McFaul: Fingal fear no one in Cup
Credit:
Shane McFaul says that holders Sporting Fingal do not fear anyone
going into the 2010 FAI Cup.
Asked if Fingal have any sides they are wary of being paired with in the FAI Cup, McFaul responded, “No, not one team. We’re the holders and we were in the First Division last year when we won it. Now we’re in the Premier Division and we’ve added to the squad.
We’ve a much stronger squad this year than we did last year. So we don’t fear anybody at all, especially as the holders. We want to do our best to retain our trophy.”
The Sporting midfielder had much to say on the relative strength of the squad this season when compared to last season’s promotion-winning squad: “Ger O’Brien has come in and he’s been fantastic, Kenny Browne as well.”
McFaul goes on to laud his midfield teammate Ronan Finn, saying that Finn “has been banging goals in as well, he’s playing excellent. The lads that have come in have definitely made us stronger. We needed to get more quality players for the European games coming up: players that have experience. Glen Crowe has played in Europe before and he’s doing really well for us recently. I definitely think we’ve got a lot stronger.”
This season has seen Fingal adopt an attacking strategy, with players like McFaul getting forward far more than they would have before. McFaul thinks that this attack-orientated tactic suits Fingal well: “I think the way we play really suits us.”
“That’s the way Liam [Buckley] has us playing and it’s what John Devine (Fingal Head Coach) bases our training sessions around. It’s all about attacking play and its paying dividends on the pitch, just like the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. With the attacking players we have... they dictate the way we play.”
McFaul also commented on what he calls the “special atmosphere” around FAI Cup matches. “I played in it last year at UCD and the atmosphere is completely different to a league game. There’s a great buzz around the stadium as well so at the moment Friday can’t come soon enough. It’s one thing we put down in our diaries at the start of the season- we’re really looking forward to it.”
Asked if Fingal have any sides they are wary of being paired with in the FAI Cup, McFaul responded, “No, not one team. We’re the holders and we were in the First Division last year when we won it. Now we’re in the Premier Division and we’ve added to the squad.
We’ve a much stronger squad this year than we did last year. So we don’t fear anybody at all, especially as the holders. We want to do our best to retain our trophy.”
The Sporting midfielder had much to say on the relative strength of the squad this season when compared to last season’s promotion-winning squad: “Ger O’Brien has come in and he’s been fantastic, Kenny Browne as well.”
McFaul goes on to laud his midfield teammate Ronan Finn, saying that Finn “has been banging goals in as well, he’s playing excellent. The lads that have come in have definitely made us stronger. We needed to get more quality players for the European games coming up: players that have experience. Glen Crowe has played in Europe before and he’s doing really well for us recently. I definitely think we’ve got a lot stronger.”
This season has seen Fingal adopt an attacking strategy, with players like McFaul getting forward far more than they would have before. McFaul thinks that this attack-orientated tactic suits Fingal well: “I think the way we play really suits us.”
“That’s the way Liam [Buckley] has us playing and it’s what John Devine (Fingal Head Coach) bases our training sessions around. It’s all about attacking play and its paying dividends on the pitch, just like the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. With the attacking players we have... they dictate the way we play.”
McFaul also commented on what he calls the “special atmosphere” around FAI Cup matches. “I played in it last year at UCD and the atmosphere is completely different to a league game. There’s a great buzz around the stadium as well so at the moment Friday can’t come soon enough. It’s one thing we put down in our diaries at the start of the season- we’re really looking forward to it.”
About Niall Farrell
Niall Farrell is our correspondent at Tolka Park, covering the goings-on at Shelbourne. You can visit Niall's website for further information and contact details- niallf.net. View Full Profile