'We'll have a competition going on' - Family rivalry helping motivate Irish League star ahead of club's historic moment
Callum Ferris is determined to add more goals to his game this season, not only to help new club Oxford Sunnyside establish themselves in the Irish League, but also to earn family bragging rights over brothers Nathaniel and Codey.
The 23-year-old, who started out at Portadown, enjoyed spells across the water with Middlesbrough and William Carey University in Mississippi before returning home to represent Loughgall, Dollingstown, Ballyclare Comrades and Annagh United.
Ferris joined Paddy McCrory’s Sunnyside this summer ahead of their first-ever Irish League campaign after they defeated Strabane Athletic in a promotion play-off following another Mid-Ulster Intermediate A title success.
He marked his club debut by scoring in last week’s 3-1 BetMcLean Cup defeat to Moyola Park and will hope to further add to his tally when Portstewart visit Knockramer Park on Saturday afternoon.
Older sibling Nathaniel scored 15 Premiership goals for Loughgall last season as Dean Smith’s side enjoyed a tremendous top-flight return and is already off the mark in the new campaign having netted in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Portadown.
Their younger brother Codey, who is 19, departed Lakeview Park for Rathfriland Rangers this summer having netted 11 times for Loughgall’s reserves throughout 2023/24 and Callum admits there’ll be some healthy competition.
"Nathaniel scored the other night as well and we'll have a wee competition going on,” he said. “Our wee brother Codey is at Rathfriland this season too.
"Hopefully it's a big season for us all and it can be providing we avoid injuries. Nathaniel did so well for Loughgall last season scoring 15 goals for a team that finished ninth - it's some going. I need to score as many goals as I can and I want to add more to my game.
"I was buzzing for Nathaniel last season - he was scoring basically every week. He's a good player and in a good Loughgall team as well. He has bought into everything they are doing."
While the Portstewart clash will mark Sunnyside’s first as an Irish League club, many of their squad members have experience of playing at this level and beyond, including 43-year-old Peter McCann, who won a league title with Portadown, Dale Malone has been of the books of Carrick Rangers, Annagh United and Dollingstown, and Chris Lavery spent time with Glenavon, Dungannon Swifts, Glentoran and the Ports.
"You look at our squad on paper and it's really strong,” added ex-Northern Ireland youth international Ferris. “Another key factor for going to the club was wanting to be part of their success.
"They've had success over the last three or four years but this is a whole other ball game. It's a great time to come in and I'm excited for it. We believe in our own ability that we can go and compete.
"We've a lot of experienced players mixed in with younger players. In training we're looking really good and our objective is to pick up trophies and keep pushing up the ladder."