Nothing achieved yet - Kenna

Ecstatic players, jubilant fans, and breathless media were in abundance at Terryland Park on Friday night once Ian Stokes had blown the final whistle on Galway United's last home game of the campaign. Jeff Kenna could easily have become wrapped up in the euphoria of it all but, thankfully, the rookie manager, a fact that must be remembered, is still focused on the task at hand that awaits his side in the Belfield Bowl next Friday.

"We haven’t achieved anything yet. We’ve got to remain focused. I think if we go to UCD with the wrong attitude, we’ll get beaten. So it’s my job to see that it doesn’t happen, that the players are aware of that." Finn Harps presented a tricky obstacle for his side to overcome last Friday, considering the two defeats to Derry City which had preceded this tie.

"I don’t know whether we wanted it more or not. But I certainly felt that we played a very, very professional game, stuck to our guns, kept passing the ball around, trying to create chances and obviously the early goal in the second half helped our cause no end. You’ve gotta give Finn Harps credit, they came and frustrated us for the entire first half. Parkhouse had a good chance which usually he actually sticks away so we got away with that one.

"I don’t remember us actually creating one chance of note in the first half. It was a case of obviously waiting to get the first goal, or certainly that's what I felt. That was the message I was giving to the players at half-time. Be patient, I actually thought one goal would win it. I wasn't bothered about when it came as long as we were the ones that got it, so obviously to score so early in the second half was a big plus for us. They then had to change their system a bit and come after us. The game really opened up and I thought we were worthy winners in the end."

First half dominance failed to render a fatal blow from the hosts, but Kenna was unperturbed. "It was a big positive for me that the lads were frustrated. They were annoyed that they hadn’t played as well as they can do and I could sense, right from when we arrived at the ground, everybody was well up for the game, everybody was nice and relaxed, laughing and joking.

"The atmosphere was fantastic. The warm up went very well, a million times better than last week at Derry, and the performance followed. So for me personally, it’s fantastic to come in at half-time, they’d frustrated us for 45 minutes, I just had to clam them down a bit because they were starting to have a bitch and moan at each other.

Left back Marc McCulloch calmed the tension, firing in only ninety seconds after their emergence from the dressing rooms. Kenna could have taken credit for allowing his defender get into that advanced position, but was somewhat more self effacing. ". I was about to tell him to get back. I didn’t know what he was doing in that position, so apparently he nicked in across the full back and finished it very nicely, so we’ll take that.

The manager was also quick to credit those who couldn't be out on the pitch influencing proceedings but also played their part. "The crowd were absolutely fantastic tonight, by far the biggest crowd we’ve had since I’ve been here, they’ve played their part. And hopefully the attendances will be as good next season provided we win next week. Everybody played their part today, all the way through to the lads who weren’ involved. They were in the dressing room wishing everybody all the best. It’s a very good atmosphere at the moment.

"Everybody plays their part. Myself, Fozzie, Stephen Lally, Adrian Cronin, down to John Devlin who does the kit. We’ve tried to create a nice sort of togetherness, a family atmosphere within the club. You can throw in Adrienne and Daniel in the office, Nick also plays his part. Everybody plays their part, which is something I was very conscious of trying to do ever since I’ve got the job.

"I can only do so much but the players have to follow my instructions when they go out onto the pitch. Its not black and white, situations crop up in games and then you’re relying on players and their ability. We can give them ideas and scenarios but once they cross the white line there’s not a lot, bar screaming and shouting and pointing, that I can do. You’ve gotta have that bit of trust in your players, and certainly I couldn’t trust them any more at the moment. "

Thoughts then turned to the night in Cobh, when relegation became a real danger following a gutless 4-1 loss. No stone has been left unturned since in Kenna's efforts to extract every ounce of potential from his squad. "That’s the lowest I’ve been after the Cobh game. It was the manner of the performance and you sort of look around and you think well, without being disrespectful to the younger lads in the squad, you’re asking them to come in and do a man’s job and it’s too much responsibility to put on young shoulders.

"We watched the video and we talked about it and we shouted at each other, fell out and made up. Lots of things have gone into getting us to where we are. I had a business coach come in to speak to the lads, we had a motivational speaker come in and followed it up six or eight weeks later. Every little bit helps, and as far as I’m concerned, anything at all to give you that extra edge is something you should be using."

Galway fans are praying Kenna's revolution will continue in the Premier Division next year, even if only with a part-time playing squad. Hard choices will have to be made. Jeff Kenna may only be taking his first steps in the managerial game but it would be a safe bet to say that he will have a long and prosperous career on the sidelines. He has ambitions that Galway will not be able to fulfill, but a last day relegation escape would forever guarantee him a cherished place in Galway United followers thoughts.