Simpson targets top three finish

After finishing the last couple of years in mid-table mediocrity, Simpson says it’s time Lisburn made the charge towards the top echelons of the Premier League, which they haven’t won since they gained a share of the title in 1996 after a final day nail-biter against joint top Cliftonville.

“Hopefully we can build on what we’ve been doing for the past few seasons,” he said.

“We’ve been safely in mid-table for the past couple of years so we want to start pushing on up the table now and get in around the top three or four.

“That would be good progress for us. We still have a really young team. Only three of our guys who will be playing on Saturday will be over 30.

“Hopefully those young guys now have that maturity and we can force our way into the top three.”

The season is due to begin tomorrow (Saturday) with a trip to face CIYMS but, as the rain poured down, Simpson was just left hoping the game would go ahead.

He said: “We can’t wait to get going now. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been training outside so that just adds to the whole buzz around the new season.

“Looking outside though, it doesn’t feel like it’s the right weather for the cricket season.

“The forecast isn’t great but we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

“If there’s a big back-log and you end up playing every Saturday and Sunday, it’s really not ideal with guys working as well.”

If the game does go ahead, Lisburn could welcome in new signing James Magowan.

However, he’s a doubt for the game with a badly damaged finger but he’s a man that Simpson is tipping to have a big impact on Lisburn’s campaign.

“I hope James can make a massive contribution this season,” he said.

“I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on him in his first season with us but he’s a very, very talented batter, a good bowler and he’s a good fielder as well.

“I have high hopes for him and I know he has high hopes for himself as well. He wants to get on to playing for the Northern Knights as well this year.”

Magowan is Lisburn’s only new recruit for the 2014 season, while they lost Zimbabwean Nathan Waller. Weather permitting, he could well come up against his former Lisburn team-mates on Saturday, playing for his new side CIYMS. Simpson is expecting a tougher test against what he reckons will be a much improved opposition:

“They are very strong and have brought in a lot of players,” he said. “It’s going to be tough. They’re hoping to be closer to the top than the bottom after their relegation scrap last year. We have a good record against them though so hopefully we can keep that up this weekend.”

Having lost the Twenty20 Cup final to North Down last season, Simpson reckons his side have what it takes to go one better and bring some silverware back to Wallace Park in 2014.

“I think we could be a potentially dangerous Cup side,” he told the ‘STAR.’

“We’ve done quite well recently and reached the Twenty20 final last season so hopefully we can give that a good go again.

“We’ve got a tough draw in the Irish Senior Cup, up against Clontarf who won the Leinster League and the Senior Cup last season. They have a number of Irish internationals so that’ll be hard.

“We’ll definitely be giving it a rattle in the Ulster Cup and the NCU Cup.”