Mid season Report Card - Cabinteely

Club: Cabinteely.

Director of Football: Pat Devlin.

Stadium: Stradbrook.

Highest attendance this season: 813 vs Bray Wanderers.

Cabinteely’s opening night clash against Bray Wanderers saw 813 punters pass through the turnstiles at Stradbrook to see the Seagulls see off Cabo by three goals to nil.

Highest league goalscorer: Rob Manley (12).

Mid-season position: 5th.

 

How we thought they would do

Extratime.ie’s pre-season staff predictions expected a poor enough showing from Pat Devlin’s side this term, predicting his side to come in 8th position ahead of Athlone Town and Wexford FC.



How they really have done

Cabinteely have confounded almost every pre-season expectation, lying well in contention for a Playoff spot at the very least. The South Dubliner’s have built up quite an impressive run of form away from home having beaten highly fancied Longford Town, Shelbourne and Drogheda United all away from Stradbrook.

Rob Manley is the First Division’s top scorer with twelve goals to his name thus far having joined the club during the off-season from Drogheda. Pat Devlin has also cultivated a very strong team ethic in his squad which has left Cabinteely very difficult to break down at the best of times, with Conor Keeley and Jack Tuite’s defensive qualities shining throughout.

The addition of youth has really helped Cabo along the way as Eoin Massey, Alex Aspil, Jack Hudson and Vilius Labutis have all come into the squad to telling effect with some fine showings well beyond their years.

Moment of the season so far

With all of the pre-season talk circling around Shelbourne’s transfer business, it almost seemed as if the Reds first home clash at Cabinteely was to be an exhibition as of such. However, Pat Devlin’s side were to pay no heed to this supposed narrative.



Oscar Brennan fired Shels a goal up very early on, but Cabinteely soon roared back to score three through Conor Keeley, Rob Manley and a stunning Kieran ‘Marty’ Waters strike with just a quarter of an hour to play. Jack Hudson then scored an unfortunate own goal to cause a few jitters, but Cabo held out for what seemed like an improbable win at the beginning of the night.

The result was a strong indication of the players character who finished the 2018 campaign limply – showing that Cabinteely were a force to be reckoned with in the 2019 First Division.

Star Player: Rob Manley

Arguably the find of the First Division season, Rob Manley has certainly stood out for Cabinteely so far in 2019. The ex-Bohemians striker has 12 goals to his name after 17 appearances for the South Dubliners.  

Given the supposed narrative about the lack of scorers in the First Division, and the League of Ireland in general, it is no surprise that the 21 year old’s name has been on the lips of many fans in both divisions, however, the red-hot striker has shown that he is unmoved by the increased interest in his performances.

There may very well be a tug-of-war for the striker’s signature in the coming weeks should he be allowed to depart Stradbrook, but that appears quite unlikely to say the least. If Manley was to stay and continue on his current form, Cabinteely may very well find themselves in a serious promotion tilt come August and September.  

Surprise star player: Jack Hudson

Coming into the 2019 First Division as a bit of an unknown quantity, young defender Jack Hudson has proved that he is a major part of Cabinteely’s early season form along with the defensive duo of Jack Tuite and Conor Keeley.

Hudson, usually playing on the left of the three defenders, has surprised many with his defensive steel in his 14 appearances to date. There is still plenty of scope for the young defender to improve upon in the later half of 2019 – with the 19-year-old hoping to play a key role in the club’s potential late season promotion push.

Young player: Vilius Labutis

Midfielder Vilius Labutis has established himself as one of the key members of Cabinteely’s high-flying team with many assured showings. Labutis, made the move to the cub’s senior set-up having a played a year of under-17 football the year’s previous.

The 18-year-old has seen his last month blighted by injury having been forced off early against Longford Town, but he is nearing a return to full fitness which will put him back in contention for a starting berth that he made his own after a stellar start to the season.

Labutis has certainly turned heads among the 2019 First Division and is also more than capable of pushing on once more following the mid-season break with a Playoff push for Cabo.

Star signing: Rob Manley

As already explained, Manley has proved to be a huge part of Cabinteely’s unlikely early-season form with the 21-year-old already showing signs that he is ready to push on during the second half of the season for Pat Devlin’s side.

What they need to do in the transfer market

Not much needs to be added to Pat Devlin’s squad which is burgeoning of quality and ability, but you get the impression that perhaps one or two more experienced heads may be required in terms of helping the younger, more inexperienced players through the rest of the season.

Cabo have been punished for their naivety at times. In short, experience would be a welcome addition to Devlin’s strong dressing room but as always during the summer transfer window, it is always difficult to get who is most desired for.

Where we see them finishing

Cabinteely are more than capable of going on another imperious run of form which saw them reach the top of the First Division in May, however the question remains, can they peg back Shelbourne who are looking somewhat ominous at the moment?

Cabo have already confounded what many people thought of what they could achieve for 2019, but they will certainly not want to stop there at all. Pat Devlin has a very grounded and talented squad at his disposal who will give everything to his side’s cause.

A playoff spot is definitely achievable, however, that does mean that the South Dubliners will have to unseat one of Drogheda United, Limerick or Longford Town at the present moment in time while Bray Wanderers will also fancy their chances at making a late dash for the Playoffs.