Larne Academy coach Eamon Curry joins Institute's back-room team

Manager Brian Donaghey confirmed this week that Aidy McLaughlin had left his back-room team while also revealing Eamon Curry and Peter Allen have joined his coaching staff, with Curry his new number two.

The Strabane native, who is a former Tyrone SuperCup NI manager, has been employed as a tutor/coach at Larne, the first full-time club-based football academy in the country. As for Allen, he’s a popular man in local football and cricketing circles in the north west.

The Newbuildings man has managed Dergview in the Championship and knows the junior and youth football scene in the area very well, as well as having played a major role behind the scenes in Newbuildings Cricket Club’s recent success.

Mark Scoltock is still part of the back-room team, while Lee Kitson remains in place as goalkeeping coach.

“Eamon Curry is in as assistant manager,” insisted Donaghey. “He’s a Strabane man who managed them to a league title a few years back and he now works at Larne academy.

“He worked with me at Northern Ireland Youth level, he’s a top coach with a UEFA diploma and a UEFA ‘A’ Licence so I’m delighted to bring him in. He’s a top, top man coming in as assistant manager.

“We also needed an extra pair of hands so bringing in Peter was great for both of us and him.

“Peter knows the area well and he has obviously managed in the league before with Dergview, so he knows the landscape of the Championship.

“He has been scouting for quite a few years for Watford, so he has his ears to the ground when it comes to young players in the area and I needed that.

“I needed to widen our scope so it’s great to be able to bring Peter and Eamon into the club. Believe it or not they haven’t been able to bring me a player yet,” he laughed, “But jokes aside I don’t care, because I do know they’ll get players and the type of players I want for the football club.”