Young could be the answer for Kee’s Premier ambition

Last season the Waterside men continued to struggle to find a regular right-back after Sean Roddy picked up a serious knee injury in pre-season.

Incidentally Roddy is expected to get knee surgery in the next few weeks and is then hoping to be back in 
late September.

The likes of Graham Crown, Stephen O’Donnell and Ryan Semple to name but three players who all slotted in and did fine at right-back last season. But Kee has always been on the look out for a modern day defender and on Saturday in their first pre-season game of the year youngster Matthew Young ticked 
all the boxes.

“He’s very good and I basically got to know him because of the college course I’m running in Omagh and he was in my excellence programme,” Kee said.

“Matthew is a boy that I rate highly, he had a full season last year in Championship One in a struggling Coagh United team but it has stood him in good stead.

“He’s a modern full-back. He’s quick, he loves getting forward and he’s a great young lad who I have a lot of time for so he’s a boy who we are 
optimistic about.

“He’s from Cookstown and is coming up to do pre-season training and see how he feels about possibly signing.

“Matthew knows quite a few of the squad and because of that we are hoping he decides to sign and kicks on and hopefully he’ll come on board.”

Also playing at Wilton Park on Saturday were trio Dwayne McManus, Aaron Rogan and Jude Ballard and Kee is hopefully the trio will sign.

“We are optimistic that Dwayne will sign. He played for Dergview last year and every time he played against us he impressed,” he said.

“Jude played with Loughgall last season and he too has signed so these type of players are all going to get a chance of playing Premier League football next season with us.

“We have a nice little sprinkling of players at the minute and I think we have strengthened quite well in midfield, in a position where we were light last year and we might be bringing in possibly one 
more midfielder.

“So we have good competition in that position but we still need to strengthen in 
certain areas.”

The Stute gaffer now wants to address probably the most important part of the 
pitch - up front.

“We have addressed the right-back spot by bringing in Matthew, we are hopeful of bringing in maybe another full-back and Sean Roddy will hopefully come back after his operation,” he added.

“Centre-forward is a special position and that’s the position I’m looking to address now. I have a few contacts who I’ll be meeting in the next week or two to see if we can 
get someone.

“We are a bit light up front in fairness and we have to see how the Stephen O’Flynn situation materialises and even if he does come back he still hasn’t started pre-season so he would be behind the rest 
of the group.

“But I’m going to have a few meetings with various clubs about possible loan deals.”