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Gary Ferry, 15 Jun
Kevin Deery is determined to transform Institute into title challengers
as he returns to the club for a second spell as manager.
The club announced that Deery would resume the role towards the end of
last week and already the former Derry City midfielder is outing plans
in place to ensure a more progressive season for the club.
The removal of Warrenpoint’s NIFL License ensured that ‘Stute would not
feature in a relegation play-off, but their senior status was under
genuine threat beforehand after a run of just two wins in 21 left them
second bottom of the Lough 41 Championship.
Deery's two seasons with the Drumahoe club back in 2016 and 2017 saw
them narrowly miss out on promotion to the Danske Bank Premiership
twice, losing to Ballinamallard and Carrick Rangers in a playoff.
However, 'Stute did win the Intermediate Cup beating Ards in the final
at Windsor Park in his first season in charge.
“I have really fond memories of the last time I was here, and that’s
why I expressed an interest again and at down and had a thorough
interview and a good chat with them,” he explained.
“There are good people at the club, and they have sort of lost their
way over the last few years, for whatever reason, be it covid, or
different management styles and going down different roads, and not
going with home grown, young, youthful players that want to use it as a
platform and push on.
“I think that’s been a big problem and that’s where I intend to get
them again, by bringing in a young Ciaron Harkin, Shane McGinty, Dean
Curry, Stevie O’Donnell, Aaron Jarvis; there have been a lot of players
who have gone on and made good names in the Irish Premiership or the
League of Ireland, and that’s where we have to go again.”
Deery left the club at the end of the 2016/17 season to become
assistant to Gerard Lyttle at Sligo Rovers. But he has since wondered
if he should have stayed to continue the good work he had started.
“In hindsight I did say that,” he admitted. “There were two play-off
defeats and it was a long time ago and I was a young man; I think I was
only 31. I took it very personally and me being a winner, it hurt me
badly. But on reflection I probably should have just taken a step back
and said that we were doing quite well, and we were punching above our
weight and we nearly got to the Premiership a few times.”
Alongside Deery will be his number two Mo Mahon, who has been an
Academy coach at Derry City for five years.
“I’ve known him my whole life,” Deery said. “He’s done brilliant work
at Derry and he’s great with young adults. He has totally transformed
his life from 17 or 18 years ago as well and he’s open and honest with
that. He never stops thinking about football and he always wants to
learn.
“I have watched quite a few of his sessions and he’s good on the pitch.
It was a no brainer for me. I want someone who’s going to challenge me
as well. You need that to have a healthy relationship, and I think he
will be perfect for me. He’s a good, deep thinker and he’s also great
with young adults.”
Rebuilding
Deery’s first job is to assemble a squad capable of climbing the
Championship table, a challenging prospect given the limited budget at
the club.
“I want to try and build a young, hungry team who really want to use
Institute as a platform because for years it has always been,” he
explained. “I’m sure they won’t mind me saying that. They have always
moved players on to bigger and better things and that’s a remit we have
got to get back to. We also have to protect the club in getting the
players on the right, proper contracts so the club can get what the
player is worth.”
With the new season set to start in August there is no waiting about
for Deery, who feels he is much more mature coming into the role as
manager for a second time.
“I’m calmer but I still want my players driven on the pitch and if they
come with that mentality and that personality and they want to be more
or less semi-professional footballers, that’s what we want,” he stated.
“If you’re happy to sit at Institute struggling at the bottom of the
division, it will probably be a handshake and then we’ll look for
different personnel and that’s as simple as that because we have to try
and get them back to the top.
“Ultimately, you’re judged on what you leave behind, and I left
Institute in a really good place when I left. That was the conversation
we had this time around. For me now coming in, that’s what I have to do
again. I have to get them up around the top end of the Championship,
competitive and pushing to get into the Premiership and that’s my only
goal to try and get there.”