Hehir brothers hopeful for further Avenue glory

THEY will be at either side of the field on the Avenue Utd team but the Hehir brothers both share the same confidence that the club is more than capable of replicating its double success.

Avenue Utd had been waiting since 2013 for their first team to win some silverware, they ended that drought last season which also marked the debut year for both Conor and Mossy Hehir with the club’s A team.

Clarification is quickly provided by Mossy that they are brothers but not twins, “There’s a year and a half between us, we don’t look alike. We’ve been called twins before,” the elder Hehir aged 24 outlined. “I still get called Mossy enough anyway,” admitted the younger Conor aged 23, “lads on our team even call me Mossy”. His older brother interjects, “He’s mini-Mossy”.

Conor who graduated from TUS last year in Business with Computing is now working with an Athenry company doing data analysis while Mossy who graduated from UL two years ago is now working as a software automation engineer in Limerick for Kneat, quipping, “I’m the more intelligent one”. He added that their parents Declan and Antoinette may be more satisfied with Conor’s work around the house rather than his.

Living in Roslevan, Mossy gave up the hurling this year due to load management. The brothers' competitive nature is well known within the Avenue set-up. “In training there Russ has to put us on the same team because we’d kick the shit out of each other,” Mossy revealed. “I’d kick the shit out of him,” Conor clarifies. “Conor is probably our best defender, you will get infuriated trying to get past him,” Mossy adds.

With kind words voiced by Mossy, the opportunity for Conor to pay his older brother a compliment is offered but declined, “He’s stingy like that,” Mossy flagged.

Members of Conor’s underage group include right-back Cullen McCabe and midfielder Eoghan Thynne while striker Elias Kunz would have been competing against them at Ennis Town with Conor McDaid part of their side but he has since moved onto Newmarket Celtic.

In defence, Conor and Dylan Casey continue at left-back and centre-half respectively while injury has ruled out Conor Mullen giving Dylan Barry the chance to step in while Jamie Roche and last season’s right back Cullen McCabe battle for the number two jersey. Life in defence is different without the experienced Mullen, admitted Conor, "but Dylan Barry and Jamie Roche have both stepped in well, we’ve enough players on the bench to step up”.

Making a breakthrough last season was “massive” in the eyes of Conor, “it was big for us, Newmarket have dominated for so long but to get the breakthrough was massive”. Mossy added, “Because we were a new team, it was a new dynamic, we hadn’t played with each other before, there was a really good energy to it, we had nothing to fear, we didn’t fear them and I still think that is the same, I know Newmarket have won the FAI but I don’t think it phases us, we know we can beat them no matter what and we have beaten them before, we can beat them and we can beat Lifford at the weekend”.

A chance to do two in a row in both competitions is something to grab, Conor maintained. “It would be unreal to be fair, looking at all the success Newmarket have had recently it would be good to try get one over them in the League and that can hopefully start by beating Lifford on Saturday”.

There is a lot to play for with the focus first on Lifford and then Newmarket Celtic in the League but Conor is confident they can upset the FAI Junior Cup champions. “There’s a lot to play for, we’re confident, we know we can beat them, we’re good enough, we just can’t play it into their hands, they are good from set pieces which may not be our strong point but we know we can hurt them. We’ve enough talent up front to cause them problems, if we have to play them twice or whatever we think we can get the job done”.