By Jonathan Brown
Ardglass will have a new face in the dugout next season as the management duo of Aaron Beattie and Peter O’Shea call time on their tenure at the club.
Beattie joined at the end of the 2022/23 season, managing alongside Chris Deegan and bringing silverware back to Ardglass for the first time in 13 years as they won the Newcastle League Premier Division Supplementary Cup. O’Shea then joined Beattie ahead of the 2023/24 campaign as they went on to claim a Premier Division title and Bobby Dalzell Cup double in their first full season in charge.
In their second season, Beattie and O’Shea went one better, retaining the Premier Division title and winning the Harry Clarke and KitRoom cups to complete an impressive treble. This season they retained the Harry Clarke Cup, beating Downpatrick 3-0 in the Easter Monday final.
Beattie himself came on for the last 20 minutes of Saturday’s final game of the season against recently crowned Premier Division champions and local rivals Killough, but it wasn’t the ending Beattie or O’Shea would have hoped for as Ardglass fell to a 4-1 defeat.
Commenting on his time in charge of Ardglass, Beattie said: “It was enjoyable – the talent has always been in Ardglass, the players just needed a better mindset and better belief in themselves. And that’s what me and Peter installed in them, a bit of belief and we got them a bit fitter. All three seasons were standouts for me, there’s nothing like winning trophies with your hometown club, it was amazing.”
Beattie played with Ardglass until the age of 35 before an eight-year stint at Ballynagross, and he’s proud of the fact that he and O’Shea have turned Ardglass into a winning team again. “Ardglass have been brilliant to me. They treated me like royalty as a player and I think it’s special to give back to a club that’s given so much to you over the years. I won plenty of trophies as a player, so getting Ardglass back to where they should be as a club, winning trophies – that was my mindset I went in with and I think we’ve achieved that,” Beattie said.
However, Beattie has his regrets when it comes to the defence of the Premier Division title, with Ardglass set to finish at least ten points behind champions Killough. “Hats off to Killough, they were very good this year. They’re always a strong side, but getting Declan Looney back from Drumaness was vital for them. He’s an Amateur League player effectively, so getting him back just sealed it for them, but they’ve been a better side than us this year. We tried our hardest but we’ve had five defeats in the league this year, which is never going to cut it. We only lost two league games in two years when we won the Premier Division back-to-back.”
Ardglass now begin the hunt for a new management team, and it will be a tough act to follow. “Hopefully Ardglass can push on again and the players can give the next manager coming in the respect that they gave me and Peter. You have to give managers a bit of respect because it’s not an easy job and if you give them respect, then they’ll return the favour and get you winning a few trophies hopefully. And it will be good for the players to have a new voice in the changing room,” Beattie explained.
