ONE OF IRISH football’s most coveted cup competitions gets underway today as 11 university teams from north and south assemble in Cork for the 2016 Collingwood Cup.
Over the next four days, some of Ireland’s most talented young footballers will go head-to-head. Below we take a closer look at five players to keep an eye out for during the tournament.
Garbhan Coughlan (UL)
The striker has been plying his trade in the League of Ireland for five seasons now and recently put pen to paper on a deal for 2016 with Limerick.
The 23-year-old UL student spent last season with Athlone and scored four goals in 15 appearances in the First Division. With plenty of experience, he’ll be an invaluable asset to his side as they go in search of their first ever Collingwood Cup title.
Samir Belhout (UCD)
A familiar face for any League of Ireland fan, Belhout has played an integral role for UCD in this competition over the last couple of years. The Belfield side have lifted the trophy five out of the last nine years and much of that is down to the pedigree they have within their ranks.
Belhout is just one of a number of players who featured during UCD’s memorable Europa League campaign last summer with manager Diarmuid McNally also heavily involved in the set-up.
Other players to watch out for include goalkeeper Niall Corbet and young defender Daniel Tobin.
Ayman Ben Mohamed (Trinity)
The highly-regarded winger needs no introduction having burst onto the scene domestically for UCD and then Longford in the Premier Division.
He has been rewarded with a move to Bohemians ahead of the 2016 season and Ben Mohamed is certainly one of the league’s brightest young talents.
His direct running, ability to beat defenders and blistering pace makes him an exciting prospect and while he may not be lining-out for one of the stronger teams, he’ll certainly be one to keep an eye on.
Kevin Feely (DCU)
The former Ireland U21 international is arguably the biggest name set to feature over the next four days. The 23-year-old defender enjoyed spells with Bohs, Charlton, Carlisle United, Wimbledon and Newport County before returning to full-time education.
Feely has bags of experience after playing both at home and in England and his availability is a huge coup for DCU.
He’s already represented the college in the Sigerson Cup this year and has impressed for Kildare having made his return to inter-county football in 2016.
Jamie McGrath (Maynooth)
19-year-old Jamie McGrath is an Ireland underage international and has made a big impression since breaking onto the scene with St Pat’s a couple of seasons ago.
Already there are being comparisons made with former Saint Chris Forrester and McGrath certainly has the potential to follow in his footsteps.
He featured 23 times for Liam Buckley’s side in the league last term and found the net twice.
The all-action midfielder has all the attributes to take control of a game but also boss proceedings in the middle of the park if required. He’ll be lining-out for Maynooth this week.
Squad lists for each team are available here.
2016 Collingwood Cup fixtures:
Tuesday (preliminary round):
- UCD v Royal College of Surgeons (2.30pm, Mayfield Community School)
- NUI Galway v Queens University (2.30pm, Douglas Hall AFC)
- Ulster University v Maynooth University (2.30pm, Blarney United)
Full fixture list here.
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