David Magee admits he had to get permission from his two sons before accepting the manager’s position at Coalisland Athletic.
Magee stepped into the hot-seat last summer and the family affair has reaped rewards this season.
Saturday’s 5-0 win over Lurgan BBOB saw Coalisland leapfrog Annalong and Newmills into top spot in Division One.
PJ Lavery bagged a hat-trick while Shea Rankin claimed a brace to make it eight league wins on the bounce.
Magee believes the camaraderie of his squad makes Coalisland a force to be reckoned with this season, a panel of players that includes his sons Daryl (27) and Ciaran (20).
“This is my first season in charge and I am loving it,” Magee told Match on Tuesday.
“We have a good squad here. All the lads have worked so hard and are buying into what we want to achieve.
“And my two sons are also in the squad. I had to ask their permission to manage the team at the start of the year.
“They might not want their dad shouting at them on the sidelines.”
Coalisland now lead an ultra-competitive Division One, with the top six sides separated by just three points.
The club last won the league in 2018/19, and Magee is determined to lead them all the way this season.
Unfortunately promotion is unlikely even if Coalisland win the title, as their home ground is not yet up to standard to host games at a higher level.
“We don’t have the proper facilities to move up a league,” Magee said.
“Plans are under way and hopefully we can sort things out. A few of the proposals have fallen through in the past and it is deeply frustrating.
“We know we are capable of playing at a higher level, but we need to upgrade our ground before we can do that.
“Just with the surroundings of our pitch it isn’t possible for us to move up a division.
“Hopefully things can progress soon, but it might take a couple of years before we achieve it.”
Coalisland didn’t win any of their opening three games in Division One this season, but followed it up with a stellar eight-game winning streak which has catapulted them to the top of the table.
“We started off the league with two draws and a defeat in our opening three games. I’d put that down to a few of our lads still being involved in GAA and things like that,” Magee said.
“But we have won our last eight games on the bounce, so the lads deserve immense credit. They have done really well.
“The Mid Ulster League is tough and there are no easy games, so to get eight wins on the bounce is brilliant.
“We are top of the table but it is so tight. I say to the lads every week, that every league game from now on is a final. We must win because our rivals don’t drop points too often.
“I haven’t even looked at the table until now. We are happy with how things are going, but we have plenty of work to do.”
Reflecting on Saturday’s 5-0 win over Lurgan BBoB, Magee added: “It was a great win for us, but I wasn’t overly pleased with the performance.
“We were slow out of the blocks but I suppose I can’t be too critical.
“We are in the last-16 of the Junior Cup this weekend, so I reshuffled the side a little bit. We had a few boys carrying slight niggles so we rested them, and we gave a few of the other lads a run out.
“We started off slowly, and didn’t open the scoring until the 41st minute. So it took us a bit of time to get up and running, but we got the right result in the end.
“What pleased me most was being able to bring a few other players in. We have a squad of 22 or 23 and it is important to give fellas game time.
“We have been flying recently, and the team has basically been picking itself. I like to stick with the lads who have been doing well and winning games, because they have earned their spot.
“But this game offered us the chance to change things up, and it was another good result.”
