Michael Smyth believes the embers of Lurgan Celtic have been well and truly stoked as the club looks to start climbing the Mid Ulster Football League ladder.
The Lord Lurgan Park outfit find themselves wedged in a hot promotion battle this season, sitting second in the table following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with fellow title rivals Bessbrook United.
Six years ago the Wee Hoops reached the semi-finals of the Irish Cup and were campaigning in Championship 1.
But in 2019 the club bowed out of senior football due to financial pressures, a decision that sent shockwaves throughout the Irish League football family.
Out of the ashes Celtic retained a junior set-up and then kicked off a new era in Mid Ulster football.
And despite the horrible demise of 2016, Smyth says the club still harbours big ambition to get back to where they belong.
“For a club of Lurgan Celtic’s size, everyone is saying we need to get out of this division as soon as possible,” Smyth told Match on Tuesday.
“But nothing is handed to you, and you have to earn the right to get promoted. Hopefully we can do the business.”
Smyth added: “I have been manager since Lurgan Celtic entered Division 3. I coached in the academy and my dad is one of the kitmen. So he was delighted when I took the job.
“It is a club with big ambitions. People refer to us as a sleeping giant, and they are right.
“I grew up with the club, watching them train and play when I was about 12 years of age. It means a lot to me, and managing the first team means the world to me.
“It was tough watching the club fall the way it did, especially after all the hard work that had gone in before.
“But the club has gone back to its roots, and we have players now who are not just playing for money. They are paying their fivers each week and they know what it means to pull on the Lurgan Celtic jersey.
“They know what it means to the club and to the town. And we have to keep building and progressing.
“We want promotion and we want to start climbing the leagues.
“Yesterday we had 50 or 60 people down watching, and that’s park football in Mid Ulster Division 3. And that will only grow and grow.
“It is a massive club, and even though we are in Division 3 you wouldn’t know it looking around the club and the support we have.”
Celtic had to recover from being 2-0 down before earning a point against Bessbrook on Saturday.
And despite a storming second half comeback, Smyth was left feeling “bitterly disappointed” at dropping two points.
“We had chances but couldn’t convert any of them, and then we conceded two silly goals from set-pieces,” he added.
“They then had a man sent off, so that gave us a bit of confidence at half-time. We knew we had a chance of pulling it back and getting something out of the game.
“In the second half we completely dominated, and we must have had about 20 or 25 chances.
“Thankfully we got one back from the penalty spot after about 58 minutes and then levelled the game about 10 minutes later.
“We went into the last 20 minutes and it was one-way traffic. It was just the most frustrating game all round.
“We really fancied our chances on Saturday, but to go two goals down and then just get a draw against 10 men was very disappointing.
“It feels like one that got away. I am sure the Bessbrook manager would say it’s a point gained for them. And we look at it as two dropped for us.
“It actually hurts to speak about it now. Our performance was actually quite good despite going two goals down. We should have got the win.
“I know we came back from 2-0 down which is pleasing, but the overriding feeling is one of disappointment and frustration.
“We had so many chances, and their keeper was probably the busiest man on the pitch.”
