This article is from page 112 of the 2008-03-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 112 JPG
ENGLISH clubs are battling it out for the signature of talented Newmarket Celtic goalkeeper Shane Cusack.
Fifteen-year-old Cusack spent last week on trial at Colchester City, where he played against Cork City. It’s the fifth time in the past year he has travelled to play for the Champi- onship outfit.
Others too are monitoring Cusack’s progress, with Leicester City among the clubs keen to secure his services. Leicester know a bit about keepers, having famously given Peter Shilton his start in professional football.
Interest in the 6’3” stopper first emerged following his performances for Clare in the 2006 Kennedy Cup.
He travelled to Colchester in Au- gust 2007 and since then has trained with the club’s first team and started a match in a friendly tie against lower league opposition.
The East Anglian club were impressed with Cusack’s ob- vious physical at-
tributes, sound hands and booming goal kicks.
If, as anticipated, Cusack does make
the move, he would sign a two-year
apprenticeship contract and learn his trade on the club’s Youths Training Scheme (YTS).
Cusack wore the number one shirt for Clare squads at under 14, under 15, under 16 and at
youth level.
This season he made his debut at senior lev- el, between the posts for his hometown club Newmarket Celtic.
A graduate of the eV acm oniCom(ouse my itbee ster Emerging ‘Talent Programme at Lees Road, Cusack caught the eyes of English scouts for his perform-
ances at Ireland’s Premier underage tournament, the Kennedy Cup. Cusack’s rapid progress through the
ranks highlights the massive strides
made in recent years at grassroots level in Clare soccer. Shane’s father Seamus, is proud of his son’s com- mitment to playing at the highest lev- el. “That was the fifth time he was over. It’s a pretty tough schedule over there. You have to be really commit- ted to make it.”
Seamus praised the input of coaches in Clare and of St Patrick’s Athletic number one and Ennis man Barry Ryan. “Denis Hynes (FAI County Development Officer), Ronnie Pyne and Pat Tarrant have been great as well. Denis was his coach all the way along and he did a few coaching ses- sions with Barry Ryan which were creat.”