Lurgan Celtic aiming high as they plot Mid Ulster assault

Michael Smyth believes the embers of Lurgan Celtic have been well and truly stoked as the club looks to start climbing the Mid Ulster Football League ladder.

The Lord Lurgan Park outfit find themselves wedged in a hot promotion battle this season, sitting second in the table following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with fellow title rivals Bessbrook United.

Six years ago the Wee Hoops reached the semi-finals of the Irish Cup and were campaigning in Championship 1.

But in 2019 the club bowed out of senior football due to financial pressures, a decision that sent shockwaves throughout the Irish League football family.

Out of the ashes Celtic retained a junior set-up and then kicked off a new era in Mid Ulster football.

And despite the horrible demise of 2016, Smyth says the club still harbours big ambition to get back to where they belong.

“For a club of Lurgan Celtic’s size, everyone is saying we need to get out of this division as soon as possible,” Smyth told Match on Tuesday.

“But nothing is handed to you, and you have to earn the right to get promoted. Hopefully we can do the business.”

Smyth added: “I have been manager since Lurgan Celtic entered Division 3. I coached in the academy and my dad is one of the kitmen. So he was delighted when I took the job.

“It is a club with big ambitions. People refer to us as a sleeping giant, and they are right.

“I grew up with the club, watching them train and play when I was about 12 years of age. It means a lot to me, and managing the first team means the world to me.

“It was tough watching the club fall the way it did, especially after all the hard work that had gone in before.

“But the club has gone back to its roots, and we have players now who are not just playing for money. They are