SPARTAK Mossgrove have secured promotion back to West Cork League’s top tier following a dominant Championship campaign.
Mossgrove returned to the PremierHiSpecCars.com Premier Division by virtue of their 3-0 victory away to Baltimore on the same weekend second-placed Mizen AFC lost 4-3 at home to Riverside Athletic.
The combination of those results meant Mossgrove were assured a top two-finish just one season after suffering relegation.
An impressive record of 11 wins, two draws and a solitary league loss during a highly competitive championship underlined Spartak’s quality and delighted player-manager Daniel Twomey.
‘It is great to go straight back up and it’s what we all wanted at the start of the year,’ Twomey told The Southern Star.
‘To have it done with two league games left is great. We are going to go for it (championship title) but we have a few tough games left. We have to go to Mizen in one of those games but we will be going all out to win the league.
‘This year’s championship was well run to be fair to it. Playing every team once at the start before the split was very good. I suppose, we were picked as one of the favourites to go up along with Mizen. In fairness to them, Mizen look like they are going to eventually get promoted as well.’
Spartak’s squad has been made up of more or less the same group of players over the past number of seasons. Most play GAA with Newcestown but adjusted well to dropping down a division whilst representing Spartak.
Overcoming the disappointment of relegation, Mossgrove played an attacking brand of football that has yielded 53 league goals so far to gain promotion at the first time of asking.
‘It is the same team as always although we have Barry Horgan back with us again this year,’ Twomey said.
‘Barry has been very good in goal for us and the one addition to a squad that the players are just happy to play in every week. There’s no managing them really because they do what they want!’
Spartak Mossgrove’s Twitter account, @Spartakmossgro1, is also one of the most active and humorous in the West Cork League.
‘To be fair, everyone contributes to the Twitter account,’ Twomey explained.
‘Whoever is on the bench usually tweets or gets on to me to put whatever message up on the Twitter account during the season. It is all a bit of fun and a bit of craic. It is also about promoting the West Cork League as well.
‘We were delighted to have two main sponsors on board with us this year. My brother Sean’s Collins Cronin Twomey Accountants sponsored our home jerseys and we got a brand new kit, footballs and bibs from Carling through O’Mahony’s Bar in Newcestown.’
So, Spartak are on the cusp of claiming the WCL Championship title as well as preparing for a Beamish Cup quarter-final at home to current holders Togher Celtic. It has already been a terrific season for Mossgrove who, barring losing players to GAA commitments, could yet conclude their campaign with a couple of well-deserved trophies.
