NI Milk Cup

The former Roesiders boss takes over from Gary Faulkner with Joe Doherty, who is the IFA Grassroots Development Officer for the Limavady area,suceeding Paddy McGonigle as boss of the Premier team.

Doherty has a lifelong association with Intermediate League club Oxford United Stars and has been involved with Milk Cup squads for the past decade.

Mullan has called on players to take the chance the prestigious tournament will offer them.

"I have a backroom team of five and since October, we've been going around watching games all over the county," said Mullan.

"The reason for that is so that the boys are given the best chance possible to stake their claim, so that it doesn't just all come down to the trials.

"A lot of it can come down to the draw. You could end up playing the eventual winners on the first day, or you might get a decent draw. What we'll do is work with the players and prepare them for whatever happens.

"We'll maybe only be meeting with these boys two times a week but they're coming from academies and full-time clubs. We need to make sure that the 18 boys we have are prepared to take their opportunity to show what they can do."

Likewise, Doherty says that while history has shown that it's difficult for county teams to progress, his eyes are firmly on ensuring his team is competitive at the top level.

"For a lot of boys in the premier team, they maybe think their best chance has already passed them by," he said. "They're maybe playing against boys who have gone across the water but if you look at Eunan O'Kane, he played in the premier team and got picked up by Everton.

"You always start in the hope of getting to a Milk Cup final and that would be lovely. By the time you've played your games on Monday and Tuesday, your targets might change depending on the draw, you might be looking at the Slemish Cup. But we'll go out with the aim of getting to a Milk Cup final.

"When the county played a semi-final against Man United back in the early 90s, maybe '92, they were great times and that's the standard we're trying to get back to again. Year to year, it's difficult to say how far away the county teams are from winning a Milk Cup.

"We're maybe only with the players 14 weeks of the year, in that time we'll try to get a fitness, organisation and commitment that allows them to play to their best potential.

"It's as much about being mentally strong too, about being 1-0 up and knowing how to hold on to a game when teams of the calibre they'll be playing against come at you," he said.

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1993 is eligible for the Premier team, while anyone born on or after January 1, 1995 is eligible for the Junior team. Anyone interested in playing is asked to register their details online by going to www.countylondonderryfa.co.uk.