New Championship season acts as 'clean slate for everyone' at Irish League club
Dundela captain Andy Hall insists the new Championship campaign will act as a “clean slate for everyone” at Wilgar Park – and feels former club Glenavon have a “target on their back” after dropping into Northern Ireland’s second tier.
The Duns endured a difficult start to last season, failing to win any of their opening 10 matches, leading to Cliffy Adams being appointed as new manager in October.
Dundela ultimately finished 11th – one spot ahead of Armagh City - but finished the campaign by losing just one of their final seven games.
With the likes of Benny Igiehon, Kyle Owens, Darius Roohi and Gary Donnelly joining throughout the summer window, there’s a sense of starting afresh for Dundela.
“There’s a real hunger this year,” said Hall. “Last year didn’t go to plan but this season is a clean slate for everyone.
"We have loads of fresh faces around the group and we have even freshened up where we train, we’re at Jordanstown now with great facilities.
"There’s a good mixture of players who have played in the Championship or at a higher level, and young players who are starting off and trying to get football on a consistent basis.
“It’ll bring a real competitive edge to the squad and players who were playing regularly last season are now looking over their shoulder seeing players looking to take the shirt, which can only be a positive thing.
"The attitude of everyone has been spot on, everybody is putting the work in and buying into the ideas Cliffy and the management team want.
"Cliffy has brought a real professional aspect to it. The training has been really good and we probably needed that freshen up like a lot of clubs do.”
Hall has enjoyed a successful career, making 187 appearances during his time at Glenavon, where he scored in their 2016 Irish Cup final win over Linfield at Windsor Park.
Now aged 36, Hall is still playing a key role for the Irish League club and is determined to keep going for as long as possible.
"The older you get, the more niggles you get, but it’s just a case of trying to manage it and being sensible," he added. “We all know our own bodies – I know I’m not 19 anymore and I can’t go on forever.
"It’s trying to manage yourself, maybe doing a bit more recovery away from football and there’s loads of sports science about now which helps.
"I’m just taking it season by season at the moment, but I would love to play for as long as I can and feel I’m contributing to the team.”
The Championship has expanded to 16 teams this season with Glenavon dropping down for the first time in over 20 years.
Michael O’Connor’s side are viewed as title favourites, but Hall has experienced just how competitive the league is with standards continuing to rise.
“It’s been really competitive the last few years and it’ll be the same this season,” he said. “My old club Glenavon are dropping down – I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces at Mourneview Park.
"When a Premiership team gets relegated, they tend to be seen as the favourites, so Glenavon will likely come down with that target on their back. They’ll soon find out how competitive the league is when the fixtures start.”