Paul McDonagh has made a romantic return to Ide Hill Football Club as their new 1st team manager.
The UEFA A licence holder took on the role at the end of last season for the second time in his career and has laid down a challenge for his players in the forthcoming season.
McDonagh takes over from former manager Keith McGinn following the latter’s decision to retire from management. Paul admitted his delight to be back at a place that he was extremely fond of.
He stated: “I’m really pleased. I’ve known Keith a long time and although we’ve never lived in each other’s pockets we have similar views on how football should be played and how footballers should behave.”
McDonagh’s challenge for the players is to get promotion to the Kent County Premier League in his first full season with the club since 2010. He also wants to bring the Sevenoaks Senior Charity Cup back to the club who have held it three times in the last six years.
Ide Hill’s first team play their home matches on the 3G pitch at Wrotham School and have done so since joining the Kent County league in 2012. They currently play in the Division One West along with local rivals Otford United.
Paul is a UEFA A licence holder and his past positions have included management roles at Chipstead FC Reserves, Bearstead FC, Rusthall FC, and the Charlton Athletic FC Womens team.
His UEFA A Licence is a coaching licence from UEFA, the official governing body of European football. The licence is one level below the UEFA Pro Licence and allows holders to be head coaches of men’s professional second-tier clubs, youths up to age 18, and reserve teams for top-flight clubs.
