving league.

What to expect: Making the play-offs was a bridge too far last season and the squad has lost key players since. Yet, somehow, the idea of Barrett having more time on the training pitch with a young ambitious squad tempts you to believe that performance levels could be better this term than last. Treaty fans have learned to expect the unexpected from a Barrett-managed team and it would feel disrespectful to the manager’s achievements to write them out of the play-off hunt this season.

2024 Predicted first choice XI: Corey Chambers; Ben O’Riordan, Mark Walsh, Darren Nwankwo, Oisin O’Reilly; Stephen Christopher, Callum McNamara, Lee Devitt, Thomas Considine; Enda Curran, Yoyo Mahdy

Predicted finish: 5th place (play-off semi-finals)