Brian McCaul insists Immaculata are nonetheless nowhere close to their greatest after they romped to 4-0 house win over Tullycarnet within the Metal Cup on Saturday.
The emphatic scoreline, courtesy of 4 completely different gamers discovering the online — Emmett Fallon, Collie O’Riordan, summer season recruit Eddie Begley and Kevin McGovern — prolonged the Mac’s spectacular begin to the brand new marketing campaign, with two victories apiece within the cups and the league.
In doing so, it might seem McCaul’s males are simply choosing up the place they left off final Could, having completed the earlier season like a home on hearth, storming to a second place end behind champions Rathfriland.
After making solely minor surgical procedure to his panel over the summer season, including targets from midfield within the type of ex-St Teresa’s schemer Brian Kennedy, and the Begley brothers Eddie and Sean — McCaul readily admits that is the strongest squad he has had since taking the reins halfway by the Covid-curtailed marketing campaign of 2019/20.
And whereas there’s a buzz across the place after such a vivid opening, McCaul believes the Mac must undergo the gears if they're to succeed in the heights this time spherical.
“We’re rising collectively, we’re not the completed article,” the previous Linfield ace instructed the Belfast Telegraph.
“When it comes to our performances up to now, we’ve undoubtedly one other few steps to make.
“However it’s the beginning of August, two league wins, two cup wins, you’d chew your hand off for that.
“From final week to yesterday, there have been possibly 5 gamers went out from the squad we had final week within the Irish Cup, and there’s two or three away subsequent week and two or three again, and I’ve by no means actually had that type of squad. It’s good and it'll give me a headache when there’s a state of affairs the place everyone seems to be match.
Immaculata have been the one group to do a league double over Rathfriland final season, however McCaul has nonetheless earmarked the champions because the benchmark within the Premier Division.
However having seen them overwhelmed by newly-promoted Comber in midweek, he’s obtained a brand new perspective on the Mac’s 1-0 win over the Park Method males on the opening day of the season.
“I actually assume the league this 12 months can be so unpredictable,” stated the Mac player-manager.
“We performed Comber on the primary day of the season they usually have been higher than us on the day.
“I really stated to one of many different managers that Comber may very well be up there, after which they go and beat Rathfriland.
“And that made me really feel higher about our win, as a substitute of a win in opposition to a newly-promoted group, it’s a win in opposition to a group which may very well be up there on the prime.
“After which we beat Larne Tech, and once more, I feel they'll give groups hassle, I feel there’ll be extra shock outcomes when you like, though they received’t shock me.
“I do know Crumlin United have introduced in gamers they usually have improved, I don’t learn about East Belfast, however I do know they’ve introduced gamers in too, so it’s arduous to inform.
“It will likely be robust, we beat Rathfriland twice final 12 months, but it surely was the attracts that value us. If we will flip them into wins, then who is aware of, definitely, we may be up there.
“However it’s doing it, there’s no level saying it actually, is there?”
Key to fulfulling their potential, for McCaul, is the health of two males who know the lay of the land within the Novice League inside out.
O’Riordan, who spent a lot of final season sidelined, is again taking part in, whereas final 12 months’s joint prime goalscorer James Haughey has but to kick a ball this season.
“Collie is very large for us, having him again was one other constructive for us going into the season,” defined McCaul.
“He’s nearly like a brand new signing, and James hasn’t featured but, which is one other plus, that we’ve been successful with out him.
“Hopefully he’ll be again quickly, I don’t assume he’ll be accessible subsequent week, he’s simply taking part in it by ear.
“Together with his targets, he can win a match for us on any given day so we’re wanting ahead to getting him again and getting him firing, he can be an enormous asset for us.”
On Saturday’s win, McCaul stated it wasn’t fairly as one-sided because the rating suggests, including: “We have been snug in that we restricted them to some possibilities, they usually didn’t take the probabilities that that they had.
“However it was solely 1-0 at half-time, and even at 2-0 they have been nonetheless within the sport. As soon as we obtained the third, we might calm down a bit.
“When it comes to our personal performances, we might play higher, we have been lacking a great deal of gamers however that gave different boys a possibility they usually did rather well.
“General, 4-0 most likely seems simpler than it was.”